khandor’s sports blog

What a certain so-called ‘basketball expert’ has said recently about the plight of the New York Knicks and the future possibility of Phil Jackson becoming their head coach for next season:

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Chris Palmer on twitter

Carmelo & Amar’e – 2011: 51.6 ppg; 2012: 39 ppg

27 minutes ago

Phil Jackson and the 2012 Knicks would be perfect for each other.

No team with as much talent as the Knicks should have a losing record. Ever.
about 1 hour ago

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… could not, possibly, be further from the truth.

Simple facts regarding the New York Knicks and Phil Jackson:

#1. James Dolan, historically, has been a meddlesome owner.

#2. At this stage in his life, Phil Jackson – at 67 years of age – has zero need to work for a meddlesome owner.

#3. New York presently has only 2 players who would fit readily with a Phil Jackson coached team: i. Landry Fields; and, ii. Iman Shumpert; as solid, multidimensional, players.

#4. Specifically, Amare Stoudemire [i.e. as a Pick & Roll and Isolation Big, exclusively], Carmelo Anthony [i.e. as an Isolation Forward, exclusively], Tyson Chandler [i.e. Defensively-focused Center, exclusively], Jeremy Lin [i.e. as a defensively weak starting PG], JR Smith [i.e. as a Perimeter 'jacker', exclusively], and Baron Davis [i.e. as a defensively weak back-up PG] are the anti-thesis of what could be accurately described as “a good fit player for the Triangle Offense“, based on their individual skill sets.

#5. Although Mike D’Antoni has, indeed, done a poor job of dealing with the myriad egos on the Knicks, since Carmelo Anthony has returned to their active line-up … in no way should Phil Jackson – and the Triangle Offense – be seen as an elixir to their present [and future] ailments.

If New York Knicks actually want to hire a highly experienced NBA championship winning coach with a different mind-set than Mike D’Antoni, who has a history of working well with established veterans and would be a decent fit with their current roster they should think seriously about one of their own former coaches, i.e. Mr. Larry Brown.

Q. How good can the New York Knicks become, if they get 100% healthy?

A. With the addition of a solid, good-sized, PG like Jeremy Lin, and a full line-up that looks like this:

OWNER – James Dolan

GENERAL MANAGER – Glen Grunwald

HEAD COACH – Mike D’Antoni

STARTERS

PG, Jeremy Lin [acquired December 27, 2012]
OG, Landry Fields
SF, Carmelo Anthony
PF, Amare Stoudemire
C, Tyson Chandler

KEY SUBS

PG, Baron Davis
OG, Iman Shumpert
SF, Bill Walker
PF, Jared Jeffries
C, Steve Novak

RESERVES/EXTRAS/OUTS

PG, Toney Douglas
PG, Mike Bibby
PF, Renaldo Balkman
PF/C, Josh Harrellson
C, Jerome Jordan

New York should be good enough to qualify for the playoffs and, perhaps, advance to the EC semi-finals.

The Toronto Raptors might not find themselves in a better “road win”, or “close road loss,” situation for the rest of this season than what should exist for their contest this evening against the New York Knicks:

given that:

i. Amare Stoudemire [PF/C] missed New York’s most recent game against Sacramento Kings with a sprained ankle;

ii. Baron Davis [PG] has not yet joined the Knicks’ rotation;

iii. The Knicks will be playing their first game at home after just returning from a mini West Coast road trip; and,

iii. The wagering line for this game, as of 1:00 PM ET, was New York Knicks -8.5/-102.

If Dwane Casey is, in fact, as good a coach as this corner thinks he is, then, this game should eventually play out as a “near perfect” scenario for the long term health of the Raptors franchise, i.e. with the visitors playing a highly competitive brand of physical basketball [Win], before losing by less than 8 points [Lose] and, simultaneously, improving their chances of securing a high end selection in the NBA’s 2012 Draft Lottery [Win].

