khandor’s sports blog

… about the internal management, and impending sale, of the Toronto Raptors … which, once you break it down further, really contains just 1 highly provocative sentence.

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Feschuk: Number cruncher standing in way of Colangelo’s new contract

Some insiders downplay the conflict between Colangelo and Silvestri, and certainly there are many other factors that could be influencing the Teachers’ reluctance to re-up Colangelo. Peddie, who has announced he’ll retire at the conclusion of 2011, is expected to welcome his replacement in the coming months. A headhunting firm is currently conducting a worldwide search for that person; Peddie said the field will be pared to a shortlist in the near future.

While Tom Anselmi, MLSE’s current chief operating officer, remains the in-house front-runner to get the gig, giving Colangelo a multi-year extension on the cusp of a new CEO’s arrival — especially since the date of that arrival is unclear — might not be seen as wise.

It’s also unknown how much longer the pension plan, which owns 66 per cent of privately held MLSE, will be the majority shareholder. The Star reported in December that Rogers has kicked the tires on the Teachers’ stake, which has been estimated to be worth about $1.3 billion, and other suitors are expected to emerge. The real prospect of an NBA lockout doesn’t clarify anyone’s view of how Toronto’s basketball operation will look after this season.

As one source said: “Confusion reigns.”

And so Colangelo waits. Is it possible the GM could make the Raptors’ first-round pick in the draft on June 23, a week before his contract expires, without a new contract? Multiple team sources said it is. Colangelo declined comment on matters pertaining to his contract.

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To wit:

“Along with criticizing Colangelo’s record as GM, Silvestri, one league source said, has also been heard to deride Colangelo’s career as the product of nepotism. Colangelo’s father, Jerry, was owner of the Phoenix Suns when Bryan became that franchise’s general manager in 1995.”

Could it possibly be the case that Mr. Silvestri has actually been a regular reader of this lil’ blog, dating back over the past 4+ years?

Nahhhhhhhhhhh!

Couldn’t be a snowball’s chance in h*** of that ever happening.

Right?

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Related:

Teachers’ move closer to MLSE sale
Is the sale of the Leafs, Raptors etc. a slam dunk?

If there is a single day this entire season which perfectly encapsulates the currently woeful state of the Raptors franchise it is Tuesday, February 22, 2011.

ITEM #1

Toronto Raptors [15-42] 101
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS [25-32] 114
Complete Game Info

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[Note: For an explanation of "kPER", "Est. Possessions", "Pts/Poss" and "Pts/Poss Diff", please see the blog entry below this one and the one from February 18.]

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ITEM #2

Oak gets assist in Charlotte as Bobcats down Raptors 114-101

PART I

“It was men against boys.” – Jay Triano 

PART II

“Does management (in Toronto) want to win? They’ve got some good athletes. What’s the problem? Who’s the coach? If they’re not playing D, I blame the coach.” – Charles Oakley

Item #3

Bulls trade James Johnson to Raptors

PART I

Chicago was willing to trade the No. 16 [overall] Selection from the 2009 NBA Draft to Toronto, in exchange for a low 1st Round Draft Pick [i.e. Miami's] this summer.

This alone should tell you everything you need to know about the ability of James Johnson to have a ”positive” effect on the Raptors’ fortunes moving forward.

PART II

While the Bulls have done a nice job adding a collection of solid pieces to their puzzle, after drafting Derrick Rose with the No. 1 [overall] Selection in the 2009 NBA Draft …

e.g. including the likes of Thom Thibodeau [HC], Carlos Boozer [PF], Taj Gibson [PF], Kyle Korver [OG-SF], CJ Watson [PG], Keith Bogans [OG-SF], Ronnie Brewer [SF], Omer Asik [C], Kurt Thomas [PF-C] and Brian Scalabrine [PF-C] …

The Raptors now have almost as many Power Forwards on their roster:

1 Amir Johnson
2 Ed Davis
3 Linas Kleiza [SF]
4 James Johnson [SF]
5 Joey Dorsey
6 Reggie Evans

as the Minnesota Timberwolves [i.e. another of the league's laughingstock franchises], 

a group of mostly mediocre Small Forwards:

7 DeMar DeRoza
   Linas Kleiza [PF]
8 Sonny Weems
   James Johnson [PF]
9 Julian Wright

none of whom projects out as a future “star” player in the NBA,

a trio of solid but equally unspectacular Point Guards:

10 Jose Calderon
11 Leandro Barbosa
12 Jerryd Bayless

to go with their muffed No. 1 [overall] Selection from the 2006 NBA Draft, leading the way at the Center position:

13 Andrea Bargnani
14 Alexis Ajinca
15 Solomon Alabi.

When you put the puzzle pieces together for the Raptors, what you then get is two-fold:

#1. A recipe for long term on-court mediocrity;

and,

#2. A recipe for long term off-court financial flexibility and profit.

PART III

If you take a close look at the players chosen with the Top 5 Selections for the NBA Draft, since 1992:

[Note: For an explanation of "QR" and "QIR", please see the following.]

it really isn’t very difficult to identify the reasons why the Raptors have never made it past the 2nd Round of the Playoffs, and are once again headed toward the bottom of the league standings.

Being A “Successful” Pro Sports Franchise DOES NOT Equate With Ever Being Able To Actually Win A League Championship For MLSE

Last fall, Dave Feschuk [Toronto Star] and Michael Grange [Globe and Mail] collaborated on a book about the professional hockey team owned and operated by the MLSE conglomerate titled, “Leafs Abomination,” which chronicles the 40+ years of misery the loyal fans of this once-storied Original Six team have had to endure since sipping last from Lord Stanley’s fabled Cup.

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“Love them or hate them, they’re the most successful team in professional hockey … just not on the scoresheet.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs are an exception to every law of the sporting jungle. They miss the playoffs and the sellouts keep coming. They haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, but the earning power of that blue-and-white maple leaf, no matter the chronic woes of the blue-and-white’s power play, never ceases to increase.

