Both are solid on Off and Def. Although Jennings more explosive offensively, Jack is a veteran who should be able to use his savvy to keep the rook in check.
DeRozan, OG
=
Delfino, OG
DeRozan is more explosive on Off; although, Delfino is the better all-around player at this stage [i.e. vet vs rook].
Turkoglu, SF
ß
Mbah A Moute, SF
Turkoglu SHOULD be the better player. If he is not, the Raptors will be at a major disadvantage going with any other wing player in this spot.
Bosh, SF
ß
Ilyasova, PF
Bosh is the superior player. Period.
Bargnani, C
=
Bogut, C
Bargnani is much better on the perimeter. Bogut is solid in the post. Bargnani is a more explosive scorer; while Bogut is a superior Rebounder and Team Defender. Conflicting Styles make for a good fight.
KEY SUBS
Calderon, PG
ß
Ridnour, PG
El Matador SHOULD be the better player. If he is not, the Raptors will be at a major disadvantage and will probably lose this game.
Belinelli, OG
=
Bell, PG-OG
Belinelli’s better offense is cancelled out by Bell’s better defense and rebounding.
Wright, SF
=
Stackhouse, SF
Stack was once a vastly superior player to Wright; but, Stack has played very little over the last 2 years.
Johnson, PF
=
Warrick, PF
Johnson is the better defender/rebounder. Warrick is better offensively.
Nesterovic, C
=
Elson, PF-C
Nesterovic has more veteran savvy; but, Elson is a moderately effective, lively [i.e. relatively athletic], still-youngish player.
RESERVES
Banks, PG
=
Meeks, OG
Neither is going to have an impact on the outcome.
Weems, OG-SF
à
Thomas, PF-C
Weems is a better player than Wright but is not being used properly at-present. Thomas is a solid vet with a great deal of tenacity and savvy.
COACH
Jay Traino
à
Scott Skiles
Skiles is an experienced NBA head coach, who was a tough-minded, former NBA player; Triano is neither of these 2 things.
QIR/QR
#23/66
à
#19/55
TOR = 17th/PDR, 26th/PAR, 23rd/RDR; Mil = 18th/PDR, 15th/PAR; 22nd/RDR.
Home
Yes
ß
No
TORHome = 13-6; Mil Away = 5-16
EXPECTED RESULT TORONTO should win outright. Covering the final number [-7.5/-105], however, might not be a sure proposition.
Legend: QIR – Quality Index Ranking [No. 1-30]; QR – Quality Rating [PDR + PAR + RDR];PDR – Points Differential Ranking;PAR – Points Allowed Ranking; RDR – Rebounding Differential Ranking.
Enjoy! … what should prove to be a very entertaining and close game.
The word “benchmark” has the following definition:
bench·mark(bnchmärk)
n.
1. A standard by which something can be measured or judged: “Inflation . . . is a great distorter of seemingly fixed economic ideas and benchmarks”(Benjamin M. Friedman). See Synonyms at standard.
2. often bench mark A surveyor’s mark made on a stationary object of previously determined position and elevation and used as a reference point in tidal observations and surveys.
tr.v.bench·marked, bench·mark·ing, bench·marks
To measure (a rival’s product) according to specified standards in order to compare it with and improve one’s own product.
As was mentioned yesterday, last night’s contest between Toronto and Milwaukee should have been viewed by each team as a pivotal game, and an early season barometer for where their respective franchise stands in relation to the other middle-of-the-pack squads in the Eastern Conference.
By no means should the Bucks be viewed as an ideal, or even an up-and-coming, franchise in the NBA, at this point in time. Milwaukee has:
- a talented, young Starting-calibre PG
- a defensively stout young Starting-calibre SF-PF
- an all-around solid Starting-calibre C
who they can build around moving forward …
- a solid, experienced, head coach
who they can build with moving forward … and,
- a dead-weight former “franchise player”
who is no longer a major part of their team with a fairly hefty contract that is due to expire in just 2 years
- a slew of good-but-still-far-from-being-very-good back-up players on their roster
who they can use to fill in the gaps, while hoping to field a highly competitive team, on an annual basis …
and, then, prescious little more than that.
