khandor’s sports blog

8 Responses to “Magic triumph over Raptors, the gruesome details”

1. Scott G Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm

   Amazing to me that the lineups shown above would result in that sort of swing for the Magic. It seems to me the Raps had an advantage (albeit small in terms of Jack > Johnson) at the 1-3 spots in all rotations, and also at the 4 when Bosh is in. How exactly did this play out, qualitatively?

2. khandor Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 12:17 am

   Scott G.,

   re: individual match-ups at the 1, 2 and 3

   As basketball players …

   Jack isn’t appreciably better than A-Johnson.
   Belinelli isn’t appreciably better than J-Williams.
   Wright isn’t appreciably better than Redick.

   Yes, Turkoglu is better than Redick … but, not if he isn’t being used to post him up.

   Although Bosh is better than Bass … at the #4/PF position, specifically, Brandon is the type of strong and quick player that gives Chris trouble.

   While Orlando’s perimeter players were making shots left, right and center, an assortment of Raptors’s were mis-firing on an array of different shots:

   i.e.

   Bosh, jumper missed
   Wright, running jumper missed
   Nesterovic, tip-in
   Belinelli, turnover
   Bosh, made jumper
   Bosh, fade away jumper missed
   Jack, turnover
   Belinelli, pull-up jumper missed
   Johnson, turnover [offensive foul]
   Turkoglu, fade away jumper missed
   Bargnani, running hook shot missed

3. tim Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 8:56 am

   I sense a bit of Jose appologetics here. While I love him and think he will turn it around he is playing awful right now and it is hurting the team badly. His defence on high screen and rolls and his poor shooting were a large factor in that loss.Both areas of play must improve. And while Jack and Bellinelli are struggling as well, it is foolish to blame magement for aquiring them. They both are upgrades over last years tallent, and both have reasonable contracts that will be tradeable in the future. Noone would suggest we would be better off with Joey Grahm and Roko Ukic.Colangello greatly improved the tallent level of the team, wich is tough to do in a salary capped league. Amir Johnson has been terrible, and he should not play (and wouldn’t if Evans were healthy). While you continue to blame the management for the poor make up of this team, mainly because you feel Bargs can not work as a starting center for a quality team, consider the teams fortunes if they had Bogut or Kaman instead. It would have changed nothing against the Magic or Griz.
   This team may battle to stay at .500 all year, but it is a more entertaining and skilled team than last year. If it only means a few more wins, the management should be applauded.

4. Scott G Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 10:17 am

   Agree that the advantages held by the Raps were pretty small at those positions… it’s a pretty telling statement about Wright’s game that he doesn’t have a big advantage over JJ Redick at the 3 spot.

   I presume Hedo was NOT posting JJ up, then? If that’s the case, why the HECK not??

   Tim — “If it only means a few more wins, the management should be applauded.” I couldn’t disagree more with this statement. We signed a 50M free agent this summer. We also inked an equally big deal with our “budding star.” We spent 5M on another free agent. Our star PG was hurt all last year and isn’t anymore. Our best player is in a contract year. All of that, and BC should be applauded for a “few more wins” over last year’s pitiful season? I think not! BC will get my applause when he stops swinging for the fences with every single move he makes, and starts building for the long-term.

5. khandor Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 10:28 am

   tim,

   re: “I sense a bit of Jose appologetics here. While I love him and think he will turn it around he is playing awful right now and it is hurting the team badly. His defence on high screen and rolls and his poor shooting were a large factor in that loss.Both areas of play must improve.”

   1. Whoever told Jose Calderon to lose those 15 lbs this past summer doesn’t know how to emphasize El Matador’s strengths as a PG in the NBA or how to limit his weaknesses.

   2. JC is not playing poorly right now, except in the eyes of those who do not really understand who he is an elite level basketball player with specific strengths and weaknesses.

   i.e. His defense vs high middle P & R/P’s is exactly the same today as it was 2 years ago when he was establishing himself as a better PG in the NBA than TJ Ford; while the fact is that his perimeter shooting percentages have improved since then.

   3. These past two losses have NOT been the fault of JC, although he certainly has not performed at the highest level of his own individual game … and, perhaps, never will this entire season while playing 15 lbs lighter than he was last year.

   ——————————————————–
   re: “And while Jack and Bellinelli are struggling as well, it is foolish to blame magement for aquiring them. They both are upgrades over last years tallent, and both have reasonable contracts that will be tradeable in the future. Noone would suggest we would be better off with Joey Grahm and Roko Ukic.”