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Within this same school of thought, today’s article from Dave Feschuk, pins the current failures of the professional basketball side of the operation squarely on the shoulders of:

1. MLSE’s ownership group;

and,

2. The Raptors’ President and General Manager, Bryan Colangelo;

… which is precisely where it belongs, according to the views expressed in this corner of the internet for the last several seasons.

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Feschuk: Colangelo selling Raptors fans a bill of goods

Not to worry, Toronto sports fans. Yes, there are dramatic playoff series taking place in cities that aren’t this one. Yes, the Big Joke’s hockey team finished 29th and its basketball team won 40 games and its soccer team’s highest-paid player is afraid of, to quote Hedo Turkoglu, “Ball!”

But Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors president and GM, wants you to know everything’s under control around here, and so it must be. On Monday Colangelo called Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the pension-fund-owned controller of the local NHL, NBA and fifth-division pro soccer franchises, and this is an actual quotation, “one of the best organizations in all of sports.”

He went on: “I’m talking about hockey, basketball, soccer, real estate. Everything. Television. It is a company that will do everything in its power to answer the fans’ concerns, and that’s what we’re doing.”

To paraphrase Allen Iverson: You’re talkin’ ’bout real estate? How relieving to know that the local sporting monopolists are condo-selling geniuses. And how fitting. Some sporting GMs are described as visionary architects, and maybe Colangelo will become one someday. But on Monday, in a wide-ranging post-mortem on his team’s second straight losing season, Colangelo sounded less like a savvy builder of great rosters than a desperate seller of swampland. Four seasons into his sub-.500 tenure, it’s getting harder and harder to buy a word he says.

Two seasons after he told you Jermaine O’Neal was the answer, six months after he told you Hedo Turkoglu was the answer, on Monday Colangelo insisted he isn’t far from hitting on the actual answer. Never mind that his only all-star, Chris Bosh, is committed to testing free agency. Never mind that, in a guard-driven league, Toronto’s starters are certifiable second stringers. Never mind that Turkoglu’s massive contract appears as immovable as Jose Calderon on defence — not to mention Calderon’s contract. Never mind the toothless (and cheap-as-they-come) coach who is “learning” on the job, and slowly.

Colangelo actually attempted to sell his audience on the notion that MLSE is in these games to win these games.

“The plan is to win basketball games at whatever cost,” Colangelo said at one point.

I am not making this up.

“At whatever cost,” are the words he used.

That, folks, isn’t a sales pitch: It’s just a lie.

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Readers should examine the next sentence written here carefully.

This does NOT mean, however, that Bryan Colangelo SHOULD be fired by MLSE for being a bad General Manager.

What this means is that … first and foremost … it’s important to understand properly what THE PROBLEMS actually are with the Raptors [and the Maple Leafs] before it’s possible to attack them in a way which is going to produce a meaningful difference for their fans and create a Culture Of Excellence within the pro sports sector of this conglomerate.

As was said in this space yesterday …

The main problem which the Raptors have at present is not concerned with the many deficiencies of the specific players on their roster,

Common mis-perceptions regarding the sources of the Raptors’ problems

or, the relatively poor decisions made by their head coach, or their General Manager, etc..

The MAIN problem has to do with the specific way in which MLSE has been allowed to define the term “SUCCESS”, as far as the Raptors and the Maple Leafs are concerned …

i.e. such that, the primary objective is, ”To Develop a Competitive and Entertaining team which wins a relatively high number of regular season games, keeps its fanbase ‘engaged’, and turns a healthy bottom-line profit,” 

and the fundamental NEED for a PARADIGM SHIFT

i.e. Such that, the primary objective is, “The Winning Of Multiple League Championships,”

in order for any substantive headway to be made in terms of becoming an authentic championship calibre organization … in the not-too-distant future … within the pro sports landscape. 

Until this actually happens the Raptors and the Maple Leafs will be little more than “highly profitable Treadmill Teams”, in their respective leagues, run by carpet-bagging profiteers.

The long term remedy for what ails the 2009-2010 version of the Toronto Raptors is clearly outlined in today’s column by Dave Feschuk: 

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Time for Jay Triano to take a stand

It’s been said that if an NBA coach is foolish enough to take advice from the media or the fans, he’ll soon be sitting among them.

So I’m definitely not recommending that Jay Triano secure a copy of the recent issue of Esquire magazine, the one that contains words of wisdom from John Wooden, one of basketball’s great gurus. But if somebody who gives a hoot happens to buy it for him, be sure to highlight the part in the interview in which Wooden lays down a timeless law of the hardwood with which Triano seems shockingly unfamiliar, specifically: “If a player’s not doing the things he should, put him on the bench. He’ll come around.”

Wooden, of course, is 99 years old now, which goes to show that nailing bums to wood is not the invention of knee-jerk sports scribes or failed coaches who took advice from such. It is, to the contrary, as timeless a team-building concept as has ever existed.

And yet, while Triano’s key problem has been coaxing defensive effort out of his squad, he has been loathe to dispatch pine-scented discipline to his biggest defensive slouches.

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Specifically … and, as Mr. Feschuk eventually explains … the 2 biggest culprits on this year’s team are Andrea Bargnani/C and Hedo Turkoglu/SF, not Jose Calderon/PG, or Chris Bosh/PF, or DeMar DeRozan/OG.

If the Raptors are going to have any legitimate hope of winning their 1st Round playoff series this year … should they eventually be able to hold onto the 8th seed and match-up against the Cavaliers … is to remove at least one of Bargnani or Turkoglu from their main 5-Man Unit and replace this lackadaisical rebounder/defender with someone else who is better at those exact aspects of the game.

QUESTION

What is fundamentally wrong with the Raptors’ current sense of TEAM?