Yet, last night, playing their 3rd game in 4 nights, after losing 8 of their previous 9 games … they were still able to dismantle the Raptors on the strength of [a] Brandon Jennings first-half scoring exploits, [b] solid team defense, and [c] individual offensive contributions from a host of different back-up players [e.g. Ersan Ilyasova , 17 pts; Roko Ukic, 17 pts; Carlos Delfino, 14 pts; Luke Ridnour, 15 pts].
Raptors fans who thought that their team’s recent 3-game winning streak was an authentic indication of a “righted ship”, heading toward the upper-middle region of the conference standings, sometime soon, were simply being delusional, once again.
The road victory over Washington [7-12/.368, 10th/EC] was an overtime decision that could have gone either way at the end of regulation and at the final buzzer when Gilbert Arenas inexplicably missed an open lay-up.
The road victory over Chicago [7-13/.350, 11th/EC] was a relatively meaningless encounter against an opponent that is currently in free-fall … coping with [I] debilitating injuries to 2 key rotation players, both of whom are solid defender/rebounders, at their respective positions, and [II] the loss of their leading scorer from last season [i.e. Ben Gordon, who was not retained, as an UFA, this past summer].
The home victory over Minnesota [3-19/.136; 15th/WC] was secured in the final 90 seconds, when a 3PT shot from Antoine Wright [3FG% = 30.2] found the bottom of the net to push the Raptors’ precarious lead from 2 to 5 points.
On the other hand, last night’s game against the Bucks was a different beast entirely.
The Bucks were looking ahead at their next 3 opponents … i.e. vs the Blazers, vs the Lakers and @ the Cavaliers … and not liking what they saw, at all.
The Bucks are a solid middle-of-the-pack team this season:
[Ratings as of Mon Dec 05, 2009]
Match-up
PDR
PAR
RDR
QR
QIR
Raptors
20
29
17
66
23
WIZARDS
21
19
15
55
20
Match-up
PDR
PAR
RDR
QR
QIR
Raptors
20
29
17
66
23
BULLS
28
13
23
64
22
Match-up
PDR
PAR
RDR
QR
QIR
T-wolves
30
24
25
79
28
RAPTORS
20
29
17
66
23
Match-up
PDR
PAR
RDR
QR
QIR
Raptors
20
29
17
66
23
BUCKS
15
17
22
54
19
In last night’s game, key [revealing?] stats included:
STATS
Raptors
BUCKS
Points
95
117
FGA
68
80
TO
13
9
FTA
33
28
FTA * .44
15
12
Poss
96
101
TSV
181
209
Pts/TSV
0.525
0.560
Pts/Poss
0.990
1.158
Legend: FGA – Field Goal Attempts; TO – Turnovers; FTA – Free Throw Attempts; Poss – Possessions; TSV – Total Shot Value; Pts/TSV – Points per Total Shot Value; Pts/Poss – Points per Possession.
When an opponent converts 3.5% more of its Total Shot Value, creates 5 more Possessions and a Points per Possession differential of 0.168, it indicates that your team was out-classed in a number of different ways.
1/4 of the way through the regular season schedule, what should now be a legit concern for the Raptors organization, and its fanbase, is what you see when you look at the following two charts; appraising [i] where these two teams were last night:
RAPTORS, 9th
W-L, 10-14/.417
Current Streak, L1
Last
Night
Adv
BUCKS, 6th
W-L, 10-11/.476
Current Streak, W1
Starters
Jack
à
Jennings
DeRozan
0
Delfino
Turkoglu
0
Mbah A Moute
Nesterovic
à
Bogut
Bosh
ß
Ilyasova
Key Subs
Banks
à
Ridnour
Belinelli
0
Ukic
Wright
0
Meeks
Johnson
0
Warrick
Reserves
Weems
0
Bell
Mensah-Bonsu
à
Thomas
O’Bryant
à
Gadzuric
Extras/Out
Calderon-inj.
ß
Redd-inj.
Evans-inj.
ß
Alexander
Bargnani-inj.
