khandor’s sports blog

The following article …

Raptors’ Newfound Depth Reason For Optimism
When Triano needs a wing he can look to Marco Belinelli, DeMar DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu or Antoine Wright. Both Wright and Turkoglu started for teams that made the playoffs last season, while Belinelli is having an impressive summer starting for the Italian national team and DeRozan is a lottery pick that impressed a lot of people in Las Vegas in July.

Contrast this with last season where the Raptors gave significant minutes at various stages of the season to four players who had logged time in the D-League and it becomes obvious their starting rotation and bench have undergone a serious upgrade this summer.

[including the remarks in the comment section]

raises an interesting question in the mind of yours truly concerning the different options which the Raptors had to choose from in the aftermath of firing Sam Mitchell [Dec 3, 2008] last season and heading into this summer’s free agency period, at the Wing positions.

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FWIW …

This corner disagrees with those who think that the combination of:

NAME SALARY [2009-2010] PER [2008-2009]

Anthony Parker $2.6 M 12.16
Jamario Moon $3.0 M 13.35
Joey Graham $2.4 M [2008-2009]  11.99
DeMar DeRozan $2.3 M ?
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TOTAL SALARY: $10.3 M
TOTAL PER: 37.50

would have automatically been a substantially inferior unit for the Raptors on the wing this coming season … at their cumulative dollar value & given their PER … in comparison with:

Hedo Turkoglu $9.0 M 14.82
Antoine Wright $1.8 M 8.63
Marco Belinelli $1.5 M 11.86
DeMar DeRozan $2.3 M ?
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TOTAL SALARY: $14.6 M
TOTAL PER: 35.31

although others are certainly free to hold a different opinion about this, if they wish. 

Thanks to Dave [nbaroundtable] for highlighting this terrific interview with Joe Dumars:

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KL: Is it probably fair to say that he might not start, but he’ll probably be finishing a lot of games?

JD: Well, I have to be careful not to start coaching here, but he is one of the best closers in the game, so I would just say you’re probably going to want your closers on the floor when that time comes.

KL: But Rip, too, has been a good closer, so I assume that means a lot of a three-guard type of attack, which at the end of games seems to be a little more palatable to players than at the start. I know Rip wasn’t crazy about being a starting small forward because he felt it did wear him out a little bit.

JD: That’s where you give your coach options. You give him different options to go small, as you just stated, or just to close games in the last two minutes, put the ball in Ben’s hands and let Rip play off the ball. Have Tayshaun at the three and put the ball in Tayshaun’s hands and let him initiate the offense for two minutes and have Rip and Ben on the wings. What you want to do is give your coach options and to have people on the floor who can attack the defense and put the defense in a tough spot.

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If you want to learn more about how someone like Joe D. actually thinks … which is very different than a great many regular “fans” … or, in fact, some NBA observers … Do yourself a favour and read the whole thing, i.e. Parts I

It’s interesting when others in the blogosphere attempt to rank NBA players, by position, according to a metric which is based, at least, in part, on standardized game statistics, e.g. PPG, RPG, APG, TS% and PER.

Ranking Eastern Conference Power Forwards
As always, these rankings are meant to project how I think they’ll perform next season, not what they’ve done in the past. The numbers next to each player are last season’s points, assists and rebounds per 36 minutes, their True Shooting percentage (TS%) and their Player Efficiency Ratings (PER).

1. Chris Bosh, Toronto — 2008-09 numbers: 21.5 PTS, 2.3 AST, 9.5 REB, .569 TS%, 22.1 PER
CB4 probably belongs on the top of this list even if he just delivers the same numbers he has over the past four seasons, but it’s a contract year and he wants to prove he’s worth a max contract. I don’t know if his scoring numbers will increase, but I think he’s going to jack up his intensity on defence and on the boards.

2. Kevin Garnett, Boston — 2008-09 numbers: 18.3 PTS, 2.9 AST, 9.9 REB, .563 TS%, 21.2 PER
Before KG screwed up his knee, he was easily the best power forward in the East. Since he’s 33 years old, I’m skeptical that he can return with the same athleticism and explosiveness he’s known for. Of course, Boston fans will tell you that he’ll more than make up for that with heart, intensity, and plain ol’ Celtic Pride. (Pausing to vomit profusely in wastebasket.)

