Who’s the pressure really on for the Raptors?
Unlike others, in Raptorville, this corner of the blogosphere does not believe that the proverbial heat is going to be turned up this season on the likes of Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon.
TrueHoop Network 2009-10 Preview: Raptors
If you’re watching the bottom line, you’re watching this
Easily the pending Chris Bosh free agency. Last season was supposed to be about whether Chris Bosh was going to re-sign in Toronto. Thanks to Bryan Colangelo, there has been enough talent assembled on this team that the talk is about making the playoffs and making noise when they get there. You want to be elite? You want a max contract? Lead this team and build something special in the city that drafted you, nurtured you and idolizes you.
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Pressure’s on to deliver
Bosh, the four-time all-star, is heading into what could be the final year of his contract, a 25-year-old talent chasing not only a $130-million (U.S.) payday, but respect: Teams don’t give out those deals to players who don’t win playoff games any more. Not in these economic times.
“I’m at a point where I want to elevate my game and get better and all that stuff,” the 6-foot-10 forward said on the eve of his seventh NBA season, the prime of his career at hand. “My numbers have plateaued and the wins have gone down, so it’s either do or don’t.”
Watching with interest will be Colangelo, the boy wonder executive now hitting mid-career, himself entering the final year of his contract as Raptors president and general manager – though club owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has an option for one more.
It’s a stretch to suggest MLSE wouldn’t exercise it, and Colangelo, 44, it’s believed, wants to stay. But it’s hard to be the rising young executive when your team slides from 47 wins to 41 to 33 and counting. Still, he’ll be the person telling MLSE if Bosh is worth the money – and what to do with the franchise’s most valuable asset if it’s determined he’s not.
Right now, he’s not sure. The situation, as Colangelo likes to say, is fluid.
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If the 2009-2010 version of the Raptors struggles mightily and then fails to make the playoffs in the spring, the heat will indeed be turned up … in fact, to full blast! … on the General Manager of the team [i.e. Bryan Colangelo].
The major problems for the Raptors, at-present, do NOT revolve around:
1. The poor performance of their best player, Chris Bosh;
2. The supposedly “fraudulent” status Bosh has somehow managed to attain with a segment of the team’s fanbase, as a “Not Worthy Max Contract Player”;
3. The poor performance of their Point Guard, Jose Calderon;
and/or,
4. The lack of “chemistry” which exists when a radical summer make-over brings in 9 new players.
If the Raptors fail to reach the playoffs this year it will be due, instead:
1. To the wool that’s been pulled over the eyes of much of the team’s collective fanbase, re: the actual strength of the players on the current roster, beyond Misters Bosh [Very Good], Calderon [Good] and Turkoglu [Good], who are simply not good enough to accomplish this task;
2. The decision to use Andrea Bargnani as the team’s Starting Center, as opposed to being Chris Bosh’s [C] back-up at this position;
3. The quality of the coaching this team receives on a day-to-day basis; and,
4. The relatively poor job done, thus far, by Bryan Colangelo, as the person responsible for all basketball-related decisions on behalf of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment [MLSE].
It is definitely going to be an interesting ride this season for the Toronto Raptors.
Best wishes to the team for this season, in hopes of acheiving the very best outcome possible, as the regular season tips-off this evening versus Lebron James & Co., and for 12 months from today that each of the principal characters remains on the scene working in the great City of Toronto.
Gentleman [and Ladies], it’s time to start your engines!
The destination awaits …
Related:
Best line-up for the Toronto Raptors [2009-2010]
Tags: Bryan Colangelo, Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Jay Triano, Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors
October 28th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
So if Bosh has a bad year, or poor performance as you put it, and the team doesnt make it into the playoffs, he should not shoulder the blame for the that? That makes absolutely no sense. The peices are around for him to succeed, and if he fails to lead the team into the playoffs, then he wasnt much of a leader anyways because this is a talented group. Assuming there are no signifcant injuries, if they dont make the playoffs, then giving Bosh a max deal will look worse then the Vernon Wells signing.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
John,
Welcome aboard!
During his 6 seasons in the NBA, Chris Bosh has yet to have a “bad” year.
Chances are pretty good he won’t have a “bad” year this season, either.
If he does, however, in that case, of course he should be held accountable for that type of poor performance. He is getting paid a great deal of money already to NOT put up poor performances.
The person on the hot seat this season is the Raptors’ GM, after having a “mediocre” 2007-2008 and a “bad” 2008-2009.