ß
Elson
Head Coach
Jay Triano
à
Scott Skiles
General Manager
Bryan Colangelo
0
John Hammond
Owner
MLSE
0
Herb Kohl
+4
Total
+6
and, then, [ii] where it looks as though they might be headed in the immediate future:
RAPTORS, 9th
W-L, 10-14/.417
Current Streak, L1
Future
Adv
BUCKS, 6th
W-L, 10-11/.476
Current Streak, W1
Starters
Calderon
à
Jennings
DeRozan
ß
Delfino
Turkoglu
à
Mbah A Moute
Bosh [UFA, 2010]
ß
Ilyasova
Bargnani
0
Bogut
Key Subs
Jack
0
Ridnour
Belinelli
0
Redd [UFA, 2011]
Wright
à
Meeks
Johnson
0
Warrick
Reserves
Weems
0
Bell
Evans
à
Thomas
Nesterovic
à
Gadzuric
Extras/Out
Banks
à
Ukic
Mensah-Bonsu
0
Alexander
O’Bryant
à
Elson
Head Coach
Jay Triano
à
Scott Skiles
General Manager
Bryan Colangelo
0
John Hammond
Owner
MLSE
0
Herb Kohl
+2
Total
+8
When the 2009-2010 off-season arrives and Chris Bosh sits down to evaluate where his chances might be the best to effectively challenge for a future NBA championship, realistically, do you think that he is going to perceive the Toronto Raptors as the No. 1 place for him to accomplish this goal in the no-too-distant future?
A team which might even be considered as beneath the decidedly “average” Milwaukee Bucks on the authentic depth chart in the East this season?
The Raptors next 4 games are:
Fri Dec 11 vs Atlanta [QR = 30; QIR = 9]
Sun Dec 13 vs Houston [QR = 42; QIR = T-13]
Tue Dec 15 @ MIAMI [QR = 42; QIR = T-13]
Wed Dec 16 @ ORLANDO [QR = 17; QIR = 2]
Legend: QR – Quality Rating [PDR/Points Differential Rank + PAR/Points Allowed Rank + RDR/Rebounding Differential Rank]; QIR – Quality Index Ranking [#1-30]; as of Sun Dec 06.
When assessing the relative strength of these 4 opponents, it’s imperative that the Raptors [10-14] get their act together quickly, substantially improve their Team Defense, and win their up-coming 2 home games … or, face the very real possibility of amassing another extended losing streak [i.e. a 5-gamer this time] and an inauspicious W-L Record [10-18?].
What Toronto has done so far this season is no way to go about convincing Chris Bosh that he should actually re-sign with the Raptors, as one of the premier unrestricted free agents in 2010.
To paraphrase something once said by Yogi Berra, noted philosopher :
When you look at the San Antonio Spurs, what you see is a blue-print for success in the NBA. To wit:
CENTER – Tim Duncan … is actually under-sized for the position he plays best. [hint, hint, Raptors fans : ) ] Outstanding character. Unselfish. A Leader. Knows how to play WITH his teammates. Is a very good rebounder. Smart, funny, likeable. Can face-up and score, if necessary; can score on the block, if necessary. His focus, however, is Rebounding and Team [not individual] Defense.
POWER FORWARD – inter-changeable parts, provided that he can hold his own on the boards, defend bigger than his size, stick open shots, and is smart & tough … see David Robinson, Malik Rose, Rasho Nesterovic, Nazr Mohammed, Robert Horry, Francisco Elson, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas
WING 1 – a multi-dimensional player who can score or slash or defend or rebound but is not necessarily a Superstar player … see Ginobili!!!!, Mario Elie and Sean Elliot
WING 2 – similar to Wing 1 but with a complimentary [rather than redundant] skill set; far from being a Superstar … see Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley and Jaren Jackson
POINT GUARD – solid size, good quicks; not a superstar but a player who knows and understands his role with the team, as an extension of Pop on the floor … see Avery Johnson & Tony Parker
HEAD COACH – tough-minded and experienced with a clear Vision of How the Game Should Be Played, plus the knowledge, will and cmmunication skills to make it happen
GENERAL MANAGER – knowledgeable and humble enough to stay out of the spot-light, putting the players and the coach on center stage; WINNING is what he’s about
Dislike them if you wish … but R.E.S.P.E.C.T. them you MUST, given what they have accomplished to-date without a DYNAMIC Superstar on their roster, in a market [$$$$$$] that is not New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, etc.
———————
NOTE: There should be no acceptable excuses for an outfit like the Toronto Raptors.
nch
märk
)
:
