Dwane Casey should have more success this season. The answers as to why are many, which begins with the fact he will have a full training camp to work with this roster. I am not sure if we give enough credit for what he was able to accomplish last season under less than ideal circumstances. What he was able to accomplish with a roster that was not as talented as the one he has now can not be applauded enough. He did it with so little time as well.
The lack of training camp and practices was well documented around the NBA last season. It is only natural common sense that Casey with more time should be able to accomplish more. “Pound the Rock” was something we had a lot of fun with in the DNB last season. I personally saw the whole concept as a little college like in nature. Casey was able to sell it though and his players bought in. If you didn’t buy in that you apparently are not going stick around. James Johnson would be an example of that, despite having a defensive skill set that should have worked well with Casey. It speaks to a word I have said a lot in talking about Casey. Accountability has returned to the Raptors vocabulary.
Casey will not only have more time, but more players that fit the style of basketball Casey wants to play. All of the Raptor additions have one common theme and that would be a defensive mindset. For years I have moaned in this blog just how important a point guard that can defend is in this new modern NBA. Casey now has one that should fit the bill in Kyle Lowry. He has guys that will be on his bench that will push others to bring it on defence. DeMar DeRozan has a motivation to play better defence in the form of Raptors first round pick Terrence Ross. Landry Fields is a solid defender as well that could play at the shooting guard or the small forward positions.
We could keep this going but to sum it up Casey now as depth and options if individuals are not working well within the system. The one thing a coach has control of that gives him power is minutes. He decides just how much you will play and that is how he can send his message. The trading of James Johnson shows that the organization to some extent has Dwane Casey’s back.
That is important and goes back to what they had in Utah for so many years with Jerry Sloan. In Utah there was a system and that system was ruled by Jerry Sloan. You didn’t fit the system or didn’t work well with Jerry Sloan and your stay in Utah would not be fun or long.
In the modern NBA that ruling with an iron fist approach alone is hard to make work. Casey has some of that in him but he has also shown an ability to work with his players and get them to buy in to varying degrees. It was made very clear to me from being in the Raptors’ locker room last season that Casey had the respect of the room.
So you should expect more from Casey in year number two as Raptors Head Coach. However all this talk of playoffs might not be a fair expectation. You may have to “Pound the Rock” a little longer before you are rewarded with the post-season. Casey will still try his best to push this team to exceed realistic expectations and the point is the Raptors have started to build an identity that can be successful.
Some Other Non-related Notes:
I ranked my top 5 dunkers in Raptor history for the Bleacher Report. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts over there. I would love to hear from DNB Readers there as well. In addition the Raptors finally made it official that Jaamal Magloire will be back at least for training camp. I talked about this earlier in the week so I will not add much to what I have already said. Ultimately Maglorie should not make this roster of 15 and if he does something has went wrong. This is assuming the Raptors don’t make a trade in which more players go out than come back. If we are talking about the 16 players currently on the roster it seems pretty simple to me that Magloire is the odd man out.
Showing posts with label Jaamal Magloire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jaamal Magloire. Show all posts
9/19/12
9/17/12
Jaamal Maglorie Needs Raptors More Than They Need Him
The simple fact is that Jaamal Magloire needs the Toronto Raptors more than they need him. The Raptors in a season where everyone knew expectations were low signed the Toronto native to a contract last season. It was in my view a way to get positive spin, as much as it was to get veteran leadership, as the Raptors claimed. Magloire is on the last legs of his NBA career and after years of some people wanting the Raptors to acquire the Toronto native they finally did.
Much like how he would fail to show up for Team Canada time and time again, he passed on the opportunity to play for the Raptors. He even signed with Miami when Chris Bosh first left to join the Heat. The fact this is the guy that will go down as the first Canadian to play for the Raptors will turn my stomach till the day I die.
People searched for reasons to find his relevance last season. There just wasn’t any and he should have gone the way of Rasual Butler. He didn’t though, but he offered about as much as Butler did to the Raptors. Jamaal at one time was a high level NBA talent, but that time was back in 2003. It was his best season in the NBA with at the time Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets would move to the Western Conference and Magloire went from All-Star to irrelevance fairly quickly.
This would not stop his name from coming up with fans to come home to the Raptors for years to come. Sometimes the dream is far better than the reality.
Aside from the fact he never played for his country there is arrogance about Magloire that rubs me the wrong way. Case and point how last season ended. He was selected to address the crowd before the final game of the season vs. the Nets. Not even under contract to the club for this season, he would tell fans that the Raptors were going to be heading back to the post-season this year. How on earth is a guy that might not even be here able to do that?
I would have had no issue if Demar DeRozan or Andrea Bargnani is making such a claim. They will be part of any such playoff effort. Magloire would be for the most part a spectator to one. I guess what got my juices flowing on this topic again, was an interview he had on Prime Time Sports on Friday from The Fan 590.
