Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Smitch - aka the Sam Mitchell Graphic Novel
As a fan of the Toronto Raptors, one comes to expect a certain amount of emotional upset, if not downright outrage, due to some turn of event that inevitably befalls our strugggling franchise during the course of the year. Take the debaucle in Atlanta, which we Raptors' fans have greeted with a collective "meh". When compared to other past terrible events we've suffered through (see VC quitting, McGrady leaving, Alonzo, Hoffa, insert any one of the moments from The Flagrancy's 50 Most Dubious Moments). While it may have not yet reached Cubs-ian levels (due solely to the fact that our horrible mismanagement has only had one decade to demoralize us, as opposed to ten), we have been subjected to some horrible decisions over the years. Despite this, I remain convinced that our fan-base is as rabid and committed as any in the entire League. As proof, you need look no further than the message boards of RealGM, featuring a Sam Mitchell Graphic Novel. Enjoy.
Vanishing Points vs. Hot-Lanta
I've been late getting to this, but Chris Young, a writer over at The Toronto Star who maintains an nice all around sports-blog called JABS, has been all over the story about the vanishing points against Atlanta last week. If this were any other team, it would be all over the news, but not our Raps. Check it out, but I don't see anything being done about this by Stern.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
When should we trade MoPete?
RealGM article entitled "Food Off MoPete's Dinner Table?, which, as the name suggests, talks about how the veteran Raptor's role might be changing. In the end, the author suggests that MoPete should be dealt before his value decreases too greatly, and I certainly couldn't agree more. Of course, now that he's injured, and with the potential emergence of the newly-inspired (and confident) Joey G, we may have just missed the opportunity to "sell high".
As much as MoPete has done for us over the years, there just is not a big enough role for him with Fred Jones (who is cheaper now, 3.1 mil. to 4.55 mil., and probably still will be after MoPete signs his contract in the summer, presumably to be valued somewhere in the vicinity of the full mid-level exception of 5 million-ish), Anthony Parker (who does a lot of the same things MoPete does, for about the same price, 4.15 to 4.55) and the aforementioned Joey G taking on bigger roles. It was becoming clear, even before this injury, that his future with the organization was looking more and more in doubt.
While I like MoPete, and respect all that he has done for this organization through thick and thin, this is a business and sometimes it requires making decisions that have nothing to do with sentiment or gratitude for past service. In the long run, MoPete just isn't going to be a big cog in the wheel when the Raps are finally contending for a championship. It is better to get some asset(s) while we still can than to lose him for nothing this summer. If Aaron Williams is worth two second-rounders, it's pretty conceivable that the bidding for him should begin there, at the very least.
The Spurs have been quite successful over the years at drafting Euro's, stashing them overseas while someone else foots the bill for their development, then bringing over ready-made talent to help the team (although, as we've seen with the Euro's, there is no guarantee, no matter how much experience they have, that they will have an immediate impact). Either way, it allows a team to develop from within while maintaining a well-balanced cap distribution. The Gherardini-factor certainly makes this strategy far more likely, and may be one of the motivations underlying his scouting trip home. Regardless of the strategy likely to be employed going forward, this savvy veteran became not only Assistant GM but de-facto Head European Scout when he signed on with his friend Colangelo, and as far as I can tell there isn't anybody in the world who has a better track record doing just that.
As much as MoPete has done for us over the years, there just is not a big enough role for him with Fred Jones (who is cheaper now, 3.1 mil. to 4.55 mil., and probably still will be after MoPete signs his contract in the summer, presumably to be valued somewhere in the vicinity of the full mid-level exception of 5 million-ish), Anthony Parker (who does a lot of the same things MoPete does, for about the same price, 4.15 to 4.55) and the aforementioned Joey G taking on bigger roles. It was becoming clear, even before this injury, that his future with the organization was looking more and more in doubt.
While I like MoPete, and respect all that he has done for this organization through thick and thin, this is a business and sometimes it requires making decisions that have nothing to do with sentiment or gratitude for past service. In the long run, MoPete just isn't going to be a big cog in the wheel when the Raps are finally contending for a championship. It is better to get some asset(s) while we still can than to lose him for nothing this summer. If Aaron Williams is worth two second-rounders, it's pretty conceivable that the bidding for him should begin there, at the very least.