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re: this is a talented group
I agree that there is a fair amount of NBA talent on this year’s team. However, this talent level doesn’t really out-strip the talent level of the other teams in the Eastern Conference this year or the other Raptors’ squads from the past few seasons … despite what you’ve been told by certain individuals in Raptorville.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
I would have to disagree, the Raps have never had a crafty wing like Turkoglu who can create his own shot, create for others and step up late in games since Vince. Turkoglu isnt known for his defence, granted, but niether was Vince. My point is that if Bosh truely is a max player, then he should be able to lead this team into the playoffs.
As for who is on the hot seat, i think the pressure is on everyone in the organization, with Triano, Colangelo and Bosh sharing the biggest chunk of it.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
John,
Turk also comes with rebounding and defensive deficiencies.
If the Raptors stick with their plan of using:
Calderon + DeRozan + Turkoglu + Bosh + Bargnani, as their main 5-man unit
… it is simply not a given that:
“If Bosh really is a ‘Max Contract Player’ then he SHOULD be able to lead this team, this season, into the playoffs.”
Boston, Orlando, Cleveland, Atlanta, Washington, Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Indiana, New York and, even, New Jersey and Milwaukee, all have rosters that are capable of superceding Toronto in the EC standings this year … if the Raptors fail to click on the majority of their cylinders.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Khandor,
the pressure will NOT be on BC… he is making MLSE too much money(extended the market world wide). One may not like him, one may think he is not a good GM, but I guarantee he is here for a long time (as long as he chooses to stay)
As I’ve told others before… you can think what you want of BC as a GM or ability to identify talent, but he is a marketing genius. Money isn’t made by filling the seats… its made by selling the team’s brand.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
You may yet be proved right about Bargs, but he looked good tonight. He is a rare player. Certainly better than Sam Perkins was for those finals Sonics Teams. Let’s cut him some slack
October 28th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
And yes, maybe he should be a bench player. But maybe he can start too
October 28th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Watch the game tonight, Khandor? Bargs really put on a bench-worthy performance.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:08 am
“… if the Raptors fail to click on the majority of their cylinders.”
You can replace “Raptors” with every other team’s name in the league and have a true statement.
Every team has to “click” on the majority of their cylinders - no has a second team of starters waiting to pick up the slack.
You just don’t believe in the players the Raptors have.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:50 am
Khandor,
You are 0 for 1 in your predictions.
October 29th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Hey Khandor, you watch the game last night? You watch Andrea drop 28 even after the refs hit him with a couple of terrible fouls.
I hope you enjoyed Andrea’s big F*** You . If he makes the All-Star team I think you should shut your blog down forever.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Strangely silent from this corner today
October 29th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
I too was very impressed by Bargs’ performance last night.
Not to throw too much cold water on the party, but I think Mike Brown lost that game as much as the Raps won it. Why he would play Shaq and Z together, or start Shaq at the 5 with Varajao at the 4 is beyond me… IMO, these guys are PERFECT matchups for Bargs, since they’re big and slow, and very little threat with the ball in their hands outside of a back-to-the-bucket post-up. I think it may be a different story when we see more active/athletic frontcourt players… Bargs’ two scores in the post vs LBJ notwithstanding. Maybe I’m wrong, and maybe Bargs’ game has progressed to the point where he can effectively punish smaller players that try to guard him, but we haven’t seen that yet in his career.
Nevertheless, last night was a great way to start the year, and here’s hoping the offensive poise we saw from Bargs continues.
Oh, and all those who love to hate on CB4 — last night was a great example of how valuable he can be, even when he has a poor individual offensive night.
October 29th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
C’mon dude, bring some BASKETBALL ACUMEN to bear on last night’s show (brought to you by Bargnani-vision). Incidentally, his PER is currently 33. I imagine BASKETBALL ACUMEN says that he played a smart, aggressive game and can flat out shoot.
Since I’m doing YOUR work by adding content on your site, I’ll also venture that somebody should be tracking contested boards. It doesn’t bother me that Bosh and Hedo consistently steal boards away from Bargnani. Who cares (and it happens 2-3 times a game). Bargs often has his man well boxed out leaving the board free for a teammate. If Hedo’s defensive rebounding #s go up, do we conclude that for want of a reliable rebounding metric, the ONLY way to judge rebounding skills is to watch the games (ie. D12 grabbed many open boards)?
October 30th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Hardcore,
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re: the pressure will NOT be on BC… he is making MLSE too much money(extended the market world wide). One may not like him, one may think he is not a good GM, but I guarantee he is here for a long time (as long as he chooses to stay)
As I’ve told others before… you can think what you want of BC as a GM or ability to identify talent, but he is a marketing genius. Money isn’t made by filling the seats… its made by selling the team’s brand.