Again, I sit back and hear a guy that has not officially been offered a non-guaranteed contract talking about the Raptors future. How on earth did this guy become the spokesperson for the Toronto Raptors? I get the impression from some he is treated with the same type of reverence that a Steve Nash is treated. He is no where close to a Steve Nash even at the peak of his career.
Make no mistake about if the Raptors had not offered this guy a deal last season there is a strong possibility his NBA career would be finished. There is a major difference in Steve Nash ending his NBA Career in Toronto while still able to contribute to the Raptors and this.
The Raptors get more out of Aaron Gray who we profiled on Friday than they do Jaamal Magloire. Canada has some legitimate stars coming along in basketball and they will far surpass anything this guy has done. I would be proud to have a guys like that listed in the history books as the first Canadian Raptor. I would be proud if it was Canada’s greatest player ever Steve Nash. Instead I have to live with it being a washed up guy that was last productive in 2003.
What I shouldn’t have to do is have to endure that for another season. The Raptors have more than enough big people without Jaamal Magloire eating up a space on this roster. This was no fairytale story that some so desperately want it to be. It might be for Magloire when he looks back on his career but not for anyone else.
Much like how he would fail to show up for Team Canada time and time again, he passed on the opportunity to play for the Raptors. He even signed with Miami when Chris Bosh first left to join the Heat. The fact this is the guy that will go down as the first Canadian to play for the Raptors will turn my stomach till the day I die.
People searched for reasons to find his relevance last season. There just wasn’t any and he should have gone the way of Rasual Butler. He didn’t though, but he offered about as much as Butler did to the Raptors. Jamaal at one time was a high level NBA talent, but that time was back in 2003. It was his best season in the NBA with at the time Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets would move to the Western Conference and Magloire went from All-Star to irrelevance fairly quickly.
This would not stop his name from coming up with fans to come home to the Raptors for years to come. Sometimes the dream is far better than the reality.
Aside from the fact he never played for his country there is arrogance about Magloire that rubs me the wrong way. Case and point how last season ended. He was selected to address the crowd before the final game of the season vs. the Nets. Not even under contract to the club for this season, he would tell fans that the Raptors were going to be heading back to the post-season this year. How on earth is a guy that might not even be here able to do that?
I would have had no issue if Demar DeRozan or Andrea Bargnani is making such a claim. They will be part of any such playoff effort. Magloire would be for the most part a spectator to one. I guess what got my juices flowing on this topic again, was an interview he had on Prime Time Sports on Friday from The Fan 590.
Again, I sit back and hear a guy that has not officially been offered a non-guaranteed contract talking about the Raptors future. How on earth did this guy become the spokesperson for the Toronto Raptors? I get the impression from some he is treated with the same type of reverence that a Steve Nash is treated. He is no where close to a Steve Nash even at the peak of his career.
Make no mistake about if the Raptors had not offered this guy a deal last season there is a strong possibility his NBA career would be finished. There is a major difference in Steve Nash ending his NBA Career in Toronto while still able to contribute to the Raptors and this.
The Raptors get more out of Aaron Gray who we profiled on Friday than they do Jaamal Magloire. Canada has some legitimate stars coming along in basketball and they will far surpass anything this guy has done. I would be proud to have a guys like that listed in the history books as the first Canadian Raptor. I would be proud if it was Canada’s greatest player ever Steve Nash. Instead I have to live with it being a washed up guy that was last productive in 2003.
What I shouldn’t have to do is have to endure that for another season. The Raptors have more than enough big people without Jaamal Magloire eating up a space on this roster. This was no fairytale story that some so desperately want it to be. It might be for Magloire when he looks back on his career but not for anyone else.
4/24/12
DNB Top 10- Things I Will "TRY" To Forget About 2011-12 Raptors Season
We have not done one of these in a long time. We even started doing a few top ten's in video but this is not one of those. This is what many would class as a forgettable season for the Toronto Raptors. There have been many of those lately. So what will I want to forget about this season most? So many options to choose from. Let's get this rolling.
#10 The NBA Lockout- I think I may be one of the last people still kind of ticked off about it. I mean the CBA never turned out to be what it should have been. The league lost 2 months of the season. This schedule has been a painful experience to do my job well. I probably won't forget this but most of you have and some even likely believe those NBA Cares Ads. Dwight Howard cares about Orlando as much as Shaq did.
#9 Anthony Carter- I honestly never really spoke to him in his time here. He kinda looked like a scary dude and with no Reggie Evans this year to have my back I felt keeping my distance was wise. I never saw the point in him being signed and actually was the first and maybe only to suggest the Raptors should have signed some kid named Jeremy Lin instead. He was cut and no one cared so what really was their to remember.
#8 Pound The Rock- This likely has no hope of happening. I mean it is written on stuff all over the ACC and their is that big rock as you enter and exit the Raptor Locker Room. That said, I am all for a good story and some inspiration. But people using this expression made me more feeling like pounding my head than any sense of inspiration from it. If the players like it and buy into it great. I am out of the Rock pounding game if I was ever really in it.