3. Rashard Lewis, Orlando — 2008-09 numbers: 17.6 PTS, 2.6 AST, 5.7 REB, .580 TS%, 16.8 PER
Rashard scored in double figures in all 19 playoff games leading up to the NBA Finals — he was particularly devastating in helping to dispatch the favoured Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. He might end up sliding over to small forward while new team-mate Brandon Bass mans the four-spot, but without confirmation I’ll assume that Lewis will remain the starting power forward and an excellent complement to Dwight Howard’s power game.

4. Josh Smith, Atlanta — 2008-09 numbers: 16.0 PTS, 2.5 AST, 7.4 REB, .533 TS%, 17.2 PER
Sure, he’s a knucklehead, but a very talented one. If he stops jacking up ill-advised threes and returns to being one of the most devastating shot-blockers in the league, Smith’s $10.8 million salary next season might actually seem like a relative bargain.

5. Elton Brand, Philadelphia — 2008-09 numbers: 15.6 PTS, 1.4 AST, 9.9 REB, .484 TS%, 14.6 PER
If he was still in his prime, Brand would easily be third on this list. Unfortunately, he was in the bottom half of Eastern power forwards last season because he was labouring with a bum shoulder and he only played in 29 games. There isn’t a strong track record of big men in their 30s returning to their prior glory after a bad run of injuries (see: Jermaine O’Neal) but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he can get his shooting percentage back up to pre-injury form since he claims he’s feeling like his old self again.

6. Antawn Jamison, Washington — 2008-09 numbers: 20.9 PTS, 1.8 AST, 8.4 REB, .549 TS%, 20.6 PER
Jamison has always put up good numbers and as far as I know, he’s always been a terrible defender. That might help explain why the Wizards had the second-worst record in the NBA last season.

7. Troy Murphy, Indiana — 2008-09 numbers: 15.1 PTS, 2.5 AST, 12.5 REB, .614 TS%, 17.8 PER
Is Troy Murphy a better athlete than Andrea Bargnani? And if not, how does Troy grab twice as many rebounds as Andrea per 36 minutes? Murphy is just as deadly from beyond the arc (45% last season) as Bargnani, but our guy gets the edge on defence because Murph is lousy on that end.

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Or, do they reveal a bias of some sort … i.e. in favour or against specific players; or, a specific “type” of player … at this position?

FWIW …

Here are the preferences of this corner when it comes to choosing the best Power Forward from the Eastern Conference, from this list, if the goal is Winning … e.g. a Do-or-Die Playoff Game … this coming season.

Courtesy of JE Skeets …

Oh, My! … it’s enough to make you cry, as a Raptors fan.

In line with the series of “Raptors vs Eastern Conference Opponent Match-ups” which are being presenting in this space [i.e. I & II], there’s an interesting POV expressed today, by Arsenalist, at Raptors Republic, i.e. Comparing our bench to others, which sees Toronto’s 2nd Tier of players as actually holding sway this season over the likes of Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago, while being even with Orlando.

FWIW …

The view from this corner, on this specific topic, is somewhat different:

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RATIONALE

Vs Boston Celtics

When House gets used beside HOF players like KG, PP & Ray Ray, neither Jack nor Belinelli is a comparable player, in terms of actual productivity.

Davis may comparable to Evans … until you include the fact that Reggie can’t shoot the ball, at all, and is a veritable pylon on D.

Wallace is simply a far better Big than either Evans or Nesterovic.

Vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Parker [6-6] is a semi-legit starting OG-SF in the NBA, compared with Belinelli, who is a legit starting PG-OG.

Moon’s versatility and PER are far better than Wright’s.

Ilgauskas is a solid mid & long range jump-shooter who is a tough check for either Nesterovic or Evans that far away from the basket.

Vs Orlando Magic

Pietrus is a far superior rebounder, defender and scorer than either Belinelli or Wright.

Anderson is a solid mid & long range jump-shooter who is a tough check for either Evans or Nesterovic.

Gortat is simply a far superior Big to Nesterovic or Evans, at this stage of their respective careers.

