The Draft Shmaft and things of that nature

As I was sitting there watching the draft in a restaurant in Maui, I said to myself, "Wow!! We got him!! We got Walker or Knight!! It's all over, suck it! But...

With the 5th pick in the NBA draft, The Toronto Raptors select: JONAS VALANCIUNAS

Along with the rest of the fan base of the Toronto Raptors, our jaws collectively dropped in unison. No friggin way! As I have said before, Jonas was one of the picks I thought would be a good choice. But not in a situation like this. Not with 2 players we clearly coveted more, that would fill a much bigger need were still available.

But hold the frickin phone here. Walker and Knight get passed up again, and again. Is there something about these players that us, as mere fans don't know about? Is Jonas Valanciunas the next coming of the Raptor saviour?

The term "european and soft" gets tossed around the digital social scene like cheap candy out of a pinata. To be honest, not too many people know much about Valanciunas. To add fuel to the fire, the guy couldn't play in the NBA next season either due to contract issues with his pro team in europe. So the chance for instant gratification is null. I was hesitant to warm up to the move at first but several things got me excited.

-First being the rumour that San Antonio was willing to trade up to get him. With San Antonio being such a prestigious franchise the last two decades, they to some are considered an expert in the evaluation of draft talent. On the flip side of this coin, that doesn't mean that much to me. I mean, it does and it doesn't. Just cause the Spurs wanted him doesn't automatically make him a must have player.

-Cleveland who was picking fourth chose to pass on him due to his contract issues. So basically he would have went fourth had he have been free to go where he pleased. On one side reaffirming his status as a clearer choice by another NBA team in terms of talent level over the likes of Knight and Walker. So you have the Cavs, Raptors, and the Spurs giving evidence that they would have taken him here before those two guards. On the other side of the coin, it's again just a rumour. How do we know this for sure? And this isn't something we can take to the bank.

-Like i mentioned before, the Wizards and the Bobcats pass on Knight and Walker. With that being said, I don't exactly trust what a team run by Michael Jordon thinks, or a team that used to be run by him. But again, it reaffirms the idea that Jonas is rated higher then the two guards by NBA teams at the time of draft.

-Jonas plays in the U19 tourney and not only does Lithuania win the whole damn thing but Jonas dominates, gets tournament MVP honours and puts up impressive numbers like 23ppg, and 14rbpg. Ok, so in action the guy does NOT seem like a stiff at all. He's agile, gets into dirty areas, defends well and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Awesome. The guy is only 18 years old. So perhaps it is a good thing he spends another season in Europe. There's going to be an NBA lockout anyway. So maybe this pick by Colangelo is pure genius afterall.

Gun to my head, I think the Raptors might have gotten the steal of the draft. In 2 years time we could be talking about a star on the team. Someone who will play well, give the Raps what they need on both ends, and make is fellow european, Bargnani, look a little better.

Random Thoughts Pre-Draft

It's been a while since I checked in to this blog. Reason being, I figured hey, Raptors as a team have checked out, so I might as well too. This season went exactly the way most fans thought it would go, unfortunately. But hey, you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs and a team in rebuilding has to go through at least one abysmal year.

The re-signing of Bryan Colangelo is a step in the right direction. Granted he made some serious errors, nobody likes a Monday morning quarterback. That being said:


I told you so:

Hedo Turkoglu - Knew he would be a bad fit from day one. Too easy going, no motivation, not exactly a defensive gem. Blew goats. Probably Colangelo's worst mistake.

Jermaine O'Neal - Almost as bad as the Hakeem Olajuwon deal. It's like Hakeem the wet dream... the sequel. Buying a car knowing the engine on it has been blown out is stupid idea. Spending tens of millions of it is moronic. Dunce cap worthy. Saw this disaster a mile away.

Jason Kapono -  A real shock to everyone. At the time the team was already loaded with 3 point shooters. Why add another one who can't play a lick of defense and really had a hard time getting a shot off? I can't say i saw this as a disaster but knew this wasn't a fit in any way, shape or form.