#7 Jamaal Maglorie's Raptor Career- Wait he is still on the team? This is true but he will be long gone this off-season if there is a God and he likes me even a little bit. This whole thing was a complete shame and an insult to the history of this franchise. Now when kids 25 years from now look up who was the first Canadian to play for the Raptors it will be him. If a kid asks me in 25 years about it here is what I will say. He was a guy that stopped being good 9 years before he ever was a Raptor. If you want to know about actual good Canadian Player read about Steve Nash who is in the NBA Hall of Fame (He will be).
#6 Leo Rautins and Rod Black- On their own they both can be annoying and provide no sort of entertainment what so ever. Together they are a toxic waste of time that makes 90% of viewers glad the mute button was invented. We as basketball fans have evolved since 1995 the way both of these individuals present the game to fans has not. They have not grown or cared to understand that this fan base is a lot more intelligent and smarter to basketball than it was back in 1995.
#5 Andrea Bargnani's Calf- This will be a good thing if I forget about this. It will mean that Andrea comes back next season and is healthy.Why do I know this is not going to be the case. Why do I think that Andrea Bargnani has the healing power of a Vince Carter in his prime. I don't know let's just call it experience.
#4 Primo Pasta- Please GOD SOMEONE END THIS AD. I CAN NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!
#3 Camo Uniforms- Again I would like to believe I can say good bye to these things. Sadly I don't think I will be. MLSE has found a way to hide behind doing something good and pocket some money for themselves. That is fantastic isn't it. No it isn't, and this, above all things is what got me the most angry about this season.
#2 Ed Davis- It will be for one of two reasons. He is on one of those 29 other NBA Teams he was auditioning for down the stretch or he actually had a full off-season of improvement and is sticking around as part of the core of this team. One way or the other it was a forgettable season from Ed Davis and some inspired play in games that don't matter won't change that.
and now the number one thing I would like to forget about this season. I was going to say the entire thing but that seemed like a cop out. So here we go get your hashtag ready.
#1 Rasaul "Friggin" Butler- From almost day one I was like what the hell is this guy doing here? It got me so upset I started a hashtag that became somewhat popular with Raptor fans. It was simple and to the point #CutButler, which the Raptors eventually did and stated they were allowing him to go to pursue options with a contender. Shockingly enough not even a contender for the D-League Championship let alone the NBA Championship came calling. What do you know. This was one of a trio of signings in the off-season that were just a joke and insulting to Raptor fans. No surprise that all three got mentioned in this. But if there was one guy that everyone could agree offered absolutely nothing it was THE BUTLER!!!
I will try to forget all of this, kind of like we forget things like Yogi Stewart....The Banger Brothers....oh wait that is right I was the guy that wrote an article Raptor Fans are like elephants and never forget. Sadly I guess I will remember all of this!!!
#10 The NBA Lockout- I think I may be one of the last people still kind of ticked off about it. I mean the CBA never turned out to be what it should have been. The league lost 2 months of the season. This schedule has been a painful experience to do my job well. I probably won't forget this but most of you have and some even likely believe those NBA Cares Ads. Dwight Howard cares about Orlando as much as Shaq did.
#9 Anthony Carter- I honestly never really spoke to him in his time here. He kinda looked like a scary dude and with no Reggie Evans this year to have my back I felt keeping my distance was wise. I never saw the point in him being signed and actually was the first and maybe only to suggest the Raptors should have signed some kid named Jeremy Lin instead. He was cut and no one cared so what really was their to remember.
#8 Pound The Rock- This likely has no hope of happening. I mean it is written on stuff all over the ACC and their is that big rock as you enter and exit the Raptor Locker Room. That said, I am all for a good story and some inspiration. But people using this expression made me more feeling like pounding my head than any sense of inspiration from it. If the players like it and buy into it great. I am out of the Rock pounding game if I was ever really in it.
#7 Jamaal Maglorie's Raptor Career- Wait he is still on the team? This is true but he will be long gone this off-season if there is a God and he likes me even a little bit. This whole thing was a complete shame and an insult to the history of this franchise. Now when kids 25 years from now look up who was the first Canadian to play for the Raptors it will be him. If a kid asks me in 25 years about it here is what I will say. He was a guy that stopped being good 9 years before he ever was a Raptor. If you want to know about actual good Canadian Player read about Steve Nash who is in the NBA Hall of Fame (He will be).
#6 Leo Rautins and Rod Black- On their own they both can be annoying and provide no sort of entertainment what so ever. Together they are a toxic waste of time that makes 90% of viewers glad the mute button was invented. We as basketball fans have evolved since 1995 the way both of these individuals present the game to fans has not. They have not grown or cared to understand that this fan base is a lot more intelligent and smarter to basketball than it was back in 1995.