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There’s a good reason that you and others have never ever heard me say that Bryan Colangelo SHOULD or WILL be fired by MLSE, whether he’s really a top GM in the NBA, or not.
If you take the time to read properly what I actually write then you will see that it says in this entry, “The heat is going to be turned up, to full blast, on Bryan Colangelo, if the Raptors fail to make the playoffs this season.”
This is NOT the same thing as saying he is going to be fired from his job by MLSE.
When a member of the US national media asked for my opinion last December on whether I could confirm for him that Bryan Colangelo was in fact treading on shaky ground in Toronto last season already, based on the relatively poor performance of the team … at least according to what he’d heard around the Association, should the team continue to go in reverse … the answer I gave was a categorical, “No.”
IMO, what’s really at-stake this season is HIS REPUTATION for being one of the very best GM’s in the NBA … that’s all.
[and, since I have never believed he actually fits into this category, in the first place, his reputation will REMAIN intact for me, regardless how the current season eventually plays out]
October 30th, 2009 at 7:46 am
tim,
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re: You may yet be proved right about Bargs, but he looked good tonight. He is a rare player. Certainly better than Sam Perkins was for those finals Sonics Teams. Let’s cut him some slack
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Bargnani looked good vs Cleveland:
1. “on offense vs Shaq or Z”; and,
2. “on defense vs Shaq or Z”.
Neither should be a surprise to anyone who has followed the careers of these three players.
To this point in his own career, however, Bargnani has not been a better player than Sam Perkins.
IMO, those who might think that to be the case are, quite simply, delusional.
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re: And yes, maybe he should be a bench player. But maybe he can start too
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In the right situation, a highly serviceable Big, who specializes in offensive production from the perimeter and defending in the low post vs power based Bigs, like Mr. Bargnani, could most definitely be “a starter” in the NBA.
Which players start and which ones don’t is a very “fluid” thing, in the NBA, for a coach and a GM who really know what they’re doing.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:03 am
A.C. Smith,
How many points a player scores in a specific game is not the only factor which should determine if he’s best as a starter or a back-up in the game of basketball.
Unfortunately … those who think it is really don’t understand a great deal about the game.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:14 am
brothersteve,
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re: “… if the Raptors fail to click on the majority of their cylinders.”
You can replace “Raptors” with every other team’s name in the league and have a true statement.
Every team has to “click” on the majority of their cylinders - no has a second team of starters waiting to pick up the slack.
You just don’t believe in the players the Raptors have.
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I disagree with this perception you have about “every team” in the NBA being in the same boat as the Raptors with regard to this.
IMO, there are several teams in the league that DO NOT need to be clicking on the majority of their cyliners at once to be effective, e.g. LA Lakers, Boston, Orlando, San Antonio, Denver, Portland, Cleveland, Atlanta, Washington, Dallas, etc.
What I’ve said to this point, about the Raptors players this season, is that, as a group, they have the capacity to finish anywhere from 6th-12th, given the relative strength of the other teams in the East. It is going to be a very close race this season with a number of twists and turns along the way. The East is getting much better, overall, and there are still a number of outstanding squads in the West.
Everything is relative, in the NBA, and the Raptors will most likely finish somewhere in the middle-of-the-pack, as there is very little separation between the teams in that group this season.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Tinman,
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re: Khandor,
You are 0 for 1 in your predictions.
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LOL,
According to you, what “predictions” have I made, thus far, about the current NBA season?
October 30th, 2009 at 8:20 am
MCBR,
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re: Strangely silent from this corner today
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Not really.
I’m just active in a number of different places that you may not be aware of … and, it can be a challenge to address them all effectively at the same time.
What exactly would you like to know?
October 30th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Scott G.,
Ditto … on 100% of what you observed.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Brain,
As Scott G., has already observed …
What Basketball Acumen would have to say about the outcome vs Cleveland is that … those who have questioned the status of Mike Brown, as being one of “the best up-and-coming coaches”, in the NBA, have legitimate concerns.
Going “Big” vs Bosh and Bargnani?
Hmmmm …
Mike Brown had best be careful this season, or he will find himself on the outside looking in, as the Cavs’ organization does its very best to retain the services of their franchise player.
Many more moves like THAT … and the clock will inevitably begin to tick for him.
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re: “contested” rebounds
A rose by any other name …
October 30th, 2009 at 8:38 am
HatesKhandor,
1. Welcome aboard!
2. Actually, what Bargnani did tonight was score first, then, get hit with a series of foul calls. Once the fouls began, his offensive production began to slow, as it usually does.