ANSWER

The breakdown in collective morale which occurs when specific players, who are talented at the offensive end of the floor, are not held accountable for their individual short-comings in the areas of Rebounding and Team Defense, via demotion relegation to the bench.

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SOLUTION vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Option 1 – Status Quo

Option 2 – Bargnani’s not in the main 5-Man Unit

Option 3 – Turkoglu’s not in the main 5-Man Unit

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“Every now and then, somewhere, some place, sometime;
You are going to have to plant your feet, stand firm
and make a point about who you are and what you believe in.
When that time comes, you simply have to do it.”
- Lee Riley [Pat Riley's father, The Winner Within]

“In all the research you do as a coach, studying other coaches and championship-type situations, you find that all those teams combined talent with great defense. You’ve got to stop other teams to win.”
- Pat Riley, The Winner Within  

“No rebounds – no rings.”
- Pat Riley

These are the 2 most recent articles penned by Dave Feschuk, Toronto Star Sports Columnist, concerning the current plight of the Raptors:

Kings embarrass slumping Raptors 113-90 [Thu Mar 11 2010]

… the Raptors lost their seventh game in eight, 113-90, with a woefully heartless performance against a team they should have defeated.

Outscored by an astounding 43-23 in a listless third quarter that saw Toronto’s five-point halftime lead turn into a deep hole, the Raptors never recovered.

“We got very selfish,” said Jay Triano, the Toronto coach. “We had guys come down, take a shot, and I guess other guys are not happy because they don’t touch the ball. We miss the shot, it gets rebounded, and it’s fast-break points. And it’s a 10-0 run before you know it. And we cave after that.

[#1]“It’s part of the resolve we need to have. When a team goes on a run, we need to be able to come back and snuff it out by scoring points.”

A night after the Toronto locker room spoke of being encouraged by its feat of holding the defending champion Lakers to 45% field-goal shooting, albeit in a 109-107 loss, the Toronto defence laid down to allow the home team to shoot a remarkable 75% in the third frame, and 51% for the game. In those 12 minutes after halftime, a game was turned on its head. [#2] While Toronto had owned the trenches in the first half, outscoring Sacramento 32-22 down low at halftime, the Kings drove the lane and ran the floor without resistance in the third quarter, scoring 24 points in the paint to Toronto’s 4 while out-rebounding Toronto 13-4.

“Our body language at the start of the second half wasn’t very good. They came out and they went on a run … We never were able to get back into a groove after that,” said Antoine Wright, the reserve swingman. [#3] “That’s when the selfish play came in. Guys started holding onto the ball a little bit longer. I’m guilty of it as well as everybody else.”

Indeed, with two of Toronto’s top three point producers, Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu, continuing to struggle in the wake of respective ankle injuries, Toronto’s offence — a stagnant, selfish concoction that managed just 15 assists on Wednesday — couldn’t compensate for the deficiencies. [#4] Bosh was limited to 14 points on 6-for-20 shooting. Turkoglu was even worse, making just 2 of his 8 shots for 6 points.

“I would love to come in and play the ball I was playing before I turned my ankle. But it’s not like that,” said Bosh. “I’m trying to get back into the same mode I was in. It’s hard right now. I’m going to get there soon. We’re just at a tough stretch right now.

“It’s just getting a feel for the game. [#5] I missed a lot of easy shots today, shots I feel I should make, especially 15 feet and in. I can’t say much about that. They just went out. I don’t get too down about it. I know those shots are going to be there. There’s still plenty of basketball left to play. I just have to step up and make sure I play some decent defence and get some rebounds, and I can help this team out a lot more.”

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Lapses leave Raptors coach to make tough choices [Fri Mar 12 2010]

… there is clearly much more to Toronto’s poor play than a rusty return by Bosh and the comatose Hedo Turkoglu. And certainly, at the very least, there is this: [#6] Triano is employing a flabby rotation that continues to tolerate repeated lapses from unfocused players who would be, under a less sympathetic coach, riding the pine.

“You’ve got to take away some of the freedom around here, what guys have,” said Wright, offering the coaching staff some unsolicited advice. “(The players’) leash is not going to be as loose as it’s been. If you’re not doing what (the team) needs you to do, you’re going to have to come out of the game. That’s the only way to address (the situation) right now at this point in the season.”

[#7] Wright’s agenda has been no secret from the beginning of training camp, when he began lobbying for the spot in the starting lineup still occupied by rookie DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan has long been underperforming on defence, where he is known for a wandering attention to detail. (Go figure that he was the only Raptor to play all 12 minutes of Wednesday’s disastrous third quarter, wherein the Kings shot an astounding 75 per cent from the field and outscored Toronto by a season-high spread 43-23.) [#8] So as shameless as his campaigning has been, inserting Wright into the first five is perhaps the simplest way to jostle the Raptors out of their current slumber.

But long-time NBA observers might also humbly suggest that Triano might think about making some additional hard choices, and soon, specifically by [#9a] paring down the rotation as the regular season’s 19-game home stretch continues Saturday and Sunday at Golden State and Portland. Amir Johnson and Reggie Evans, for instance, have been largely splitting minutes as the off-the-bench energy guy. [#9b] Neither has been particularly effective and Evans has been downright sullen occupying half a role.

[#9c] There’s a glut of reserve twos and threes in Wright, Marco Belinelli, Sonny Weems and, occasionally, Jose Calderon, most of whom can never be sure when and how long he’ll play on any given night.

[#9d] Conventional NBA wisdom says a lack of role definition is bad for morale. And even if that concern is sometimes overblown – these guys should be adaptable – there’s evidence it’s not helping here.

Triano spoke of seeing players pouting Wednesday and he linked the discontent to poor shot selection and a lack of ball movement. Jarrett Jack, the starting point guard, took issue with Triano’s view of the situation – pointing out that what is being construed as selfish play is simply the execution of Triano’s long-stated philosophy that every player should, as his first option, look to score.