#5 Andrea Bargnani's Calf- This will be a good thing if I forget about this. It will mean that Andrea comes back next season and is healthy.Why do I know this is not going to be the case. Why do I think that Andrea Bargnani has the healing power of a Vince Carter in his prime. I don't know let's just call it experience.
#4 Primo Pasta- Please GOD SOMEONE END THIS AD. I CAN NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!
#3 Camo Uniforms- Again I would like to believe I can say good bye to these things. Sadly I don't think I will be. MLSE has found a way to hide behind doing something good and pocket some money for themselves. That is fantastic isn't it. No it isn't, and this, above all things is what got me the most angry about this season.
#2 Ed Davis- It will be for one of two reasons. He is on one of those 29 other NBA Teams he was auditioning for down the stretch or he actually had a full off-season of improvement and is sticking around as part of the core of this team. One way or the other it was a forgettable season from Ed Davis and some inspired play in games that don't matter won't change that.
and now the number one thing I would like to forget about this season. I was going to say the entire thing but that seemed like a cop out. So here we go get your hashtag ready.
#1 Rasaul "Friggin" Butler- From almost day one I was like what the hell is this guy doing here? It got me so upset I started a hashtag that became somewhat popular with Raptor fans. It was simple and to the point #CutButler, which the Raptors eventually did and stated they were allowing him to go to pursue options with a contender. Shockingly enough not even a contender for the D-League Championship let alone the NBA Championship came calling. What do you know. This was one of a trio of signings in the off-season that were just a joke and insulting to Raptor fans. No surprise that all three got mentioned in this. But if there was one guy that everyone could agree offered absolutely nothing it was THE BUTLER!!!
I will try to forget all of this, kind of like we forget things like Yogi Stewart....The Banger Brothers....oh wait that is right I was the guy that wrote an article Raptor Fans are like elephants and never forget. Sadly I guess I will remember all of this!!!
4/20/12
Some Early Reflections On The Season That Was
First off I apologize for no blog yesterday. Just was a lot of stuff going on life wise to take care of. We never did recap the Raptors loss to Miami but basically it could be summed up in one line. Lebron James is awesome. You may not like the guy as a person but he is a hell of a basketball player however you care to cut it. His detractors will point out his lack of rings and the fact he has had sometimes in the 4th quarter where he can go missing. All that said he is a pure athletic freak that it is fun to watch perform if you can get over all your hate.
The season is winding down for the Raptors with just 3 games left to go. It honestly has seemed to fly by, as it seemed like the Raptors had a game every other night. Oh wait, with the NBA Lockout schedule they pretty much did. They say time flies when you are having fun. I am not sure much about this season was all that fun. It would appear though that the Raptors have at least hired the right coach. Dwane Casey has been nothing short of fantastic this season. I am not sure if many believed he could actually turn around the Raptors miserable defense into something respectable but he has. That fact alone it pretty amazing but when you consider how he was able to with all the disadvantages the lockout offered it is flat out beyond logic. On top of all of that you have a season in which your squad was injury plagued. Miracle worker might be going to far, but whatever comes just before that would some up what Dwane Casey has done this year.
That was a success, what was not a success to any large degree was the moves Colangelo made in the off-season. When Aaron Gray looks like the best signing that you made there is a problem. This talk of the Raptors adding all of this leadership they so desperately needed was about as believable as the "It's not you, it's me" line someone gives you when breaking up with you. Carter and Butler didn't even last the season and Jaamal Maglorie might be the most over hyped Raptor for doing next to nothing that I have ever seen. Aside from that band of veteran leadership brought in there is Gary Forbes who even after 63 games remains a bit of a riddle as to what he is or can be? The Raptors did find a decent player in Alan Anderson with their 10 day contracts. There is no guarantee he will be around next season.
Demar DeRozan after starting off having all kinds of trouble has rallied in the second half of the season. He still looks like he has the potential to grow into the star many hoped he could be. Ed Davis meanwhile has perhaps shown why he slipped into the draft down to the Raptors at 13. He until very recently had shown zero signs of improvement or even life. Still, the giant question left by this season will be which was the real Andrea Bargnani? Was it the guy that started the season like gangbusters and after 13 games was being hyped and an All-Star Candidate? Or is it that guy that came back after his calf injury that hobbled him for most of the season. That guy looked a lot like the Andrea from the past 6 seasons before Casey arrived.
Then we have hype in two forms. Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. That would be the Raptors insistence on hyping up their draft choice that never got to play this season. I think his name is Jonas something. You might have heard of him a time or two or 2 thousand times from the Raptors this season. I think they have made a huge mistake in building all of this hype. It will bite them in the butt if Jonas Valanciunas does not come through right away. They will then whine to their fans to be patient. Well maybe they would be if you hadn't run a year long hype campaign about the kid. I am convinced by the time he gets here he will walk across Lake Ontario to his first practice with the Raptors. At the end of the day I don't blame him at all for all of this. A dose of reality on all of this hype is that big man in the NBA seldom just show up and take over. It takes a long time to develop them generally. So why you would tie a rocket to this kids back and send expectations to the moon? It is short sighted and ultimately stupid.