3. If Bargnani makes the all-star team this season … that would be a very nice achievement for him, as an individual player.
October 30th, 2009 at 10:00 am
“heat will indeed be turned up … in fact, to full blast! … on the General Manager of the team”
thats not supposed to indicate that BC would be on shaky grounds with MLSE? What does turning up the heat mean then if not a CHANCE at losing his job? How is the heat actually turned up if there is little to no chance of BC leaving except on his own accord?
You may not have explicitly said that BC could be fired (or not extended)… but your terminology sure indicated that.
I love how you phrase things to indicate X, and when someone indicates that X could be wrong you say “well thats not what I said… you misunderstood my words/intentions”
let me use another example from this thread:
“According to you, what “predictions” have I made, thus far, about the current NBA season?”
nice answer… you didn’t say your “predicition was wrong or right”… regardless of the fact that you DID predict (based on your own personal calculations) that the Raps would lose that game (even though it was a reasonable prediction). We all read it… we know. You can spin all you want…. doesn’t change what you say or indicate.
Learn to live with mistakes. They happen… we all do it.
October 30th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Hardcore,
Try reading exactly what I wrote … not what you think I wrote “might mean to you”.
Sometimes, there can be a big difference between those two perspectives.
Bryan Colangelo’s “rep” is what’s on the line this season … NOT his job security with MLSE, i.e. Cha-ching.
What you might “read” into what I actually write is strictly your OWN business.
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re: “predictions” which I’ve made about the current NBA season
If you would, please go ahead and show me where exactly you think I’ve made a “prediction” … of some sort … pertaining to the current season?
[other than ... e.g. the No. 6 to No. 12 positions in the EC standings are going to be very close this season; given the talent level on their roster, relative to the other teams in the east this year, the Raptors might have a difficult time qualifying for the playoffs, despite what many think in Raptorville; Boston, Orlando and Cleveland comprise Tier One in the EC, heading into this season; there are 5 elite level teams in the NBA this season, i.e. LA Lakers, Boston, Orlando, San Antonio and Cleveland; there are a whole swack of good-to-very good teams in the NBA this season, including the likes of Denver, Portland, Dallas, Utah, New Orleans, Phoenix, Atlanta, Washington, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, etc.; and, so forth.]
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re: mistakes happening to everyone
You “bet” they do.
In my line of work … you learn to live with mistakes, each and every day.
Ultimately … it’s what you do with the “bad” hands you’re dealt that determine your true success/failure in this world.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
“Toronto Raptors Season Preview: Game 1
Opening night for the 2009-2010 NBA regular season is a little more than 1 month away.
At this point, how might an astute NBA observer expect the first part of the schedule to unfold for the Raptors? … considering that virtually the entire team was changed this off-season.
[i.e. only Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Quincy Douby, Patrick O'Bryant and Marcus Banks return from last year's final roster.]
Game 1 – vs Cleveland [Wed Oct 28]
RAPTORS EXPECTED W-L RECORD: L, 0-1″
This is directly from you own blog. Don’t think it could be much clearer (I left out the Advantage/Disadvantage ranker made exclusively by you to come to this conclusion +1 Raps, +5 Cavs… we won’t even go through which were wrong there). So now feel free to tell me how this isn’t YOUR prediction and how I am somehow misinterpretting this.
P.S. how could one interpret that the “heat will be turned up” was in regards to BCs reputation when you never mentioned reputation in your post. You only included that later in your thread. You also talked about “the heat” after a statement regarding BC’s contract.
October 30th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Hardcore,
1. Yes, that quote is from this blog.
2. No, that quote does NOT qualify as a “prediction” from me, regarding the outcome of Wednesday’s game between Cleveland and Toronto.
A prediction actually works like this:
Team A is going to win its game vs Team B this evening.
Team A [-2.5/-102] is going to cover the number in its game this evening.
Player A is going to win the Rookie of the Year Award this season.
Player A is going to win the scoring title, League MVP, etc., this season.
Coach A is going to be the first one fired, in the NBA, this season.
Team A is going to win the NBA Title this season, with the playoffs set to start tomorrow.
Team A is the call to win this game this evening.
If Team A makes this substitution right now Team A is going to win this game.
etc., etc., etc.
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re: the heat being turned up for Bryan Colangelo
The media and the fanbase will be what turns the heat up, if the team fails to qualify for the playoffs this season.
IMO, MLSE has no plans whatsoever to fire Bryan Colangelo.
The fact is …
At no time have I ever written anywhere that MLSE should fire Bryan Colangelo.
In my book, he is an average GM in this league; that’s all.