khandor’s sports blog

re: How an astute NBA observer might expect the first part of the schedule to unfold for the Raptors this year

Game 9– @ LA Clippers [Fri Nov 13]

This is where the schedule begins to get considerably tougher for the Raptors this year, as they embark on their 2nd road trip to the WC, for the first of 4 games in a span of just 6 days, ending with a back-2-back in Utah.

Toronto actually matches-up quite well with the Clippers and has a solid shot at securing the W in what will be a critical “swing” game against a beatable opponent on the road. Unfortunately, when the Clips will be playing their last of 4 games during a homestand, on a day’s rest, with a refurbished Baron Davis at the helm, this is unlikely to be a cakewalk for the Dinos. That said … the Raptors do have enough weaponry to emerge with the W in this spot, provided that Jay Triano can actually hold his own vs Mike D. in the final minutes of the 4th quarter.

Raptors expected W-L Record: W, 4-5

What it’s all about: Part III

[courtesy of Stacy Peralta and Baron Davis, by way of Henry Abbott]

Breaking the Cycle of Inner City Gang Violence
I had two goals for the film. First, I wanted to show people about why we have gangs in our inner cities, because unless you understand the history you can’t address the issue. And second, I wanted to show people what we can do to resolve this.

Until we stop looking at these kids as monsters we will never break the cycle of gang violence. People need to understand that in communities in which family units have broken apart and there are few, if any, economic opportunities, gangs become like surrogate families, identities.

Throwing people in jail is not going to solve this problem. As NFL great and youth advocate Jim Brown says in our film, “If more police or jails were the solution, the problem would have been fixed 30 years ago.” If we are going to address this issue in a meaningful way, we need a new approach.

That’s where Congressman Bobby Scott’s Youth PROMISE Act comes in. PROMISE stands for Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education — it’s exactly what we’re advocating in our film and we’re proud to get behind this effort.

The Act is based on prevention and intervention programs that work with local schools, community centers, faith-based organizations, and parents to prevent violence before it begins. The whole idea is to give these kids another way, another option, instead of joining gangs.

When yours truly sees this type of observation being made repeatedly in on-line articles and commentary by traditional media sources, bloggers, and members of the Raptors’ fanbase …

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Reasons for concern in Raptorville
The defenceless point guard

In his first year as starting point guard, Jose Calderon has kept up his efficient offensive ways, with a league-leading 4.18 assists for every turnover.

But on the other end of the floor, opposing point guards routinely light up Calderon. Tony Parker had 24 points and 10 assists against him. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook had 19 points and eight assists. Devin Harris has torched Calderon in two decisive fourth quarters.

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it indicates that there is still a significant level of basketball sophistication that has yet to be reached by many of the followers of this team.

The average Raptors fan has seen Jose Calderon play each and every game of his NBA career to-date; but this does NOT mean that said fan has a sound/accurate understanding of the game, in general, and how it should be played properly, concerning a player like the Raptors’ starting PG.

In reality … while Jose Calderon will never be confused for a top notch defensive player … he is far from being an atrocious defender at the PG position in the NBA.

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Specific Defensive Responsibilities of a PG for a team in the NBA

Situation #1. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. Pressure/contain the opposition’s PG, 1-on-1.

Situation #2. In a half-court situation when there is a Pick being set on him. Direct the opposition’s PG toward the Picker - in conjunction with the Picker’s defender - and then recover [by going either under or over, depending on the specific defensive tactic being used] to defend the PG on the dribble.

Situation #3. In a transition situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To contain the opposition’s PG on the dribble, 1-on-1.

Situation #4. In a transition situation when there is a Pick being set on him. To contain the opposition’s PG on the dribble, in conjunction with the Picker’s defender.

Situation #5. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To switch defensive responsibilities with a teammate who has the task of defending against an opposition player who plays a different position and is, therefore, usually a bigger player. 

Situation #6. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To initiate defensive double-teams and traps against opponent players who are very skilful at scoring either in the Low Post or on drives from the perimeter into the lane.

Situation #7. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him.  To rotate appropriately in order to provide the necessary help for a teammate who has been beaten on a dribble penetration move by an opponent.

Situation #8. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To rotate appropriately in order to provide the necessary help for a teammate who has had to rotate to assist a teammate that has been beaten on a dribble penetration move by an opponent, i.e. Help-the-helper.

Situation #9. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To close-out appropriately versus an opponent shooter, contesting the shot and containing that player on the dribble.