Now to the less advertised hype. Bryan Colangelo has consistently laid out a plan that is centered on this upcoming off-season. He basically in his actions and words wrote this season off before it ever started. I think he might be as shocked as anyone that Dwane Casey has been able to get 22 wins and counting out of this group. It almost feels like a wrestling hype job when I say what comes next. This is likely the most important off-season of Byran Colangelo's career with the Raptors. I feel like we say that almost every summer. Just like ever wrestling or UFC show is going to be better than the last one. However, this is the truth if for no other reason than Bryan Colangelo has made it the truth in how he has approached talking about this season and next. If all he has is another top draft pick and his boy wonder Jonas than he is in trouble. Don't expect the changes to come through free agency though. Colangelo is likely to use his cap space in trades to look to improve the Raptors. Given his track record at free agency that might be a wise idea. Although a lot of his trades have not exactly worked out that well either especially lately.
It promises to be an interesting off-season and given how Colangelo has set things up the off-season moves could come very early on. The trade of Barbosa made that possible. It is safe to say the Raptor fan base will expect and demand much more next season. The pressure is on MLSE and Colangelo to provide a winner and not an apology and excuses.
The season is winding down for the Raptors with just 3 games left to go. It honestly has seemed to fly by, as it seemed like the Raptors had a game every other night. Oh wait, with the NBA Lockout schedule they pretty much did. They say time flies when you are having fun. I am not sure much about this season was all that fun. It would appear though that the Raptors have at least hired the right coach. Dwane Casey has been nothing short of fantastic this season. I am not sure if many believed he could actually turn around the Raptors miserable defense into something respectable but he has. That fact alone it pretty amazing but when you consider how he was able to with all the disadvantages the lockout offered it is flat out beyond logic. On top of all of that you have a season in which your squad was injury plagued. Miracle worker might be going to far, but whatever comes just before that would some up what Dwane Casey has done this year.
That was a success, what was not a success to any large degree was the moves Colangelo made in the off-season. When Aaron Gray looks like the best signing that you made there is a problem. This talk of the Raptors adding all of this leadership they so desperately needed was about as believable as the "It's not you, it's me" line someone gives you when breaking up with you. Carter and Butler didn't even last the season and Jaamal Maglorie might be the most over hyped Raptor for doing next to nothing that I have ever seen. Aside from that band of veteran leadership brought in there is Gary Forbes who even after 63 games remains a bit of a riddle as to what he is or can be? The Raptors did find a decent player in Alan Anderson with their 10 day contracts. There is no guarantee he will be around next season.
Demar DeRozan after starting off having all kinds of trouble has rallied in the second half of the season. He still looks like he has the potential to grow into the star many hoped he could be. Ed Davis meanwhile has perhaps shown why he slipped into the draft down to the Raptors at 13. He until very recently had shown zero signs of improvement or even life. Still, the giant question left by this season will be which was the real Andrea Bargnani? Was it the guy that started the season like gangbusters and after 13 games was being hyped and an All-Star Candidate? Or is it that guy that came back after his calf injury that hobbled him for most of the season. That guy looked a lot like the Andrea from the past 6 seasons before Casey arrived.
Then we have hype in two forms. Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. That would be the Raptors insistence on hyping up their draft choice that never got to play this season. I think his name is Jonas something. You might have heard of him a time or two or 2 thousand times from the Raptors this season. I think they have made a huge mistake in building all of this hype. It will bite them in the butt if Jonas Valanciunas does not come through right away. They will then whine to their fans to be patient. Well maybe they would be if you hadn't run a year long hype campaign about the kid. I am convinced by the time he gets here he will walk across Lake Ontario to his first practice with the Raptors. At the end of the day I don't blame him at all for all of this. A dose of reality on all of this hype is that big man in the NBA seldom just show up and take over. It takes a long time to develop them generally. So why you would tie a rocket to this kids back and send expectations to the moon? It is short sighted and ultimately stupid.
Now to the less advertised hype. Bryan Colangelo has consistently laid out a plan that is centered on this upcoming off-season. He basically in his actions and words wrote this season off before it ever started. I think he might be as shocked as anyone that Dwane Casey has been able to get 22 wins and counting out of this group. It almost feels like a wrestling hype job when I say what comes next. This is likely the most important off-season of Byran Colangelo's career with the Raptors. I feel like we say that almost every summer. Just like ever wrestling or UFC show is going to be better than the last one. However, this is the truth if for no other reason than Bryan Colangelo has made it the truth in how he has approached talking about this season and next. If all he has is another top draft pick and his boy wonder Jonas than he is in trouble. Don't expect the changes to come through free agency though. Colangelo is likely to use his cap space in trades to look to improve the Raptors. Given his track record at free agency that might be a wise idea. Although a lot of his trades have not exactly worked out that well either especially lately.