The Spurs have been quite successful over the years at drafting Euro's, stashing them overseas while someone else foots the bill for their development, then bringing over ready-made talent to help the team (although, as we've seen with the Euro's, there is no guarantee, no matter how much experience they have, that they will have an immediate impact). Either way, it allows a team to develop from within while maintaining a well-balanced cap distribution. The Gherardini-factor certainly makes this strategy far more likely, and may be one of the motivations underlying his scouting trip home. Regardless of the strategy likely to be employed going forward, this savvy veteran became not only Assistant GM but de-facto Head European Scout when he signed on with his friend Colangelo, and as far as I can tell there isn't anybody in the world who has a better track record doing just that.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Raptors Roundup
The guys over at RaptorsHQ have a great roundup of the stories being written about the Raptors in the mainstream media, as well as a good preview of what the Raps need to do to beat Hot-Lanta tonight and finally get on some kind of winning streak.
One of the better stories was about Il Mago and his progression. It might be a bit early to say, but it's looking like he has the potential to be an average-to-slightly above average defender, particularly against bigger, slower opponents, such as Big Z. His rejection of the Lithuanian showed that he will have the potential to be a solid low-post defender, and with his speed his defensive improvement is looking more like a question of when, and not if. When you throw in the fact that he is going to be a DYNAMIC scorer, his defence won't even be talked about. The article also includes a chart at the bottom statistically comparing rookies. The most telling stat had to do with his mins/game. Once this goes up (as it has begun to in the last few games) he is bound to improve.
Look for the Raps to pull out a win tonight. I'm betting the feast they got at Sam's gives them just the boost they needed.
One of the better stories was about Il Mago and his progression. It might be a bit early to say, but it's looking like he has the potential to be an average-to-slightly above average defender, particularly against bigger, slower opponents, such as Big Z. His rejection of the Lithuanian showed that he will have the potential to be a solid low-post defender, and with his speed his defensive improvement is looking more like a question of when, and not if. When you throw in the fact that he is going to be a DYNAMIC scorer, his defence won't even be talked about. The article also includes a chart at the bottom statistically comparing rookies. The most telling stat had to do with his mins/game. Once this goes up (as it has begun to in the last few games) he is bound to improve.
Look for the Raps to pull out a win tonight. I'm betting the feast they got at Sam's gives them just the boost they needed.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Fire Sam and bench TJ.
Scott over at RaptorBlog has an article entitled "Commence the Sam Mitchell Deathwatch". Essentially, he saved me the time and effort of having to write a story about why exactly Sam's time is coming to an end. However, if you are even remotely interested in the Raps you probably have had most of these thoughts yourself at some point in time, such as the poor distribution of minutes and poor coaching during crunch time.
I also agree wholeheartedly that Sam would make a fantastic assistant coach who would be respected by the players and who would bring a lot to the table in terms of reinforcing what the head coach is trying to do. Being an assistant would also allow him to hide his biggest weaknesses, namely in-game adjustments to the opposing coaches' decisions and strategies. As others have pointed out, Sam's strengths ain't the X's & O's. The line that caught my attention most, though, was this:
Another coach might have run some plays late in the fourth instead of trusting T.J. Ford to make a smart crunch-time decision (on a related note, Ford's charge-and-chuck combo late in the fourth are exactly why I don't trust him – I don't care what the numbers say, he has poor court vision and game management skills).
In the name of full disclosure I should tell you, before making my next point, that I am a huge TJ-hater. I seriously considered calling this blog www.tjsucks.blogspot.com, before deciding that he sucks so much people probably wouldn't even know what I was referencing. I stared in shock at my computer for a solid hour in pure disbelief when news of the TJ-CV Smooth trade broke. I was like Steven A. Smith during the draft right after Villanueva was chosen. I had come to expect such soul-crushing, mind-numbing, franchise-killing decisions from all the prior regimes, but Colangelo? How could he possibly be so stupid! It was like your buddy, against your advice, got drunk in Vegas and married the stripper he'd just met that night, only to wake up the next morning to the realization that she's really a donkey covered in makeup who stuffs her bra, and that you just wasted a perfectly great relationship with a low-maintenance, high upside girl who was just beginning to come into her own.
The fact that he's gotten off to such a shitty start has left me with mixed emotions, to say the least. On the one had, I am happy because I get to feel like the guy who warned his buddy not to go marry said donkey, no matter how much it "filled a need", and as such I'm able to say "I told you so, jackass". On the other hand, it's like my buddy made a drunken mistake, caught some type of STD, the ex-girlfriend eventually becomes an actress on Baywatch, and he's stuck being married to the stripper. You can't help but feel sorry for your buddy, and you know he'll move on at some point, but he's definitely never going to be the same, and he'll be paying for his mistakes for years to come. The fact that he's your buddy also means that his shitty life can't help but rub off on yours. That's pretty much how I feel about TJ.
In conclusion, RaptorBlog sums up why I feel this way about TJ far more succinclty than I ever could: he has terrible court vision and game management skills. These glaring weaknesses are even more obvious when he's compared to Calderon, whose main strengths are those two skills. Watch them when they drive. Jose has his head up, on a swivel, reading the play, deciding whether to take the drive all the way or dish. TJ, on the other hand, puts his head down when he drives and as such misses what's going on around him. The fact that Jose does everything else better than TJ as well, such as the pick-and-pop, makes the decision an easy one. Bench TJ.
I also agree wholeheartedly that Sam would make a fantastic assistant coach who would be respected by the players and who would bring a lot to the table in terms of reinforcing what the head coach is trying to do. Being an assistant would also allow him to hide his biggest weaknesses, namely in-game adjustments to the opposing coaches' decisions and strategies. As others have pointed out, Sam's strengths ain't the X's & O's. The line that caught my attention most, though, was this:
Another coach might have run some plays late in the fourth instead of trusting T.J. Ford to make a smart crunch-time decision (on a related note, Ford's charge-and-chuck combo late in the fourth are exactly why I don't trust him – I don't care what the numbers say, he has poor court vision and game management skills).
In the name of full disclosure I should tell you, before making my next point, that I am a huge TJ-hater. I seriously considered calling this blog www.tjsucks.blogspot.com, before deciding that he sucks so much people probably wouldn't even know what I was referencing. I stared in shock at my computer for a solid hour in pure disbelief when news of the TJ-CV Smooth trade broke. I was like Steven A. Smith during the draft right after Villanueva was chosen. I had come to expect such soul-crushing, mind-numbing, franchise-killing decisions from all the prior regimes, but Colangelo? How could he possibly be so stupid! It was like your buddy, against your advice, got drunk in Vegas and married the stripper he'd just met that night, only to wake up the next morning to the realization that she's really a donkey covered in makeup who stuffs her bra, and that you just wasted a perfectly great relationship with a low-maintenance, high upside girl who was just beginning to come into her own.
The fact that he's gotten off to such a shitty start has left me with mixed emotions, to say the least. On the one had, I am happy because I get to feel like the guy who warned his buddy not to go marry said donkey, no matter how much it "filled a need", and as such I'm able to say "I told you so, jackass". On the other hand, it's like my buddy made a drunken mistake, caught some type of STD, the ex-girlfriend eventually becomes an actress on Baywatch, and he's stuck being married to the stripper. You can't help but feel sorry for your buddy, and you know he'll move on at some point, but he's definitely never going to be the same, and he'll be paying for his mistakes for years to come. The fact that he's your buddy also means that his shitty life can't help but rub off on yours. That's pretty much how I feel about TJ.
In conclusion, RaptorBlog sums up why I feel this way about TJ far more succinclty than I ever could: he has terrible court vision and game management skills. These glaring weaknesses are even more obvious when he's compared to Calderon, whose main strengths are those two skills. Watch them when they drive. Jose has his head up, on a swivel, reading the play, deciding whether to take the drive all the way or dish. TJ, on the other hand, puts his head down when he drives and as such misses what's going on around him. The fact that Jose does everything else better than TJ as well, such as the pick-and-pop, makes the decision an easy one. Bench TJ.
An uprising against being treated so Stern-ly?
This story comes from Sports Law Blog, one of the more interesting sports blogs going. The story talks about discord in the NBA between the Union and his holiness David Stern over a number of issues, not the least of which is changing the ball unilaterally.