   5. Ukic was a problem with last year’s team … but the way to solve that situation was NOT to go out and sign a Back-up PG like JJ for $5.0 M/yr, when guys like Earl Watson, Chucky Atkins, Speedy Claxton and Royal Ivey, etc., were also on the open market.

   6. Marco Belinelli’s best position in the NBA is the PG spot. He is simply not an upgrade over Joey Graham … despite his obvious limitations … at the wing position.

   ——————————————————–

   re: “Colangello greatly improved the tallent level of the team, wich is tough to do in a salary capped league.”

   7. Don’t drink the kool-aid.

   The fact is … this group of players is only marginally more talented than last year’s.

   ——————————————————–

   re: “Amir Johnson has been terrible, and he should not play (and wouldn’t if Evans were healthy).”

   8. To believe that is a mistake in basketball judgment on your part.

   ——————————————————–

   re: “While you continue to blame the management for the poor make up of this team, mainly because you feel Bargs can not work as a starting center for a quality team, consider the teams fortunes if they had Bogut or Kaman instead. It would have changed nothing against the Magic or Griz.”

   9. Bogut and Kaman are poor players, as well, neither of which I would choose as a suitable replacement for Mr. Bargnani.

   If you think they are the type of player who I would choose to replace Bargnani with then it seems as though you don’t really understand [i] how it is that I actually think about the NBA game, or [ii] the faults which I see in the Raptors’ Management Team.

   ——————————————————–

   re: “This team may battle to stay at .500 all year, but it is a more entertaining and skilled team than last year. If it only means a few more wins, the management should be applauded.”

   10. Fans who take solace in THAT type approach to the NBA are not the sort of fans who should even bother reading what I have to say about the Raptors.

   Fans who are interested in eventually building a championship NBA team in the great city of Toronto are the ones who should take the time to read and understand what’s written in this space, and elsewhere on-line, about the state of the Raptors.

   i.e. In the world of pro sport teams should be applauded for winning the championship not just being “entertaining”. A performance by The National Ballet of Canada should be entertaining, in and of itself … because there is no person vs person competitive aspect that’s intrinsic to what’s happening on that stage when the bright lights come on; whereas, in the NBA, it doesn’t quite work like THAT.

6. khandor Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 am

   Scott G.,

   re: Antoine Wright vs JJ Redick

   Exactly!

   ——————————————————–

   re: Turk vs Redick

   No post-ups were seen by these eyes.

   ——————————————————–

   re: what you said to Tim

   Exactly.

7. brothersteve Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 11:24 am

   Actually I did a long piece on Jarrett Jack from College through to his Raptors signing.

   Jack is a good back-up point guard.
   Teams that have tried to make him a 2 guard will not get the defense or offense expected - this goes back to his college days.

   Also Jack was a top 30 PG last year. Meaning you’ll be disappointed if he’s your starter and happy if he’s your back-up!

   That 5 minute span on Sunday was bad. Cost the team the game. Jay should have be quicker with wholesale changes but it did happen very fast.

8. khandor Says:
   November 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 am

   brothersteve,

   The only major problem with JJ as a capable back-up PG in this league today is the salary cap hit associated with his current contract … that pays him as much as a quasi “starting PG” for a low end team [e.g. see Beno Udrih @ $6.0 M for 3 yrs].

   Yes, JJ is a better player compared to Roko Ukic but not to the tune of that much coin … especially when there were other highly serviceable players at that position also on the open market this past summer, e.g. Blake Ahearn, Chucky Atkins, Royal Ivey, Mateen Cleaves, etc..

   ——————————

   re: it did happen very fast

   Coaching effectively at this level of competition requires someone whose basketball IQ, judgment, and feel for the game is truly exceptional.

   There are very few individuals in this business who have those traits.

   For THOSE few elite level coaches who fit the bill the game actually happens in a form of “slow motion” … which is very similar to the way in which a great player in any specific sport, e.g. Michael Jordan/hoops, or Wayne Gretzky/pucks, or Joe Montana/football, or Pele/soccer, etc., happens to see and experience it.

   i.e. Accurate “anticipation” of what’s most likely “going to happen next”, based on the correct reading of the play in progress, in advance of others, is a key element to how exactly such individuals actually work their “magic”.

   As a result, what may well be happening quickly for someone like you is actually happening in “slow-mo” for an individual/elite level coach like THAT.

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