It promises to be an interesting off-season and given how Colangelo has set things up the off-season moves could come very early on. The trade of Barbosa made that possible. It is safe to say the Raptor fan base will expect and demand much more next season. The pressure is on MLSE and Colangelo to provide a winner and not an apology and excuses.
4/9/12
10 Things On Last Night, Tonight and Beyond
So it is late in the season. I am tired and need to combine a re-cap and a preview into one. Thanks to folks at St Louis Wings for hosting me for the night for the game with the Thunder. I learned that the Easter Bunny is bigger than the Dino Blogger in two ways. Still, the folks at St Louis Wings have always been great to me and it is a great place to catch a game. Any restaurant/bar that puts basketball first in Canada is a rare gem to find. That said back to business, here are 10 thoughts on what we saw last night and what to expect tonight against the Pacers and beyond.
1. The Result Was Obvious- There was not a doubt in my mind last night's Raptor game would end up with the result it did. The Thunder were in bad need of a win coming in and the Raptors provided that perfect springboard to do just that. OKC had sat a top the Western Conference for the majority of this season and getting passed by the Spurs made losing to the Raptors not an option.
2. Thunder Fans- There is a lesson to be learned for Raptor fans from the people in the stands in OKC. It has become the best home court advantage in the NBA. Be it crazy fat guys with bunnies painted on them with masks or just your average OKC Fan they all get it. I am pretty confident they are never worried if they are treated to a slice of pizza. I am also confident that even when they sucked, which wasn't that long ago, they were not rooting for their team to lose (Tank). They are people that are just passionate to have the NBA in their city. That passion has died down in Toronto. While Raptor fans are a loyal group they also have become jaded and divided at times. I understand why that is, but still when you watch a game in OKC you see what being a fan by it's true definition is all about. They are more than just the example of how to build a team they are an example of how to build a fanbase. I miss the days when Raptors fans were like this.
3. Bargnani Tough?- I really am starting to have serious doubts about the future of Andrea Bargnani. Again this calf injury becomes an issue and he sits the 2nd half. No the Raptors were not tanking, as I mentioned earlier this result was an obvious one. I am left to question what kind of pain threshold Bargnani truly has. This is aside from the debate on if he has truly turned the corner as player. Even if I am to believe that, which I remain unconvinced, it becomes a moot point if he is not healthy in the long term. I don't mean to diminish a calf injury but this has become rather ridiculous on some level.
4. James Johnson Saga- I have no idea what James Johnson did. I don't care what he did to be blunt. I do support what Casey has done in sending a message. That said enough already. It was pretty hilarious watching the Raptors try and guard Kevin Durant with James Johnson on the bench. Matching the potential MVP of league on a 10 day contract player is not just punishing Johnson, it is punishing the team as a whole. Casey was quick to get him in there. Let's all move on now though and give Johnson his spot back. Credit to both Casey and Johnson, along with team for keeping whatever happened on the down low. Sure we all would like to know what happened but honestly we really don't need to know.
5. Jaamal's Impact- If I hear one more time this year about the impact of Jaamal Magloire, I swear that I am going to puke. Tell me has there ever been a player in the history of this team praised for doing so little? I mean seriously. I guess it is a situation not unlike the one with Jay Triano, in which because he is Canadian people are wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. Here is what he has been in reality. A trash talking tough guy that still knows how to commit a foul in the NBA and can occasionally show you he use to be a good to great player 10 years ago. That is all. He likely isn't coming back and I would seriously wonder if the Raptors had not come along, if he is even in the league at all. Sadly this is the guy that will go in the history books as the first ever Canadian Raptor. It makes me sad for all the young up and coming talent we have in this country that could have been that. The only old Canadian I would want to have that honour played basketball for his country and is a two time NBA MVP.
6. Barbosa Is Back- If you are not at least a little happy for Leandro Barbosa getting a chance to play for a playoff team you may have no soul. This is a guy that game here and never once complained and went out and did his job for the past couple seasons. Given this crazy NBA Sked, I confess I have not seen much of Barbosa since leaving. But based on the boxscores and random comments I see on Twitter he is doing what he does in Indiana and I am happy for him.
7. Roy Hibbert- I have said this consistently for awhile, it pains me to watch this guy play and know he will go down as a draft pick of the Toronto Raptors. Now it should be noted if not for the trade with the Pacers he would have never been picked by the Raptors. They felt he was too slow for their up tempo style of basketball at the time. That said, I at the time thought he was a great answer for the Raptors at center. He is never going to blow you away but he does all the things that you would hope that a center would do. On top of that having met him once he is a pretty great young man. Georgetown has not produced to many stiffs at the Center position over the years. It is one of the safest bets in the NBA draft when you take a center out of Georgetown. When you look back on that trade that brought J.O to Toronto the biggest loss in it was Roy Hibbert.