“I don’t think guys were selfish. Obviously we encourage people to take shots when they think they have ‘em,” Jack said. “Maybe coach can elaborate on it if that’s what he saw. I didn’t see it that way.”

[#10a] So the hung heads and poor body language, if you read between the lines of the locker-room murmuring, aren’t simply a product of Bosh and Turkoglu forcing the offence. They’re also related to uneven, unpredictable playing time – not to mention the lack of repercussions for the slew of missed defensive assignments racked up by players like DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani on most nights.

Suddenly the conscientious few among the Raptors, calculating that conscientiousness isn’t being rewarded, are taking possessions off. With Toronto one game clear of ninth place, Triano doesn’t have much time to sooth their burn.

[10b] Said Wright: “That’s what our coaching staff is paid for.”

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Here’s the take from this corner.

#1. When an opponent goes on a run the proper way to snuff it out isn’t by just “scoring points,” in return.

The proper way is by:

I. Getting stops on defense.
II. Getting the Defensive Rebound or creating a Turnover.
III. Scoring with an interior basket [either, in transition or the half-court] or from a free throw.  

Until the Raptors organization clearly/fully understands this distinction they are going nowhere fast.

#2. This reality clearly illustrates the importance of:

I. Trench warfare, as a general concept.
II. Getting/stopping easy baskets [i.e. layups] scored in transition situations.
III. Getting/stopping interior baskets [i.e. scores in the paint] and free throws. 
IV. Generating a high percentage of low percentage scoring opportunities for the opponent.
V. Getting a high percentage of available Defensive Rebounds.

Fail to do these things well and your team will lose.

#3. Selfish play, at any level of basketball, is a TEAM killer.

#4. Their 2 best players were a combined 8 for 28 [28.6%] from the field.

When your 2 best players under-perform, on offense, you are going to lose.

#5. When your 2 best players under-perform, on offense, it is often the case that they have not been placed in the proper individual match-up situations, positionally, in order to allow them to operate at their maximum level of efficiency, in terms of offense, defense and rebounding.

This is when seemingly “easy” scoring opportunities are inexplicably “missed” and seemingly “over-matched” individual checks exceed their customary levels of production.

For prime examples in this game, see [A] Chris Bosh vs Carl Landry [i.e. under-sized and too quick for CB4 to dominate], and [B] Hedo Turkoglu vs Donta Greene or Omri Casspi [i.e. too quick and athletic for Turk to handle].

#6. Play more than 8 [or 9, at the most] players in your regular rotation and your team will lose.

#7. Have individual players in your regular rotation with an “agenda” of their own and your team will lose.

#8. The easiest way to solve the Raptors’ deficiencies in attention to detail, re: consistent defensive/rebounding execution, is to remove Andrea Bargnani from their Starting Unit.

As a general principle …

1st unit players should be primarily defensive oriented, with the possible exception of the Point Guard or Off Guard positions.

2nd unit players, on the other hand, can be primarily offensive oriented.

At this point:

- Bargnani is an offensive oriented player, who fits best with the 2nd unit
- Johnson is a defensive oriented player, who fits best with the 1st unit
- DeRozan is neither an offensive nor a defensive oriented player, who should either [i] be used as a Starter or [ii] be removed from the regular rotation altogether.

#9a. An 8-player regular rotation is what’s needed, at this point.

STARTERS: PG + OG + SF + PF + C
KEY SUBS: PG + OG/SF + PF/C

This would provide the team with the highest possible level of GROUP COHESION.

#9b. Reggie Evans needs to be removed from the regular rotation.

There is no place for a “sullen” personality at this level of competition.

#9c. Sonny Weems needs to be used as the OG-SF off the bench.

He is the best combination wing player, who can provide offense, defense and rebounding, when coming off the bench. 

#10a. Mistakes in the composition of the regular rotation are the primary source of the team’s current list of problems. It is the responsiblity of the coaching staff to manage these matters better than they have to this point.

#10b. A muzzle needs to be put on Antoine Wright, and he needs to be completely removed from the regular rotation … or, at least, until he gets this message loudly and clearly.

In three different articles published today, Michael Grange, Dave Feschuk and Ryan Wolstat … each of whom is highly ‘respected’ by this corner of the blogosphere, specifically, for their expertise in their chosen craft … all say, basically, the same thing, concerning the outlook for the immediate future of the Toronto Raptors [11-17/.393; 2nd, Atlantic, 9th, East]:

Judgement day could be coming for Raptors
Raptors’ schedule takes pressure off
Raptors have time to turn it around | Toronto Sun

1. The schedule the team has played, thus far, has placed them squarely behind the 8-ball.  

2. The schedule of upcoming games is about to ease, and allow the team to re-establish its proper equilibrium.

3. This proper equilibrium will be achieved by the posting of a W-L record of either 8-4 or 7-5, over the course of the next 12 games, at which point the approximate half-way mark [i.e. 40 games] of the season will have been reached. 

Given the present state of the team, however …

Is this really an accurate assessment of their current situation?

For each of the last 3 seasons, one of the major areas of difficulty for the Raptors has been managing the expectations placed on the team, in a constructive way, given:

i. The history of the franchise;

ii. Where the franchise wants to go, short and long term [i.e. financially, and in terms of achieving excellence, on and off the court]; and,

iii. How exactly the franchise intends to achieve its stated objectives.

Instead of having negative directional short term goals [like Rob Babcock once had], or blatantly unrealistic short term goals [like much of the fanbase seems to hold, on occasion] … given the team’s history … or simply “swinging for the fences”, repeatedly, whether hit or miss [like Bryan Colangelo & Co. seem to have done, to this point], what the Raptors – and the associated media that follow the team – need to do much better, going forward, is paint a more ACCURATE picture of where exactly the team is, at the moment, relative to the other franchises in the Eastern Conference.