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When Jose Calderon is injury-free, the vast majority of his individual defensive breakdowns occur in Situation #2, as a result of a Big-on-Little Pick, where the main culprit isn’t actually Calderon at all but the Raptors’ Big involved in defending this specific action.

If Andrea Bargnani [who is the worst offender], Jermaine O’Neal [who is the 2nd worst offender], Chris Bosh [who is fairly good at this] and Kris Humphries [who is the most proficient at this], as a group, do a poor job defensively when:

i. Switching
ii. Showing & Recovering, or
iii. Trapping

in a 5/4-on-1 Pick scenario … and the opponent’s PG is able to dribble penetrate into the heart of the Raptor’s defense on a consistent basis, primarily, this is not the fault of the Dino’s PG.

When assessing Jose Calderon’s individual defense … encompassing those Nine Situational Categories … versus that provided by the other starting PGs across the League, this is what you should be able to see:

which would place him in the middle-of-the-pack, approximately, not towards the bottom. 

[as a follow-up to last week's entry ... Ranking Jose Calderon as a PG]

Given the list of players who customarily play the Point Guard position for their respective teams in the NBA, this is how they now rank, in the eyes of this corner:

[previous ranking]

1. Deron Williams [5] … the best combination of PG skills today
2. Chauncey Billups [1] … when healthy, still formidable
3. Chris Paul [7] … only drawback is his lack of size
4. Tony Parker [4] … still plagued by periods of erratic decision-making
5. Steve Nash [3] … inconsistent D & now age beginning to take their toll
6. Jason Kidd [2] … major slippage noticed this past season; REBOUNDING king
7. Baron Davis [6] … multi-dimensional but where will playoff success come from?
8. Jose Calderon [8] … physically sound, steadily improving & just entering the prime of his career

That said … if there was one game to be played next season with the outcome to determine the fate of the hypothetical team GM’d by khandor’s sports blog, in the NBA … Brandon Roy would have the ball in his hands with the shot clock ticking down, on behalf of that team.

NOTE: Thanks to those who submitted comments and voted during the past week; unfortunately, not enough in total to serve as a valid ‘informal’ poll.

All this time … who knew that Donald Sterling, Elgin Baylor and Mike Dunleavy were … really Truly, Madly, Deeply … actually Swedish, at-heart?

How else to explain the dizzying array of transactions this team has engaged in during this NBA off-season?

LA Clippers Recent Transactions

Q1. How good can Clips Nation expect their team to be this season?

A1.  The presence of a multi-purpose PG like Baron Davis … the stability of a solid big like Chris Kaman … the interior shot-blocking of Marcus Camby … and the promising growth of a solid young player like Al Thorton … not to mention all the other small part pieces they now have … is going to make this year’s version of the Clippers a gigantic potpourri, which no one in his right mind SHOULD try and predict an outcome for just yet, cause it would be utter MADNESS.

Who the heck can tell right now what on earth the Clips are actually going to look and play like once the 2008-2009 season starts? … with any type of accuracy.

What is known is this.

It SHOULD be a tonne of fun watching/following the progress (or, the lackthereof) for this team, this season … from a distance.

Saw this quote two days ago in a solid Olympic Scouting Report [courtesy of Xavier, a European coach, at Forum Blue and Gold]:

“Jose Calderon would be a starter in 25 of the 30 NBA teams … “

and, as you might expect by now, it started the wheels a-turning.

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Where exactly does El Matador [Jose Calderon] stack up in today’s NBA, versus the likes of:

[in alphabetical order]

Alston, Rafer; Arenas, Gilbert; Barbosa, Leandro; Bibby, Mike; Billups, Chauncey; Blake, Steve; Calderon, Jose; Conley, Mike Jr.; Davis, Baron; Duhon, Chris; Ellis, Monta; Felton, Raymond; Fisher, Derek; Ford, TJ; Foye, Randy; Gibson, Daniel; Gordon, Ben; Harris, Devan; Hinrich, Kirk; Iverson, Allen; Jack, Jarrett; Kidd, Jason; Livingston, Shaun; Lowry, Nick; Marbury, Stephon; Miller, Andre; Nash, Steve; Nelson, Jameer; Parker, Tony; Paul, Chris; Ridnour, Luke; Rondo, Rajon; Roy, Brandon; Telfair, Sebastien; Terry, Jason; Tinsley, Jamaal; Udrih, Beno; Watson, Earl; West, Delonte; Williams, Marcus; Williams, Deron; Williams, Jason; Williams, Mo

Do you think Calderon would be considered as The Starter for as many as 25 of the NBA’s 30 teams?