8. Raptors Can Be Spoilers- When you look at the Schedule remaining the Raptors could have a impact on the playoff race. Starting tonight with Pacers two games ahead of Boston for 3rd in the East, followed with games vs Sixers, Celtics, Hawks twice, Heat and Bucks. It gives you some motivation to go out there and try and win games. It is also the reason that people hate tanking in general. Tanking has an impact on the teams that are actually in the playoff race. This is why David Stern needs to step in and do something dramatic to the NBA Lottery System. It was designed to prevent this sort of thing. Still if you look around the league it isn't working. The concept of tanking is talked about far more than it ever was back in 1985 when there was legit concern teams would tank to land Patrick Ewing one of those Georgetown centers we mentioned earlier. I say this with all due respect to Anthony Davis, if he has half the career the Patrick Ewing had, he would be a fortunate young man. However, with all the hype surrounding him you would think he was better than that and going to project to be the next superstar of the NBA. I would venture to say that is vastly optimistic. He could turn into a fine NBA player and likely should. That said is he going to be better than a hall of famer or some great recent top picks? I don't see that. Don't believe me it is ok. I will rest easy knowing that I also never was impressed with this guy named Greg Oden and said Kevin Durant would be better. I am sure that I was laughed at for that and I will use the obvious line of who is laughing now?
9. Reality Math- What we knew before this season even started is now fact. The Raptors based on their loss in OKC and some other things last night have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. Still with nine games left which for fans feel pretty pointless, it is still important for some folks on this team. No matter what happens in these final games it will not change the fact this summer is going to be a huge off-season for the Raptors. What guys do down the stretch of the season may help shape/decide if they are going to be a part of this team moving forward. If for no other reason than that, this is ultimately why the concept of tanking is stupid. Players fighting for jobs and their place in the food chain are not going out to try and lose or even think of losing. Especially when you look at guys on 10 day contracts. They are fighting for their very NBA lives every night and day they step on the floor.
10. Time Flies Even When Your Losing- At some points this season has been very painful to endure. The losing combined with this crazy schedule can make your head spin. At least it has seemed to go by fairly quickly and the fact this NBA Season was only 66 games and not 82 games was a blessing given the state of this franchise. There has been so much blind hope for the future this year, it has bordered on the insane. While I do think the Raptors are heading in the right direction, the speed in which some think things will change is likely not going to be the reality. As bad as this season has been the Raptors ultimately did improve as hard as that is to believe at times. It speaks to how bad they were last season and how much it was needed to make a coaching change. I was one of the few that had been saying that long before it was cool. Funny how the people that weren't in favour all love Dwane Casey now and the change in direction of this franchise. I think one of the things I find most frustrating is how people change with the wind and are never truly brought to task for it. Yet when I go out of the box of and say something that ends up being right, I take abuse at the time for it and no one other than me says that I was right. Maybe people just have got use to the fact that I will tell them that I was. Whatever the case, I am proud of my track record on things and do take comfort in the fact that it must mean I know what the hell I am talking about at the end of the day. That is in many ways it's own reward.
So I decided to do this instead of a preview and it ends up being twice as long. Oh well the off-season and a bit of a break will be here soon enough. Happy Monday all and hope you had a pleasant holiday weekend.
1. The Result Was Obvious- There was not a doubt in my mind last night's Raptor game would end up with the result it did. The Thunder were in bad need of a win coming in and the Raptors provided that perfect springboard to do just that. OKC had sat a top the Western Conference for the majority of this season and getting passed by the Spurs made losing to the Raptors not an option.
3. Bargnani Tough?- I really am starting to have serious doubts about the future of Andrea Bargnani. Again this calf injury becomes an issue and he sits the 2nd half. No the Raptors were not tanking, as I mentioned earlier this result was an obvious one. I am left to question what kind of pain threshold Bargnani truly has. This is aside from the debate on if he has truly turned the corner as player. Even if I am to believe that, which I remain unconvinced, it becomes a moot point if he is not healthy in the long term. I don't mean to diminish a calf injury but this has become rather ridiculous on some level.
4. James Johnson Saga- I have no idea what James Johnson did. I don't care what he did to be blunt. I do support what Casey has done in sending a message. That said enough already. It was pretty hilarious watching the Raptors try and guard Kevin Durant with James Johnson on the bench. Matching the potential MVP of league on a 10 day contract player is not just punishing Johnson, it is punishing the team as a whole. Casey was quick to get him in there. Let's all move on now though and give Johnson his spot back. Credit to both Casey and Johnson, along with team for keeping whatever happened on the down low. Sure we all would like to know what happened but honestly we really don't need to know.