It’s by doing THIS, on a regular basis, rather than looking at the team’s predicament with tinted glasses … whether this tint is ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ … that communication is enhanced, and those whose actual support is necessary to succeed can be made to understand effectively what precisely is expected of them, in a specific situation; and, in return, know what they should then be able to expect back from the person[s] who is [are] communicating with them.

Unlike what many people may choose to think, it is never really about “a glass being either ‘half-full’ or ‘half empty’”, depending on one’s own perspective.

What it is REALLY about, however, is being ACCURATE, or not.

Those who are … over an extended period of time … are, in fact, able to earn the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. of their audience.

Once R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is earned, in this way, then, it can be reciprocated.

Once a state of mutual R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is achieved, in this way … between an audience and a ‘message-provider’ … then, great things are possible … and, indeed, are likely to occur.

However, without being accurate, in the first place, there is little possibility that a state of mutual R.E.S.P.E.C.T. can ever be achieved.

In this specific situation, whether the glass is actually perceived to be “half-empty” or “half-full” becomes completely irrelevant. 

Hopefully you, the visitor/reader, will take the time to click on each of the links you see below.

If you do … slowly but surely … a picture should begin to emerge which will help you to better understand the current, and on-going, “crisis” in Raptorville.

Like most good things in life, it really does take time … and, patience, diligence, expertise, well-honed instincts, perseverance, etc. … to build and, then, thoroughly understand something – or someone – of substance and authentic high quality.  

Here goes …

[for your added benefit, the most important/pertinent ones are marked with an asterisk/*]

1. You Make The Call [Mar 18 2008] *
2. Tic toc, tic toc, tic toc … [Apr 11 2008] *
3. Two solitudes in Raptorland [Apr 16 2008] *

4. Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & coaches [Apr 30 2008] *
5. Understanding Bryan Colangelo’s method of operation (good & bad) [Jul 02 2008] *
6. Talking the talk, already … in Raptorville [Sep 29 2008]

7. Deciphering the correct code for the Raptors [Dec 3 2008]
8. Wait a second … what’s really going on here [Dec 04 2008] *
9. What’s really going on here … Part II [Dec 05 2008] *
10. Respect for tellers of truths [Dec 8, 2009]
11. Understanding the Role of Defense in the NBA [Mar 11 2009]
12. Truth Tellers Beware – The REAL reason Sam Mitchell was fired by the Raptors [Mar 11 2009] *
13. In Raptorville, something changed last night … and it wasn’t good [Mar 12 2009] *
14. What observations like these SHOULD tell you about the quality of your player roster [Mar 13 2009] *
15. Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & faces of the franchise [Mar 25 2009]

16. State of the Raptors Address by Bryan Colangelo [Apr 20 2009] *
- this has Six [6] Parts to it and you need to watch each one
17. Assessing Bryan Colangelo’s Press Conference [Apr 21, 2009] *
18. Worst Owner in major North American pro sport? … You Make The Call [May 14 2009] 
19. Raptors might be Lottery bound, once again, after the 2009-2010 season [May 20 2009]
20. Five off-season moves for the Raptors which would have helped to address their Treadmill status [May 29, 2009]
21. Lack of Quality Depth is a major problem for the Raptors [May 29 2009]
22. Original Sin, in Raptorville [Jun 02 2009]
23. Knowing who the Raptors’ FOUNDATION player is [Jun 04, 2009] *
24. Local media for the Raptors is beginning to lay blame in the right place, at last [Jun 04 2009] *
25. Where will Andrea Bargnani rank in the Eastern Conference next year, as a Center? … You Make The Call [Jun 05 2009] *
26. Where for art thou, Saviour, in Raptorville? [Jun 06 2009] *
27. Could a Bargnani trade benefit the Raptors? [Jun 11 2009] *
28. Raptors fans: What would happen, if … [Jun 17 2009]
29. In the NBA Eastern Conference … It’s not hard to tell which one is which? [Jun 25 2009] *
30. 2009 NBA Draft Trackers for the Raptors [Jun 26 2009]
31. Raptors’ best possible line-up, as of June 30 2009 [Jun 30 2009]
32. Which franchise made out best from 4 team trade? [Jul 10 2009]
33. What the 4-team trade was REALLY about from the Raptors’ perspective [Jul 11 2009]
34. When three birds of a different feather flock together, it’s a poor omen for the Raptors [Jul 14 2009] *
35. Early look at NBA rosters: Eastern Conference [Aug 17 2009] *
36. Interesting [accurate?] POV on the Raptors, under Bryan Colangelo [Aug 24. 2009]
37. Initial thoughts on the Raptors talent base compared with the previous 3 seasons [Aug 24 2009] *
38. Strength of the Eastern Conference compared to 2006-2007 [Aug 25 2009]
39. Raptors Bench Strength: In eye of beholder [Aug 28 2009] *
40. YOU MAKE THE CALL: Best possible group of wing players for the 2009-2010 Raptors? [Aug 31 2009]
41. YOU MAKE THE CALL: Available Roster Options for the Raptors, 2009-2010 [Sep 02 2009]
42. How the Eastern Conference looks for ‘09-10, based on individual player ratings, by position [Sep 08 2009] *
43. Raptors improvement relative to other teams in division & conference [Sep 14 2009] *
44. Thumb-down 35 special … for the Raptors [Sep 18 2009] *
45. How the Raptors could be improved with Player X replacing Bargnani [Sep 18 2009] *
46. Uh-Oh, here he goes again [Sep 28, 2009] *
47. All the problems have been fixed with a Radical Roster Make-over? [Sep 29. 2009] *
48. Toronto Raptors Season Preview: Games 1-20 [Oct 20 2009]

49. Raptors half-way through their first 20 games [Nov 16 2009]
50. Raptors’ crunch time starts today vs Magic [Nov 22 2009]
51. Raptors punked by Celtics, according to Wright [Nov 28 2009] *
52. Ominous words … in Raptorville [Nov 29 2009] *
53. Source of Raptors’ on-going defensive problems [Dec 01 2009]
54. What the Raptors SHOULD do right NOW to improve their performance against High End opponents [Dec 02 2009] *
55. Raptors at the 20 game mark, exactly where an astute observer SHOULD have expected them to be [Dec 03 2009] *

================================================

When yours truly has occasion to read an article in which the Raptors’ GM is quoted as saying: 

Colangelo doesn’t pass the buck

- “At the end of the day, there’s a lot of talk about this being about coaching and systems and things like that,” said Colangelo, who was en route yesterday to meet his team in Washington for tonight’s game against the Wizards. “But at the end of the day if you’re looking for someone to blame, you can point to me because I’m ultimately the one responsible for putting this group together.”