Turned out poorly:

Andrea Bargnani - While not a titanic disaster, from an admitted fan of his. It's time to put up or shut up. Then again, maybe it has been put up or shut up time for 3 seasons now. In fairness the poor bastard has at least scored. But being half a man out there is like leaving your team on the penalty kill 100% of the time you're on the floor to use a hockey analogy. If they don't ship his ass out at draft time, Dwane Casey had better get the whip out. But to start, I hope Andrea realizes that Andrea is the only person that can fix Andrea. No point lying to yourself, your rebounding and defense suck. At some points on D, I wondered if he could fight his way out of a paper bag.

Jose Calderon - He's gotten older, slower, more injured, and worse on D. Time to call it a day Jose. In today's NBA we need a faster, more aggressive shooter.

Eggs in the basket:

Demar Derozan - He's just one more go-to-move on offense to become a solid NBA contributor. He needs to batten down the hatches on defense. He's got the speed and lateral quickness. Now he just needs to direction and know-how.

Ed Davis - Has obvious low post talents and defensive grit. Hopefully a good summer of workouts and healthy knees will see him make a big stride in improvement. He's got a ton of upside and I for one am very excited to see what he can bring to the table. He has way more upside than Amir. Amir is almost at his ceiling and Ed is similar. I see Ed eclipsing what Ed can do.

New Coach:
So the Raptors got themselves a legitimate coach? We'll see. I was expecting a drastic improvement in X's and O's when Triano took the reigns. But all we got from him was the same old tired offense trotted out there every night and almost a complete disregard for defense on the other end.

Things I like about him:

*He comes from a winning environment. Postive and forward thinking. That, i think is the most important thing. Never underestimate a change in culture to a group.

*He's known for he defense. Good, cause our team is know for it's lack of defense. Do the two things cancel each other out be make a so-so team? Cause so-so is still a huge improvement and I'd take that. Or even better, would it make a better than so-so team?

*He's not Jay Triano. God love that guy, I loved him too. He wasn't a bad coach. Just wasn't particularly good. We needed a bit more grit from him. A bit more sandpaper. A bit more accountability.


The Draft:


Who I want: 

Kemba Walker - Good speed. Seems to fit into the mold of scoring PG's the league seems to covet.

Brandon Knight - A high quality elite starting capable point. An upgrade for the Raps any way you look at it with the size to match so he won't get pushed around on the other end.

Enes Kanter - Supposedly a beast on both ends. 

Jonas Valanciunas - Seems be be solid defensively and on the boards. Has good size and seems a hell of a lot more athletic for a big man than Bargs.


To a lesser extent:

Jimmer Fredette - Shoots the lights out

Iman Shupert - An athletic gem. We already have Derozan though

Donatas Motiejunas - A decent consolation prize. Although he seems like a Bargnani clone. I think he has more agility and mobility. Adding a decent 7 footer isn't a horrible thing. 

That's about it. I hope we end up with a PG or a bigman. We have enought SG/SF's and enough lanky 6'9''-6'10'' PF's who aren't good enough. As well as Amir did, he wouldn't be a starting PF on many of the other teams let's face it.

A valiant effort by the Raptors in England

The Raptors gave a good effort overseas today against the Nets but they did the right thing and I am really enjoying this season despite the record. I know they're not winning much but the way they're losing, and the upside and the direction this club is going is positive.

As I haven't blogged in a while I want to preface this blog by saying that I have taken a step back and tried to watch this season in backseat in terms of my mental involvement and emotional dedication. Whereas in previous seasons I would get really involved and get really high on wins and low on losses.

As I said at the beginning of the season, I predict this team to be lucky if they get 20 wins. So far my prediction has been solid. However, what I have been pleasantly surprised with is the potential that some players have shown. The growth in their skills, games, and numbers has all be positive. This team is a player or two away from taking a step forward. By that I mean that they are a piece or two away from becoming a playoff team. So lose now, lose well, lose encouragingly. Fans don't mind... in fact it's what some Leaf fans in this city kind of wishes the Leafs did the past few seasons barring the idiotic shedding of their first rounders.

Bargnani is progressing well. He's got a few go-to moves and seems more comfortable on both ends of the floor. That being said, he still sucks defensively obviously but I think if he puts up the scoring he usually does, I can live with that and can accept the fact that they needs someone in the frontcourt to make up for his defensive and rebounding inefficiencies.

Demar Derozan is also growing. In fact by leaps and bounds during the course of this season. All those hours he puts in at the gym seem to be showing up in the form of numbers. His shot has improved but it could still use more consistency. He has a very good tendency to drive which is what this team needs. I wish he would add more post moves to his game to compliment his other attributes on the offensive end.

Ed Davis has shown that he has the obvious natural instincts and attributes required to being a successful power forward in this league. Defensively, he's light years more athletic and mature than Bargnani. Offensively, he has a decent shot, and nice post moves. I'm just salivating at the idea of him adding some strength and starting to impose his will more on stronger players. He just seems to have the natural savvy and feel.

James Johnson and Bayless are works in progress. They were nice pickups but so far despite showing flashes of obvious talent, have not impressed me to the point where I would say they were sure-fire shots at being part of the backbone of this team going forward.  I like James better as a player. He seems a bit more like a dog that's been kept on a chain too long whereas Bayless seems to be limited to his effectiveness depending on how and when he enters the game. In fairness though, point guard is the more difficult position to play in the NBA.

This new era of Big Threes will not be good news for the Raptors in their situation being seen as a less than desireable location in the minds of top American talent. But they're doing it the right way. In Bryan Colangelo I trust. Sign that guy now. I don't want another Rob Babcock situation here.

All hail King Bargnani... errr maybe

I wanna talk a bit about the last 2 games from the Raptors season thus far. The first was against the Sacramento Kings and despite being up by as much as 16 pts. the Raps succumbed to their house of cards defense. The second game was against the Jazz where they were getting demolished for most of the game, came back strong only to run out of gas. This was the second game of their first west coast trip so I didn't expect much. Like I said before, I'll be satisfied if this team has a good showing and their guys start developing. Sure we're not winning and it's may seem stupid to argue otherwise but we're in a situation where, like it or not we're a rebuilding team so high draft picks and developing stars is perfect for the situation.

Several obvious points to talk about in this games were:

1. Andrea continuing to score
2. Reggie Evans continuing to be a beast on the boards
3. Demar continuing to be aggressive
4. Point Guards struggling

1. Andrea seems to be scoring very efficiently and with consistency now. Something we haven't seen from him in previous seasons. I know it's early still but he doesn't just ring off 3 straight 20+ performances all the time. He seems very comfortable out there on both end of the floor. He's not rebounding as much but I think we can all safely say that it's because a certain teammates been inhaling them all. He doesn't seem lost in the post, he seems to have decided what move he's making before he moves for the most part. His shot is on and he seems confident, very confident. I think he's taking this new role of The Man seriously and I think he may be getting a boost from the encouragement he's getting from Reggie. Of course I am only speculating but Reggie seems to be openly encouraging him on the floor and obviously from comments he's made to the media.

Teams seem to be respecting his shot and as usual the slower centers in the league, (so far) can't keep up with his pump fakes and leave him enough room due to the respect for his driving ability. He's cut out those horrible layup attempts where he usually, easily gets blocked right at the rim. He's showing a lot of arc on his shot which i noticed is a nice change from last season. He's got 2 moves that seem to be his favorites. First he has finally perfected a standard post up where he pushes his man in then turns towards the paint, (while protecting the ball) and either shoots over the top or tries a little hook. The main thing here that's new is that he's not getting it stripped from him cause he's going in strong and protecting the ball. He seems to be finding isolation and space on the floor a lot better.

Defensively he's still decent on a man to man basis. He seems slightly improved on the help defense situations but I'm not sure if he's not just being masked by Reggie's rebounding. Their next game against the Lakers will be a true test and I think Bargs is going to see double teams like crazy. He's scored 20 or more in 4 straight and I got a bad feeling that the streak comes to an end at the Staples Center.

2. Reggie is a beast. Imagine if he was healthy all of last season what kinds of performances he could have had. He ran out of gas against the Jazz but I think everyone was expecting he to tire out sooner rather than later. Could have done without him taunting the Kings but hey, if you got it flaunt it a bit. It sucks that he got them going but at the same time I don't 100% prescribe to always being a clean cut, quiet and reserve goody goody. He's going at it on both ends like a rabid dog on pork chop. Beating taller guys to the ball, knocking into other guys to get the ball, stealing boards right out of the hands of his own teammates. I say, if he gets his hands on it without fouling people then who cares. That's exactly the type of hustle that this team needs and that you wish was instilled at least a bit, into every player on the roster.

3. Demar's trying hard. He's gotten stronger, braver, and he's been working on his lane driving game. Our team was in need of a wing that isn't afraid to drive through the lane and get fouled or get points at the rim. Earlier he seemed to be overly aggressive and driving himself into double teams, triple teams and just situations where he ends up turning the ball over or getting an offensive foul. The last 2 games he been more methodical and has been very successful. He's also hitting more of his free throws which seems to be a team wide epidemic. He's shown that he's developing the skills needed to become a top tier wing man. He needs to hit his shots from the outside and mid range more consistently but his willingness to stick his nose in is a real positive change and I've really enjoyed watching it.

4. About the only negative besides the actual losses themselves, has been what's lacking at the point guard position. Where's the steady points? Where's the assists? I don't expect this to keep happening. I fully expect either Jose or Jarrett or both to come out of this and elevate their game. They might not be considered #1 PG's by most people but they ARE considered good, and highly capable. At times, they've both obviously shown they can be dangerous. This will not continue, I guaran-damn-tee it.

Another thing I'd like to talk about is the play of Linas, Leandro, and Sonny. All three have shown glimpses but all three have been inconsistent. There's nothing wrong with this. Linas and Leandro are both new and Sonny has much higher expectations than he's ever had in his short NBA career. They'll come around. Linas' consistency reminds me of Bargnani's from past seasons. I'm confident he'll bounce back. Leandro's been slowed by his wrist.

Amir... big disappointment so far. I am not sure he can play well enough to justify his pay cheque but so far he hasn't played well enough to justify Roko Ukic's pay cheque. I think he's a good bench player and paying his like a starter has been a mistake. It's not his fault. Someone gives you a zillion dollars, what would you do? Tell them no? Hellz no. It's Bryan's fault. I've been a supporter of him in the past and I still am but this particular signing I DO NOT agree with.

Other tidbits:

• Triano's F-bomb was a slip obviously. But it doesn't stop me from giggling every time I watch it
•  Marcus Banks is suddenly looking very good at least contract wise compared to Amir
• I'm still excited to see what Ed Davis can do. Very stoopid move playing a pick up game but he's got a lot of upside and an up and coming team thrives on its first round picks. We're building on Demar, Andrea being our future. Davis could be a big part of that future.
• BTW... like i said in the past, this Bargnani contract is looking better and better isn't it?

2 games in... pretty impressed and surprised.

So we're two games in this season and so far we've seen a good defensive effort against the Knicks and a dismantling of the Cavs who just took out the Fake Thugs. The Knicks probably could have been beaten if the Raps could have coupled their good defense with decent shooting.

Andrea Bargnani's performance so far has given me reason to believe that he can do a decent job as one of the Raptor's main offensive weapons. Let's hope he can stay consistent. His rebounding has been par for the course which is sub par but with an animal on the team named Reggie, how can one get a board? Barg's post up has improved slightly but I think his go-to move should be just his turn around jump shot. If it works and ain't broke, don't fix it.

Reggie is an absolute beast but we knew that before. Only now he's getting solid minutes and has partaken in a full training camp and stayed healthy. I wonder how long he can keep this up. With the amount of energy it looks like it takes for him to run on his break neck pace, he might be shaving years off his life!! He's stealing rebounds from his own teammates but who cares? As long as he rips them down it doesn't matter.

Amir's proven to be the worst signing in recent Raptor history. It's two games in so I'm not really concerned but so far he hasn't done anything but fuel his own critics. Jose's play has been pretty much the same low level. What happened to the Spanish Fly we were used to seeing when the Raps won the Atlantic title? It's MIA just like his shot. If you're a liability on defense at least knock down some of your shots. Again, it's just been 2 games but so far he's been a useless turd.

The Young Gunz so far seem just like Youngsters. Demar seems a bit too aggressive but seeing as how the knock on him last year was he wasn't aggressive enough I am more then happy to let that slide. Sonny at the same time is doing the same thing. Overly aggressive but I am gonna predict that Sonny and Demar will get their game together and start to cruise. I expect Demar to average 15ppg and Sonny at least 12ppg.

Linas Kleiza and The Brazilian Blur have been as good as advertised. Let's hope all this adds up to a few more wins. But honestly to me, if they put in a good effort I don't mind them losing this season.... especially since I am praying for a high draft pick. YOINK!!

The Curious Case of AB7

Watching Andrea on Wednesday night reminded me about a few things in terms of his game and what I can guess is his general mindset when he's out on the court. I do have to remind you that it's preseason still and I also have to remind myself about this as well as It's easy to get excited or disappointed so quickly. Proof being all the articles and blogs and comments that I've read already in regards to just the one preseason game. True it was a great success, and it gave a lot of doubtful Raptor fans like myself some reasons to get excited about but as everyone knows from that feeling in the back of our mind and from past experience that there's no need to get too excited just yet.

So the same can be said about the performance of our resident Italian 7 footer. We all know he didn't play very well and I'm sure he'd be the first person to tell you that and I know he'll only get better this season. But watching him I noticed a few things that almost have become synonymous with him. First thing being that he seems to stand around a lot during rebounding opportunities. Unless the ball bounces right to him, he doesn't seem to make any effort to move his body towards the area where the ball might land. It's almost like he freezes, his mind's telling him he needs to be somewhere else on the court but his body never responds. The other thing is that he loses a lot of rebounds right within his grasp. He fails to get rebounds that should be his to take.

I have two hypothesis about this behaviour and the first one I suspect a lot of fans might agree with as well and that is that he's afraid of contact. I strongly suspect that this is true with him. I think this is just a psychological response that he hasn't overcome. I don't know if he'll ever overcome this. The only analogy that I can think of is that he see's himself as a finesse type of player. Which in fairness he is.That was the scouting report before he got drafted so it's hard to buy a pig and then put makeup and a dress on it and expect it to act like a lady. Truth is, he's a skilled player trapped in a big man's body. And that's really where a lot of frustration and hatred comes from in terms of the feelings he provokes in frustrated onlookers. He's 7 feet tall 250lbs. and guys that size are supposed to get rebounds, mix it up under the basket and do some dirty work. A perfect example is provided to him game after game, practice after practice by the behaviour displayed from teammates like David Andersen, Reggie Evans, and in the past, Jermaine O'Neal. But yet he's never made that connection that he too can perform some of these things that would endear him to not only fans, but more importantly the coaching staff and the other teams in the league. Yet his skill set would tell you otherwise. He puts the ball on the floor better than most big men, he shoots from the outside with proficiency and when you look at those abilities one can clearly agree that there's no doubt about his talent. Trouble being that those aren't the only talents required to be successful for a man in his position. So yes it's true he's a finesse player so I guess the analogy would have to be that he can be compared to a skilled player on a hockey team that doesn't fight, doesn't do the dirty work, and doesn't rough it up in the corners but concentrates more on scoring. Unfortunately Bargnani might be the only one that thinks this should be the case. Ask him personally and he will disagree with this but I bet subconsciously his head would be nodding up and down. Throw him in to a practice where Reggie and Joey Dorsey tosses him around the court a bit. Have a MMA guy come in and do some physical workouts with him. Maybe that will help. Just a suggestion.

The second hypothesis i have regarding his lack of rebounding ability and willingness would be that he lacks the tenacity to get a rebound. Well that's obvious isn't it? During a game there are usually many instances that a rebound does bounce his way only what happens in most of the cases is that either a smaller more tenacious opponent rips it out of his grasp or a teammate does it. And this really makes me want to tear my hair out and throw things at my tv. It's there for you... just take the damn ball out of the air, rip it out and hang on to it. But yet several times even during this past game against the Suns, he's had the rebound taken from  right under his nose by the likes of Linas Kleiza, Sonny Weems, and a variety of other guys on the other team. It's like he's daydreaming for a split second every time the ball comes near him. In this analysis I really don't know what to suggest. I don't know what you do with a guy like that who consistently does this. What do you do when a guy just lacks hustle? Smack him upside the head and tell him to wake up? Maybe someone needs to do that to him.

He's apparently gotten stronger this year but I can't tell a difference. Even if he is stronger what is the use if he doesn't know how to apply it. It's like giving a toddler a revolver, he's going to end up shooting himself in the foot with it. Take the revolver away and give him a rifle. Guess what? He's shot himself in the foot with it again.The one thing I've noticed with the guy is that he doesn't seem to bend his legs enough during any situation. Shooting, rebounding, posting up, his legs are too damn straight. It's like he's too lazy to bend them. That's how you build power is by bending more before you back in for a post move. Just look what KG or Shaq does when They posts up. They catch. Lean back to feel the presence of his defender, then they bend their legs and push their way back. The first thing a coach teaches you is to bend your legs cause that's where the power comes from. The only time he noticeably does this is during a free throw shot. He does that very well. But otherwise it's like he's a guy on stilts. So maybe it's not his strength so much as it's his technique. I don't know. Just a thought to kick around your brain the next time you watch him and feel like tearing your eyeballs out. 

Once in a while he'll show that he can do things correctly. It's like he forces himself to do it out of his nature. Out of his comfort zone. Listen, it's been 5 years. You should be able to do this by now without having to mentally force yourself to. That's what I hope to see this season from Andrea. That what everyone's been hoping to see from him the past 5 years. Time to man up. Time to show your mettle. Time to add this physical element to your outside scoring touch.

So cause of these inadequacies and others, Bargnani is dragged through the mud. And rightfully so. But I bet any team in the league would love to take a shot at having a guy like him. I bet under the right circumstances he would have been able to shine more by now at this point in his career. He's being paid $10m a year. There's guys around the league that do a lot less than him and have a lot less talent and upside that are being paid more, similarly or slightly less. To say he's being overpaid is incorrect. He's being paid about right according to statistics. But judging by his draft position and lack of focus or general results most people would agree he hasn't lived up to expectations. Unfortunately he didn't draft himself first, the Raptors did. Like I said you can't dress a pig up and expect lady-like behaviour. Time to move past that. What we have to realize is that we have a good center who may not be worthy of the #1 pick but is still a good center. How many centers really do that much anyways? Most of the top players in the league aren't centers. They're SG's or SF's. Wade, Kobe. LBJ, Durant are all perfect examples. Even in the PG position you have top tier players like Rose, and Nash. Would you consider Brook Lopez one of the top players in the league? Probably no. But is he one of the top centers in the league? Probably yes. Let's get past that. I'll settle for him being a decent center and hope, nay, pray he becomes more.

Time to plan the parade route and get the champagne on ice!

Holy Shit!! The Raptors walked into the Rogers Arena in BC last night and trounced the Phoenix Suns like they were playin' against the Vancouver Grizzlies. The defense was noticeably better than the last 3 seasons and they held Hedouche to 6 points. Damn right it's embarrassing to lose by 50 points and that's what the Raptors are going to do to the rest of the league. Smash in skulls and wreck rims.

Ok now that the high i got from last night has worn off everyone knows not to get too excited. Especially in this city. With that in mind it was still a good start, nothing more nothing less. That is unless you're Il Mago who played like Il Crapo but hey that's what the preseason's for. It's for ironing out wrinkles like having a double team on you every time you touch the ball or even look like you might get a ball passed to you. They double teamed him and he bumbled the ball, rushed shots and looked pretty rickety.

Like I've said many times, I am not an expert but I thought running an iso for him would have been nice. Clear out the side for him and have Jose or Jarrett feed him in the post. If the PG drops down to double, swing it back out for an open jumper. If not, back in and try for a hook or fade-away or whatever. I'm probably not reading into it right but that's just what I thought would've helped.

Kleiza was as good as advertised but I would be surprised to see him do this well for an extended period. He was one of the positives as well the defensively alert and hardworking David Andersen. That guy showed me something. He showed me that if Bargnani had his Il Mago skills and half of Andersen's heart and hustle we would have ourselves a franchise player... but alas we don't. Joey Dorsey and Reggie were all hustle as well but Joey was a beast.

The defense for once was present. I haven't seen defense like that by Toronto since 2001. Or maybe ever. Where the hell was this kind of hustle last season? It's like they didn't feed the team for a week, then sprayed pork chop sent on the Suns players before the game. Then you got Grant Hill and Reggie getting tossed for touching each others bums. What on earth is going on here? I'll believe this impartial no-nonsense officiating when I see the Raptors play a team like the Lakers and the refs don't cater to Kobe's every wish or sniff Kevin Garnett's rare end. I give this impartial officiating 2 weeks of regular season. Then it's going the way of the dodo.