5. Jaamal's Impact- If I hear one more time this year about the impact of Jaamal Magloire, I swear that I am going to puke. Tell me has there ever been a player in the history of this team praised for doing so little? I mean seriously. I guess it is a situation not unlike the one with Jay Triano, in which because he is Canadian people are wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. Here is what he has been in reality. A trash talking tough guy that still knows how to commit a foul in the NBA and can occasionally show you he use to be a good to great player 10 years ago. That is all. He likely isn't coming back and I would seriously wonder if the Raptors had not come along, if he is even in the league at all. Sadly this is the guy that will go in the history books as the first ever Canadian Raptor. It makes me sad for all the young up and coming talent we have in this country that could have been that. The only old Canadian I would want to have that honour played basketball for his country and is a two time NBA MVP.
6. Barbosa Is Back- If you are not at least a little happy for Leandro Barbosa getting a chance to play for a playoff team you may have no soul. This is a guy that game here and never once complained and went out and did his job for the past couple seasons. Given this crazy NBA Sked, I confess I have not seen much of Barbosa since leaving. But based on the boxscores and random comments I see on Twitter he is doing what he does in Indiana and I am happy for him.
7. Roy Hibbert- I have said this consistently for awhile, it pains me to watch this guy play and know he will go down as a draft pick of the Toronto Raptors. Now it should be noted if not for the trade with the Pacers he would have never been picked by the Raptors. They felt he was too slow for their up tempo style of basketball at the time. That said, I at the time thought he was a great answer for the Raptors at center. He is never going to blow you away but he does all the things that you would hope that a center would do. On top of that having met him once he is a pretty great young man. Georgetown has not produced to many stiffs at the Center position over the years. It is one of the safest bets in the NBA draft when you take a center out of Georgetown. When you look back on that trade that brought J.O to Toronto the biggest loss in it was Roy Hibbert.
8. Raptors Can Be Spoilers- When you look at the Schedule remaining the Raptors could have a impact on the playoff race. Starting tonight with Pacers two games ahead of Boston for 3rd in the East, followed with games vs Sixers, Celtics, Hawks twice, Heat and Bucks. It gives you some motivation to go out there and try and win games. It is also the reason that people hate tanking in general. Tanking has an impact on the teams that are actually in the playoff race. This is why David Stern needs to step in and do something dramatic to the NBA Lottery System. It was designed to prevent this sort of thing. Still if you look around the league it isn't working. The concept of tanking is talked about far more than it ever was back in 1985 when there was legit concern teams would tank to land Patrick Ewing one of those Georgetown centers we mentioned earlier. I say this with all due respect to Anthony Davis, if he has half the career the Patrick Ewing had, he would be a fortunate young man. However, with all the hype surrounding him you would think he was better than that and going to project to be the next superstar of the NBA. I would venture to say that is vastly optimistic. He could turn into a fine NBA player and likely should. That said is he going to be better than a hall of famer or some great recent top picks? I don't see that. Don't believe me it is ok. I will rest easy knowing that I also never was impressed with this guy named Greg Oden and said Kevin Durant would be better. I am sure that I was laughed at for that and I will use the obvious line of who is laughing now?
9. Reality Math- What we knew before this season even started is now fact. The Raptors based on their loss in OKC and some other things last night have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. Still with nine games left which for fans feel pretty pointless, it is still important for some folks on this team. No matter what happens in these final games it will not change the fact this summer is going to be a huge off-season for the Raptors. What guys do down the stretch of the season may help shape/decide if they are going to be a part of this team moving forward. If for no other reason than that, this is ultimately why the concept of tanking is stupid. Players fighting for jobs and their place in the food chain are not going out to try and lose or even think of losing. Especially when you look at guys on 10 day contracts. They are fighting for their very NBA lives every night and day they step on the floor.
10. Time Flies Even When Your Losing- At some points this season has been very painful to endure. The losing combined with this crazy schedule can make your head spin. At least it has seemed to go by fairly quickly and the fact this NBA Season was only 66 games and not 82 games was a blessing given the state of this franchise. There has been so much blind hope for the future this year, it has bordered on the insane. While I do think the Raptors are heading in the right direction, the speed in which some think things will change is likely not going to be the reality. As bad as this season has been the Raptors ultimately did improve as hard as that is to believe at times. It speaks to how bad they were last season and how much it was needed to make a coaching change. I was one of the few that had been saying that long before it was cool. Funny how the people that weren't in favour all love Dwane Casey now and the change in direction of this franchise. I think one of the things I find most frustrating is how people change with the wind and are never truly brought to task for it. Yet when I go out of the box of and say something that ends up being right, I take abuse at the time for it and no one other than me says that I was right. Maybe people just have got use to the fact that I will tell them that I was. Whatever the case, I am proud of my track record on things and do take comfort in the fact that it must mean I know what the hell I am talking about at the end of the day. That is in many ways it's own reward.
So I decided to do this instead of a preview and it ends up being twice as long. Oh well the off-season and a bit of a break will be here soon enough. Happy Monday all and hope you had a pleasant holiday weekend.
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