Where do you rank him, as a Point Guard, heading into the 2008-2009 season? [i.e. as No. ?]

In your personal rankings, is Calderon in your:

i) #1-5
ii) #6-10
iii) #11-15
iv) #16 plus

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Once again, all are welcome to participate.

Note 1: Final Results will be published Thu, August 14, 2008.
Note 2 : As a precursor … this ranking was published here Dec 19, 2007; followed by this one [Jan 30, 2008].

Took a while to figure out how to show this properly using wordpress but … in the end … it’s worth it.

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Ridiculously Exceptional by Captain Canada & the Beard.

PS. Defining Athleticism in the NBA.

The Raptors play the 2^nd half of a back-to-back at Golden State this evening.

Based on individual player/coach match-ups:

this might be THE game that Toronto can steal on its extended road-trip.

Jose Calderon is well-rested after only playing 20 minutes last night against the Lakers.

If he can use his size & strength to neutralize the natural advantages Baron Davis has when matched-up against many of the other PG’s in the league

AND

Sam Mitchell actually uses Kris Humphries (for substantial minutes/25+) vs the combination of Harrington & Croshere

this could be a highly entertaining game that finishes with a final score closer than the current wagering line suggests … i.e. GSW -10.

If you’re watching live tonight ,,, keep your eye tuned to the Rebounding Differential, where the Warriors are 30^th in the NBA; and, the Raptors are 22nd.

Whaddayouthink: the NBA’s best point guard?

Here’s what I wrote a month-and-half ago, on this topic …

The Best Point Guards in the NBA (Dec 19 2007)

and, here’s exactly where I’m at today … with a slightly different slant on the question asked (above) by Kelly Dwyer:

Conventional Be Damned 

If you could put any 4 other players you wanted to with the Point Guard (PG) of your choice, right now, in the NBA, completely healthy, to play and win only 1 game, on which your own life depended … this is how I would rank the following list of individuals playing in the league today:

1. Jason Kidd
2. Steve Nash
3. Chauncey Billups
4. Tony Parker
5. Baron Davis
6. Deron Williams
7. Chris Paul
8. Brandon Roy (climbing with a bullet)
9. Jose Calderon
10. Devin Harris

but … if I am putting together my own “5-man team” of players … regardless of which positions they play, at the moment, in the NBA … to take on all-comers, this is who I would choose to use at the PG spot on my current-day “Dream Team”:

PG - Lebron James
OG - Dwyane Wade
SF - Kobe Bryant
PF - Kevin Garnett
C - Tim Duncan

and, then, you could take any of those 10 “other” players you wanted to and it wouldn’t matter one bit to me … my “Group of 5″ is going to kick your team’s a$$, in an NBA game, played under NBA rules.

That’s my answer to Kelly Dwyer’s question.

Kenny (the “Jet”) Smith ranks his Top 10 PG’s in the NBA today, Floor Leaders in High Demand, and nowhere does he mention the words “Defense” & “Rebounding”.

There are 3 broad phases to a basketball game:

Offense, Defense and Rebounding.

Neglect any two of these, at the PG position, and what you’re left with is a very talented player, who is incapable of leading his team (just yet) to an NBA championship. 

TOP 5 PG’s in the NBA 

#1 Chauncey Billups … has the ability to: i) Defend the opponent’s PG, in a 1-on-1 defensive match-up, regardless of his check’s size, strength or quickness level; ii) Defend multiple positions on the floor, in defensive “switches” or “rotations”; iii) take the ball with the Dribble where it needs to go, in order to run effective half-court and transition offenses; iv) Shoot & Make a solid percentage on perimeter jumpshots, including 3-pt shots; v) penetrate with the dribble and Finish at the rim; vi) Drive & Dish to open teammates; vii) make a high percentage of his Free Throws; viii) Rebound his position; ix) maintain his “poise” during times of stress; and, x) “control & lead” a group of 12 men. Been there and done that.

#2 Jason Kidd … a poor % perimeter jumpshooter; a former #1.

#3 Steve Nash … struggles with his “individual” Defense and Rebounding.

#4 Tony Parker … needs to improve his perimeter jumpshot; struggles to maintain his poise at stressful times.

#5 Deron Williams … the next Great, young, PG. 

Honorable Mention (in order): Baron Davis, Chris Paul and Jose Calderon.  

UPDATE:
re: #1 … see this, then ↓