Vs Detroit Pistons

Villanueva is a far superior scorer, as a Big, to either Evans or Nesterovic.

Maxiell is a tougher player than Evans and a better interior scorer & rebounder than Nesterovic.

Wilcox is just as tough as Evans but a much better scorer.

Vs Chicago Bulls

Neither Belinelli nor Wright is as good a Wing player as Salmons.

Noah is a much better rebounder and shot-blocker than either Evans or Nesterovic.

Salmons & Noah together are enough to off-set the advantage which the Raptors have when compared to the trio of Hunter, Pargo & James.

Vs Atlanta Hawks

Crawford played over Belinelli last season [in G-State] for a reason [i.e. Jamaal can defend Marco; Marco can’t defend Jamaal].

Evans may be a comparable to Wright on D but he is a better player on O, as Maurice actually shoots at a solid percentage.

Pachulia is an even tougher Big than Evans.

Smith is a solid mid-range jump-shooter and a tough check for Nesterovic or Evans that far away from the basket.

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Vive La Différence!

Denver jumped over several teams in the Western Conference last season, adding Chauncey Billups to their line-up.

Their challenge this summer was to resign Chris Anderson and then keep the bulk of their team together … thereby, allowing this existing group of players to grow, as a unit … which they have now done for the most part.

i.e. Nuggets re-sign Johan Petro

When you take an Early look at NBA rosters: Western Conference, and:

* Remove the question mark beside Johan Petro’s name, then,
* Remove Linas Kleiza’s name altogether

what you should see is a depth chart which looks like this:

PG: Billups/#2, Carter/#7, Lawson/#11 
OG: Smith/#4, Afflalo/#8, Carter
SF: Anthony/#1, Player #10?
PF: Martin/#5, Balkman/#9, Allen/#13
C: Nene/#3, Anderson/#6, Petro/#12

and still leaves room for one more player to be signed, before the season starts, as a competent back-up for their “superstar” [i.e. Melo], at the SF position.

If Mark Warkentien, Rex Chapman & Co. are able to accomplish this last task, there is now every reason to believe that the Nuggets will remain one of the elite teams in the Western Conference this season.

With the format being used for this event, it looks like Team Canada might need to win at least 4 of the following 6 games in order to ensure qualifying directly for next year’s World Championships [in Turkey]:

#1. PHASE ONE – Game 3 vs Uruguay [Pool A, No. 1/2/3]
#2. PHASE ONE – Game 4 vs Puerto Rico [Pool A, No. 1/2/3]
#3. PHASE TWO – Game 5 vs Pool B ? [No. 1/2/3/4]
#4. PHASE TWO – Game 6 vs Pool B ? [No. 1/2/3/4]
#5. PHASE TWO – Game 7 vs Pool B ? [No. 1/2/3/4] 
#6. PHASE TWO – Game 8 vs Pool B ? [No. 1/2/3/4]

Although today’s result in PHASE ONE – Game 1 [i.e. Can 95, Mex 40] is a solid start to this tournament the real test for Leo Rautins & Co. will only begin on Sat Aug 30, versus Uruguay.

Some NBA observers in the on-line hoops community consider Detroit and Toronto to be heading in opposite directions this summer, with their additions/subtractions:

I. The Pistons are viewed as a team IN DECLINE; while,

II. The Raptors are viewed as a team ON THE RISE.

When comparing the PTL of their respective rosters, however:

the follow-up question is:

At which spots in Toronto’s line-up do these people see the Raptors’ personnel with a distinct match-up advantage compared with the Pistons?

STARTERS? BENCH? EXTRAS? RESERVES? OTHERS?

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According to these eyes …

Toronto Raptors
Have an advantage with Chris Bosh vs Charlie Villanueva.

Detroit Pistons
Have an advantage with Richard Hamilton vs DeMar DeRozan.

Have an advantage with Ben Gordon vs Jarret Jack.

Have a minor advantage with the upside of:

Summers [#35/2008] & Jerebko [#39/2008] 
vs 
Banks [#13/2003], Weems [#39/2008] & O’Bryant [#9/2006].

Have an advantage with Joe Dumars vs Bryan Colangelo.

Have an advantage with a better Win% from last season [.476 vs .402].