- “The poor performance defensively has disrupted the other, more positive things we’ve been doing and the team is in a funk,” Colangelo said. “It happens in the course of an NBA season, and it’s up to us to get them out of it.”

- “This team has far too much talent to cast off or give up on. I have no doubt these guys can play, but talk is cheap.”

- “We can change the system and tweak it all we want, but it still comes down to execution and effort by the players,” Colangelo said. “It’s been very disappointing.”

and, then,

read a column by Dave Feschuk, in which he has revealing quotes from the team’s former head coach that read like this:

Mitchell has advice for Triano

- “At some point you hope the owners start realizing that you just can’t coach in this league without having coached,” Mitchell was saying the other night. “People sit there and think they can do it. … If you could just do the Xs and Os, yeah, you might figure that out. But it’s, how do you deal with people? How do you deal with your team when you’re down 20 at halftime? You have to know when to kick ‘em in the ass, and you have to know when to go in there and put your arms around ‘em and love ‘em? … I had to learn that.”

- “People don’t understand how relentless I was on Jose and Chris. I cut ‘em no slack,” said Mitchell. “Andrea, it was different. I cut Andrea a lot of slack.“

- “You pick your spots,” Mitchell said. “Sometimes you just have to walk away and say, `Don’t say (anything). It’s a bad night. Don’t compound it.’ … And sometimes you really get on their ass after you win. … You pick your spots.”

and, then,

read a blog entry by Chris Black, in which he begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together, one by one … 

Dissecting a Disaster
READING BETWEEN THE LINES
Mr. Feschuk is an intelligent writer. He knows there are certain things he can and cannot write in the paper. Jarrett Jack and Antoine Wright are both intelligent (if not exactly in-shape) basketball players. They know they can’t call out specific players in the papers.
However, if you read between the lines of Mr. Feschuk’s columns over the last two days, I think you’ll see that he’s saying the Raptors are growing frustrated about how Andrea Bargnani is treated by this organization.
You even get the sense from the Mitchell quote that he didn’t even want to cut Bargnani that much slack, that it was almost an organizational mandate to do so.
MY OWN OBSERVATION
As I mentioned earlier this week, I was at the Suns game on Sunday. On two separate occasions, Bargnani just totally forgot to rotate on defence (I’m sure he forgot to rotate many more times than that, but I’m just pointing these two out for a specific reason). After his gaffe led to dunks for the Suns, a visibly frustrated Hedo Turkoglu threw his hands in the air and said/yelled something in the direction of Bargnani. The Italian was naturally oblivious to Turkoglu’s criticism, and merely continued up the court, happily mouth-breathing away.

… what, then, becomes clear is:

I. Just how much on target the views expressed in this space have actually been for the last 2+ years, concerning the goings-on with the Toronto Raptors;

II. Just how much of a negative and divisive force Andrea Bargnani’s poor Defense and Rebounding have actually been within the Raptors’ team for the last several seasons; and,

III. Just how off-base is the Basketball Philosophy [and overall Basketball Acumen] of the Raptors’ Management Team, in terms of placing the correct value on:

A. Team [and Individual] Defense

B. Rebounding, and

C. Shared Team Offense,

when assessing the REAL ability of their players, compared to the other High End teams in the NBA.

Since the Boston Celtics of Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek, etc., first established their pro hoops dynasty, more than 40 years ago, High End performers across the league have learned to value and identify the individual players, and coaches, and GMs, etc., with the personal attributes it takes to be able to WIN BIG, i.e. given their commitment to: i. Defense, ii. Rebounding, iii. Sharing The Ball, and, iv. Physical, Mental and Emotional Toughness.

When a franchise, at its core, has a Basketball Philosophy that DOES NOT reflect these basic, fundamental values … which dwells at the heart of the game and a successful team … it has very little hope of ever developing into a championship calibre organization in the NBA.

There are NO successful short-cuts in THIS game.   

Although Dave Feschuk usually does a solid job of pointing out which things are working well in Raptorville, at any given point in time, and which things are in need of improvement, on occasion, even he can “swing and miss”, when it comes to solving the riddle that has now become,

“What is really at the heart of the Raptors defensive woes, when it comes to relentlessly conceding dribble penetration to opponent ball-handlers using a Pick from a Big?”

Feschuk: Solution to Raptors’ weak defence? Start Jack
[1] So much for this corner’s pre-season thinking the Raptors are offensively gifted enough to stay in any given game so long as they’re shooting the ball well.

“(Giving up) dribble penetration was our biggest problem (on Sunday),” said Jay Triano, the Raptors coach. “We have to get better (at stopping it) as a team.”

[2]The problem is widespread, of course, and every regular could be singled out for some blame. But let’s be honest: [3] The problem of allowing opposing players into the paint starts at point guard. The past two losses have seen opposing No. 1s – Memphis’ middle-of-the-road Mike Conley and Orlando’s all-star Jameer Nelson – zip past Jose Calderon with too much ease. It’s a familiar plotline for Raptor fans, who watched Calderon cede similar ground last season, when a six-centimetre tear in his hamstring limited his mobility.

The Spaniard claims to be back to full health now, which could be worrisome, or perhaps an off-season of rest is the easy explanation for his early-going rust. Maybe he’ll be back in form in no time, as early as Wednesday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons.

[4] Don’t get it wrong: It’s not all Calderon’s fault. Defence, at the NBA level, is a team scheme. But there are degrees of getting beat.

“It’s tough for anybody to do something perfect all the time,” said Jarrett Jack, the Raptors’ backup point guard. “You might not get beat to where they lay it in the basket. You might just get beat to where the guy gets past you for a dribble until somebody can step up and we force them to swing it to the weak side.”

Calderon, to this eye, has been getting beat for lay-ins too often, although he says his defence has been “better than (his) offence” this season, which gives you an idea of what he thinks about his shooting stroke.

So what are the Raptors to do? Junking it up might be an option. Jack Armstrong, the high-energy broadcaster, was on the radio show he co-hosts with Eric Smith on The Fan 590 on Monday making an argument for Toronto’s occasional playing of multi-look zone defence. If you’ve got a glaring weakness, it makes some sense to be at least a little bit deceptive about where it is. But don’t expect changes. The Raptors coaching staff, particularly Jay Triano and lead assistant Marc Iavaroni, has invested a lot of time and effort into developing its current system.

“I don’t want to abandon what we’re doing,” said Triano. “In years past we’ve had a defensive philosophy and we’d go, `Oh, this is hurting us. Let’s abandon it and do something different.’ We’re not going to do that.”

[5] The truth is Calderon’s best defence is balancing out the ledger with his shooting stroke and minimal turnover rate. [6] But if his play doesn’t improve Triano might be forced to make a change. It’s just an idea, but Jack, as poorly as he has played adjusting to his role in Toronto, might eventually make more sense as a starting point guard. Jack is more defensively minded, physically stronger, a little bit quicker. And Hedo Turkoglu is just as capable at running the top-of-the-key pick and roll with Chris Bosh or Andrea Bargnani.

——————————————–

1. Teams that win big in the NBA habitually rank at the head of the class when it comes to 5 specific aspects of the game:

* Points Allowed per game

* Defensive FG%

* Points Scored Differential [For minus Against]

* Rebounding Differential

* Pick and Roll/Pop Defensive Efficiency

The truth of the matter is that the NBA game is predicated to large extent upon how well an individual team is able to stop its opponents from scoring the ball during crucial segments of a specific contest … given the fact that it is RELATIVELY EASY for each and every team in the league to score the ball with a fair degree of regularity – i.e. in general, scores range from 80-120 points per game – since the rules of play actually legislate a distinct advantage to the offensive players [e.g. an offensive player who is fouled in the act of attempting to score a field goal is awarded with the immediate opportunity to shoot two free throws; while a defensive player who is fouled in the act of attempting to stop a field goal from being scored is not duely rewarded with a similar opportunity to score immediately from the free throw line].

2. Every On-ball Defender, Picker’s Defender, Designated Help Defender, and Designated Help-the-Helper Defender must be held accountable for his performance in this specific aspect of the game … not just Jose Calderon.

3. Given the actual size of the “Bigs” who are used to set these Picks, in the NBA game, effective Pick & Roll/Pop Defense does, in fact, NOT start with the Point Guard, himself.

4. In the NBA game, effective Pick and Roll/Pop Defense proceeds in the following order:

PART I. The specific technique which a coaching staff decides to use vs a specific action by the opponent’s offense and the highly specific parameters under which it is supposed to be applied by the players, e.g. Fight [which includes different types of Hedges and Recovers], Switch or Trap.

PART II. The specific response and technique used by the Picker’s Defender to initiate the proper Team Response.

PART III. The specific response and technique used by the Picker’s Defender to maintain control of the ball-handler.

PART IV. The specific response and technique used by the On-ball Defender to maintain control of the ball-handler.

PART V. The specific response and technique of the Desiginated Help Defender, to maintain control of the ball-handler.

PART VI. The specific response and technique of the Designated Help-the-Helper Defender, to maintain control of the other 3 offensive players not directly involved in the Pick and Roll/Pop action.

5. This is an absolutely correct observation about Jose Calderon’s individual game, as a very good PG, in the NBA, whose strength exists on Offense.

6. A starting 5-man unit which looks like this:

Jack + DeRozan + Turkoglu + Bosh + Bargnani

will NOT be substantially better at preventing dribble penetration when a Pick is set by an opponent’s Big on a perimeter ball-handler … since it does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to effectively address PART I, PART II, PART III, PART V and PART VI of a team’s Pick and Roll/Pop Defense, as outlined above.

In general, opposition ball-handlers have not been able to dribble penetrate relentlessly against the Raptors so far this season with the benefit of a Pick from a Big because …

* Jose Calderon is not “defensive minded” enough; or,

* Jose Calderon is not “physically strong” enough; or,

* Jose Calderon is not “physically quick” enough …

to get the job done, in comparison with Jarret Jack.

They’ve been able to do just that because the various Raptors assigned with the individual responsibility of executing PART I, PART II, PART III, PART V and PART VI, respectively, versus any specific “Big Pick-on-Little” action, have been unable to do their jobs properly on a consistent basis.

——————————

Those who actually understand how the “Big Pick-on-Little” action really works, in the NBA game, from a defensive perspective, can ascertain fairly quickly which specific player[s] on the Raptors’ squad this season have been consistently deficient in terms of executing their individual responsibilities within the team’s various defensive schemes.

The cold, harsh reality is that … the biggest culprets overall happen NOT to be named Jose Calderon.

Although this story first appeared last weekend, it deserves a special place [and a page of its own] in the “Site Map” of this blog.

The Leafs Abomination
“Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has massive resources, which is a good thing. I’ve seen a real lack of foresight in the use of those resources to really gain a competitive advantage. Personnel, scouting procedures, processes, development, all those things,” Button says. “I couldn’t fathom how pennywise and pound-foolish they were. I mean, if development and recruiting are going to be key parts of your operation – and they need to be – well, I’ll tell you what, you blanket the earth. You use your resources. If you can’t spend some of your resources on player acquisition (because of the salary cap), you spend it on developing players. You make sure you’re as sharp as anything. In my time there, I thought that was severely lacking.”

———————————–

Kudos galore to Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange, two of the best journalists who happen to patrol a sports beat in the Greater Toronto Area.

Mandatory reading for Maple Leafs and Raptors and TFC fans everywhere!

Related:

Winning Isn’t Everything

You’ve come a long way, son … back from the brink of the abyss.

———-

LAKERS WIN SERIES 4-1
Sweet 15 for the Lakers

Bryant casts off Shaq-les of past, scores 30 points to lead L.A. to another NBA championship

Jun 15, 2009

Kobe Bryant won his first NBA title without the assistance of Shaquille O’Neal, his former partner in locker-room bickering. And Phil Jackson, the L.A. coach, finally broke his tie with the late Red Auebach to stand alone as the first coach to win 10 NBA championships.

“It’s been a long time since he had a champagne bath,” Bryant said of Jackson. “He took his glasses off, threw his head back and soaked it all in, because this is a special time. For us to be the team that got him that historic 10th championship is special for us.”

For Bryant, who led the Lakers with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocked shots last night and earned his first nod as most valuable player of the final, it was the culmination of a circuitous journey. A linchpin of the Lakers team that won three straight championships to open this decade – three straight championships in which O’Neal was named MVP of the final – the intervening seven years weren’t always kind. Bryant was labeled “uncoachable” by Jackson in a 2004 memoir.

He was complicit in the feud with O’Neal that led to O’Neal’s shipment to a championship team in Miami. And maybe until last night, he carried on his back what he called “a big old monkey” – specifically the notion that he couldn’t win without the Big Aristotle.

“I just don’t have to hear that criticism, that idiotic criticism anymore,” said Bryant. “It was annoying. It was like Chinese water torture … From the standpoint of responding to the challenge, from people saying I couldn’t do it without (O’Neal), that feels good, because you prove people wrong.”

Jackson, who won six championships with the Michael Jordan-led Bulls and coached the Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers until 2004 before taking a season-long hiatus from the game, said last night that when he returned to the bench in 2005, he didn’t expect the team to win a championship this soon. But the Lakers improved quickly, especially with last season’s addition of Spanish 7-footer Pau Gasol. And after losing the final in six games to a veteran Celtics club one year ago, the Lakers won 65 regular-season games en route to the title.

“We’re going to go crazy a little bit, and we’re looking forward to that,” said Gasol, who had 14 points and 15 rebounds last night. “But it’s just been so much work that we put into this to make this happen today, and we love each other. We’re a great group, a great team, and this is amazing.”

Added Lamar Odom, a product of the O’Neal deal who supplied 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in the decisive victory: “I’ve known what I wanted to do since I was 10-years-old, 9-years-old, and to finally get here and accomplish it is a dream come true … We set a goal early in the training camp and that was to win the NBA championship. Every time we came in as a group, we left that group by saying, ‘One, two, three, ring.’ We set a goal and we attained it.”

The Magic, who had a marvelous run en route to upsetting LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern championship, were no pushovers. They could have won Game 2 and Game 4 with shots at the regulation buzzer (they ended up losing both games in overtime). But last night, perhaps glimpsing the historic truth that none of the 29 previous teams that had faced a 3-1 deficit in the NBA final had rebounded to win it, they looked spent.

“They made a run, and instead of being the team that played like we did all season, we kind of started to hold our heads down,” said Howard, “and they went on from there … They played like a team that was hungry for a championship. Tonight we didn’t have the same effort and same fight that we had during the whole playoffs, and they did.”

Howard, the towering centre who came within a blocked shot of a triple-double in Game 4, didn’t approach that level of domination in the decider, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. While the Magic led by as many as nine points in the early going, the Lakers jumped out to a 56-46 halftime lead and weren’t really challenged after that.

Bryant, once frequently derided for his wont to win games as a solo artist, saw four teammates score in double figures last night, when Jackson, in the booze-soaked afterglow, recalled a long-ago game in Toronto when Bryant engaged in a one-on-one battle with Vince Carter. Bryant won the t ête-a-t ête, scoring 40 points to Carter’s 31 in a Laker victory. But as Jackson pointed out, Bryant’s dramatics took the Lakers “out of their team play.”

Recalled Jackson: “I talked to him a bit about leadership and the quality and his ability to be a leader, and (Bryant) said, ‘I’m ready to be a captain right now.’ And I said, ‘But no one is ready to follow you.’ He was 22 at the time. He was a young guy.”

That surely wasn’t the case last night, when the Lakers ran off a 16-0 second-quarter run in which the 30-year-old Bryant, who scored just two points in the stretch, was, in Jackson’s words, “the thrust that created shots for (other) guys.” Not that he has softened.

As Gasol said last night, thinking back to Bryant’s role in the U.S. win over Spain for the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics: “Kobe doesn’t have any friends on the floor when he’s playing against somebody else. That’s just the way it is … It would be the same if it was his brother. He would still try to destroy him, really. He wants to win that bad.”

Still, when the buzzer sounded last night – after O’Neal had already chimed in via Twitter: “Congratulations Kobe, (you) deserve it” – Bryant joined his peers in a hooting, hopping group hug before finding Jackson for a long embrace.

Said the coach of his star: “He’s learned how to become a leader in a way in which people want to follow him … He’s become a giver rather than just a guy that’s a demanding leader, and that’s been great for him and great to watch.”

———-

Kudos to you, as well as those who’ve worked with you to make this transition … and, ultimately, growth in your character … possible.

According to these eyes …

The best player, on the best basketball team, in the world today, is none other than Kobe Bean Bryant … a joy to behold, playing this game.