The long term goal of any professional sports franchise should be to win its League Championship … and, the best way for the Raptors to acquire the type of marquee talent necessary to become a legitimate contender in the NBA, one day in the not-too-distant future, is by losing games like this and, thereby, finishing in 30th, 29th or 28th place in the final standings this season.

Toronto was listed as a 10 point home favourite in their match-up against the LA Clippers last night.

Despite the size of this “number”, the Raptors were also the “best selection” on the NBA board, according to yours truly.

LA Clippers [27-48] 92
TORONTO RAPTORS [37-37] 114
Complete Game Info

QUESTION
For what specific reasons?

ANSWER

From the Clippers’ Perspective

1. The Clippers were playing without their Starting Point Guard, i.e. Baron Davis, which left the combination of Steve Blake and Bobby Brown to match-up with Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack.

MAJOR ADVANTAGE for TORONTO

2. The Clippers were playing in the 2nd half of an away-away back-2-back, i.e. @ Milwaukee [Tue, Loss, 89-107] and @ Toronto [Wed], while the Raptors were playing after having an off day on Tuesday [following their win, at Charlotte, on Monday].  

MAJOR ADVANTAGE for TORONTO

3. Since firing Mike Dunleavy, first, as their head coach, and second, as their GM, the Clippers have been operating with an unproven leadership team [i.e. Kim Hughes and Neil Olshey, respectively], at the helm of their franchise. 

MINOR ADVANTAGE for TORONTO

From the Raptors’ Perspective

If you take a close look at the Substitution Chart for the 2nd half of last night’s game:

and, the Plus-Minus Charts for Specific Pairs of Raptors Players:

… what you should be able to see is that:

4. Since adjusting their Principal Rotation, by shifting:

PART I – Jarrett Jack/PG;
PART II - DeMar DeRozan/OG [but still giving the rookie plenty of valuable playing time, especially, with all-star Chris Bosh]; and,
PART III - Hedo Turkoglu/SF;

to their 2nd Unit, and inserting:

PART I – Jose Calderon/PG;
PART II – Sonny Weems/OG; and,
PART III – Antoine Wright/SF;

in their place, with the 1st Unit, the Raptors have re-worked the blend of Defense, Rebounding and Offense with their team, in a way that creates better balance, overall, and places increased emphasis on the specific contributions of certain players who are less focused on scoring.

MAJOR ADVANTAGE for TORONTO

5. Specifically, this shift in personnel has allowed the Raptors to:

i. Use Sonny Weems/OG and DeMar DeRozan/SF together, along with either Jose Calderon/PG [i.e. not a line-up they have used frequently this season, despite the repeated urgings of yours truly ] or Jarrett jack/PG;

ii. Use Demar DeRozan for an increased number of minutes in the 2nd half [Amen!];

iii. Use Sonny Weems [athletic] + DeMar DeRozan [athletic] + Jarrett Jack [athletic] + Reggie Evans/Amir Johnson [good rebounders], in conjunction with Andrea Bargnani [non-athletic, non-defending, non-rebounder], if/when Chris Bosh is off the floor [Hallelujah!];

and,

iv. Improve their overall ability to match-up effectively with individual opponents, at each of the 5 positions, in a specific game, without simply adhering to the rigid confines of a carved-in-stone line-up that has:

A. Hedo Turkoglu/SF,
B. Andrea Bargnani/C, and
C. Jose Calderon/PG

… each of whom is a liability on the defensive end of the floor …

together in the same “1st Unit” which is used to:

* Begin each game
* Begin each 2nd Half, and
* Finish every game.

MAJOR ADVANTAGE for TORONTO

6. Chris Bosh [i.e. 34 Pts; 11 Rebs; +13] is a much better basketball player than, either, Chris Kaman [22 Pts; 13 Rebs; -18] or DeAndre Jordan [i.e. 3 Pts; 3 Rebs; -27].

MAJOR ADVANTAGE for TORONTO

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The simple fact is …

Despite their many struggles of the past few weeks, right now, the Raptors are a much better team than the sad-sack LA Clippers.

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].