Have an advantage having qualified for the playoffs 8 consecutive seasons.

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FYI … The Raptors average player age is 25.4 years; while, the Pistons average player age is 25.7 years.

The amount of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. in this corner for Henry Abbott [TrueHoop] … the Don of NBA bloggers … is immense. That said … none of us is immune from making an occasional “unforced error”.

Case in point, from today’s Wednesday Bullets:

“Reggie Miller’s legendary push-off of Michael Jordan, that led to an open game-winning 3. Disappointing: How did his teammates not rush to congratulate him after that? He celebrated more or less alone, which always makes me wonder what the internal politics are really like.”

Here’s the vid clip, itself:

and, here’s what you should be able to notice about this specific sequence of events, which provides the answer to Henry’s question … without casting aspersions, unnecessarily, towards any of the Pacers:

* When Reggie’s shot went through the basket, the horn did not go off … nor did the red lights come on. Miller’s veteran teammates knew instantaneously that there was zero possibility time on the game clock had officially expired with the Pacers winning at that point.

* In fact, the game clock was initially stopped at 0.4 seconds.

* If the Bulls had decided to inbound the ball immediately, Chicago would certainly have had more than enough time left to get off a last second heave of their own … if the Pacers were distracted by a premature celebration … in a desperate effort to tie or win the game [trailing 94-96, at the time].

* If the Bulls had, instead, decided to call a time-out … which is precisely what they did … there was no need to celebrate anything at all, just yet, as the greatest scorer in NBA history would then have had more than enough time & opportunity to thrust another dagger into the open heart of another victim in his magnificent journey towards the Hall of Fame.

* When the game officials subsequently conferred to reset the game clock to 0.7 seconds … this only served to justify the initial reaction of Reggie Miller’s teammates to his spectacular shot, i.e. “Great. Now we’ve got to be ready to defend vs. MJ & Co. This game is far from being over!”

* Rick Smits, a veteran, shoots his hands up in the air, smiles widely, retreats to defend in the full-court, and then goes to congratulate Reggie.

* Derrick McKey, a veteran, retreats to defend in the full-court, turns his head to pick up the location of the ball, and then goes to the Pacers’ bench to prepare for the ensuing time-out.

* Antonio Davis retreats to defend in the full-court, turns his head to pick up the location of the ball, and then goes to the Pacers’ bench to prepare fo the ensuing time-out.

* Travis Best, still a relatively young player, immediately collapses to the floor, under the basket, in an isolated celebration.

* Mark Jackson, the future TV analyst, is on the bench and then goes to congratulate Reggie with open arms.

* His head coach, about whom Isiah Thomas observed: ” … and you look at Larry Bird, who’s been there plenty of times before; nothing to it, I’ve done that about twenty times in my career … come back over here, fellas,” remains implacable throughout this sequence of events.

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Q1. What does this sequence of events actually reveal about the “internal politics” of that Pacers team?

A1. That what they were really all about … was being atuned to WINNING!

Nothing more, and nothing less than that.

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Even someone like Henry Abbott can benefit from taking a closer look at the details of a situation like this rather than making observations which are not necessarily accurate.

As different NBA off-season previews begin to surface in the blogosphere …

Bleacher Report
Pro Basketball Fans
Sports Alchemist

it can be very interesting to see which specific teams are perceived by different NBA observers to be head and shoulders above their immediate competition.

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Despite what some observers may perceive to be a heightened level of NBA  ”talent” on the Raptors’ roster this season, at this point, at least, this corner would suggest treading softly, instead, if your plan involves jumping on the Dino’s mounting bandwagon, as a former lower-echelon team with a legit chance to make major W-L gains in the standings.  

Last year the Raptors started their season 8-9, fired their head coach [Sam Mitchell], and proceeded to lose 40 of their remaining 65 games [.385], to miss the playoffs completely; while, the 76ers began their campaign 9-14, fired their coach [Maurice Cheeks], and then went on to win 32 of their remaining 59 games [.542], to make the playoffs as the 6th seed.

Debate in the Paint: Fear the Raptors
Debate in the Paint: Raptors just can’t escape mediocrity

Hmmmmmm …

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“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” – Anonymous