As the name implies, this blog deal with the legal aspects of sports (ie. Malkin's lawsuit, NCAA lawsuits, etc.). They are never at a loss for material to write, thanks to the sheer number of criminally-inclined/legally-challenged athletes currently participating in professional sports today. They owe a huge debt of gratitude to the likes of Maurice Clarett, Stephen Jackson, the JailBlazers of yesteryear, Lawrence Phillips, BALCO, various drunk drivers, all the wife-beaters and the NCAA in particular for being such an arcane testament to how sports should not be run. Check the link, and take a look around the site. The authors write on a professional level equal to or above most "real" professional writers. The fact that such material is available for free must send shivers down the spine of those businesses' currently relying on having "experts" provide commentary in exchange for subscription. God bless the internet.
As the name implies, this blog deal with the legal aspects of sports (ie. Malkin's lawsuit, NCAA lawsuits, etc.). They are never at a loss for material to write, thanks to the sheer number of criminally-inclined/legally-challenged athletes currently participating in professional sports today. They owe a huge debt of gratitude to the likes of Maurice Clarett, Stephen Jackson, the JailBlazers of yesteryear, Lawrence Phillips, BALCO, various drunk drivers, all the wife-beaters and the NCAA in particular for being such an arcane testament to how sports should not be run. Check the link, and take a look around the site. The authors write on a professional level equal to or above most "real" professional writers. The fact that such material is available for free must send shivers down the spine of those businesses' currently relying on having "experts" provide commentary in exchange for subscription. God bless the internet.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Amare Stoudemire: Strong Like Bull, Smart Like Tractor
In case you didn't know, Colangelo let author Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated spend a whole year with the Suns and he wrote a book about it. Dave Feschuk wrote an article about it which contained this beautry line from the genius known as Amare Stoudemire:
In another passage McCallum comments on Amare Stoudemire's T-shirt, which bears a likeness of Al Capone. McCallum, after providing Stoudemire with a short history lesson on Capone's murderous exploits as a prohibition-era mob boss, quotes the player as saying: "Damn. There was a time drinking was illegal?"
How would you feel if Bosh had made this statement? More importantly, can you imagine how Nash feels about him? I'm sure they've sat down and had deep, philosophical conversations about all manner of important issues, such as the war. Maybe BC realized that the foundation of his former team was built on some very shaky (and surgically repaired) ground. It certainly doesn't lead me to believe that Amare will be even remotely the same player he was pre-surgery if he is not able to regain his freakish athleticism. Maybe BC felt the same.
In another passage McCallum comments on Amare Stoudemire's T-shirt, which bears a likeness of Al Capone. McCallum, after providing Stoudemire with a short history lesson on Capone's murderous exploits as a prohibition-era mob boss, quotes the player as saying: "Damn. There was a time drinking was illegal?"
How would you feel if Bosh had made this statement? More importantly, can you imagine how Nash feels about him? I'm sure they've sat down and had deep, philosophical conversations about all manner of important issues, such as the war. Maybe BC realized that the foundation of his former team was built on some very shaky (and surgically repaired) ground. It certainly doesn't lead me to believe that Amare will be even remotely the same player he was pre-surgery if he is not able to regain his freakish athleticism. Maybe BC felt the same.
Wipe your ass with Chris Duhon
If you've ever wanted to treat the offer sheet we gave Chris Duhon the same way he did, your ship has come in. The only way this could have been any better would have been if the Raps logo was replaced with his mugshot, then we could all say that Chris Duhon tossed our salad.
Getting in the game.
Well, here goes nothing. After years of reading the blogs of others and writing comments and emails, I figure it's time to get off the sidelines and throw my two cents worth into the blogosphere. So, from this point onward I will use this page as my outlet for all the frustration, heartbreak, anger, despair and false hope that the Toronto Raptors organization are bound to provide me with in the weeks, months and years ahead. If you've ever been, or even known, a Raps fan, you'd understand that it is about 1/2 degree removed from outright masichism, only more emotionally gut-wrenching. I'll also be tossing out various links to whatever happens to pique my interest in the world of sports on the internet on any particular day, so it won't be all me bitching about my team.
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