khandor’s sports blog

FINAL SCORE: TOR 101, Uta 109
Complete Game Info

These are the different 5-Man Units which the Jazz and Raptors chose to play in the 4th quarter of yesterday’s game:

This is how the Minutes Played [MP], at specific positions, broke down for each player:

Utah

Brevin Knight/PG, 01:43
Jarron Collins/C, 02:20
Matt Harpring/PF, 02:20
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Deron Williams/PG, 10:17
Kyle Korver/OG, 12:00
Andrei Kirilenko/SF, 12:00
Paul Millsap/PF, 09:40
Mehmet Okur/C, 09:40

Toronto

Jose Calderon/PG, 09:29
Anthony Parker/PG, 02:31
Anthony Parker/OG, 05:46
Jason Kapono/OG, 07:14
Joey Graham/SF, 07:37
Shawn Marion/PF, 03:39
Shawn Marion/SF, 03:23
Chris Bosh/C, 03:39
Chris Bosh/PF, 08:21 
Andrea Bargnani/C, 08:21

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Key Utah Possession Outcomes during the final 01:35 of the 4th Q

01:35 Deron Williams Made 22-ft Jumpshot [P & R/P isolation vs Switch by Bargnani/checking MIllsap] 

01:00 Deron Williams Maked 1 FT [fouled by Bargnani, P & R/P isolation vs Switch by Bargnani/checking Kirilenko]

00:31 Mehmet Okur Made Layup [P & R isolation vs Switch by Bosh/checking Okur and Bargnani failed to Rotate-to-Help Calderon vs Okur]

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If the Raptors would have used a combination of the following 6 players, instead:

Calderon/PG
Parker/OG or PG [solid Rebounder/Defender at the PG spot]
Graham/OG or SF [solid Rebounder/Defender at the OG or SF spot]
Marion/PF or SF [solid Rebounder/Defender at the PF or the SF spot]
Mensah-Bonsu/PF [solid Rebounder/Defender at the PF spot]
Bosh/C [solid Rebounder/Defender at the C spot]

during the final 06:00 minutes, the outcome would have been different for the home team.

As long as the Raptors continue to assemble a roster of players like this and then use them in the way they are right now … which is how they’ve operated for much of this disappointing season to-date … they will continue to come up short on a consistent basis against the High End Teams in this league.

Despite what others might think … the Raptors are NOT repeatedly losing games this season on account of how Jose Calderon and/or Chris Bosh are performing at the Point Guard spot and the Center position, respectively.

They are losing games on account of what’s happening on the floor when:

1. Chris Bosh is NOT at the Center position;

2. Jose Calderon, or Anthony Parker, is NOT at the Point Guard position; and,

3. Jason Kapono is NOT sitting on the bench … beside Andrea Bargnani [with Roko Ukic, Marcus Banks, Jake Voskuhl, Jermaine O'Neal, Will Solomon, Hassan Adams, and Nathan Jawai], from an effective Rebounding & Team Defense perspective.

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PS. FWIW, you can decide for yourself who you think SHOULD bare Most of The Responsibility for this … i.e. Sam Mitchell, Jay Triano or BRYAN COLANGELO.

FINAL SCORE: TORONTO 100, Miami 108
Complete Game Info

Despite what certain Raptors fans might want choose to believe, the reason Toronto lost last night’s game was not due to the less-than-stellar play of Jose Calderon [or the inability of Chris Bosh to perform as a Franchise Player should, i.e. making a series of clutch plays coming down the stretch of a close game].

As has been detailed in this space plenty of times before … Rebounding and Defense – specifically, FROM THE 3 OTHER PLAYERS ON THE COURT BESIDE BOSH & CALDERON – are the Raptors major short-comings, on a consistent basis … not the sometimes erratic Offensive production levels of their two most important players [i.e. Bosh & Calderon].

Until this team commits to:

* Playing at least 2 more Solid Rebounder/Defenders in a 5-Man Unit with Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon

and

* Playing at least 3 Solid Rebounder/Defenders together, in a 5-Man Unit anytime Jose Calderon is off the floor

… it is not going to be able to sustain a consistent effort for 48 minutes against a High End team in this league.

When Eric Spoelstra called Time-out at the 09:40 mark of the 4th quarter and substituted Dwyane Wade [42 Pts; 74.0 FG%; including 3 Treys and only 5 FTs] and Mario Chalmers back into the game … Jay Triano HAD to respond accordingly and re-insert some combination of:

A. Shawn Marion
B. Chris Bosh
C. Anthony Parker
D. Shawn Marion & Chris Bosh
E. Shawn Marion & Anthony Parker
F. Chris Bosh & Anthony Parker
G. Shawn Marion, Chris Bosh & Anthony Parker

to ensure that the Raptors had enough [i.e. at least 3] Rebounder/Defenders on the floor, at that crucial juncture of the game, to cope effectively with a DYNAMIC player like Dwyane Wade.

Instead of doing this, however … when Jay Triano left Jose Calderon, Jason Kapono and Andrea Bargnani on together [none of whom should be classified as a Solid Rebounder] with Joey Graham and Pops Mensah-Bonsu [who are both solid Rebounders], it was The Beginning of the End for the Raptors last night, as the Heat pumped its lead back up to 10 points.

Then, when Coach Spoelstra substituted Udonis Haslem back into the game, at the 07:09 mark, and Coach Triano responded, by replacing Joey Graham and Jason Kapono with Chris Bosh and Anthony Parker, leaving the Raptors with only 2 Solid Rebounders on the floor again, it was Time To Turn Out The Lights … as the Heat then increased its lead to 15 points, from which the Dinos were never able to fully recover, thereafter, even though they did eventually go to a solid 5-Man Unit which included 3 Solid Rebounder/Defenders [at their respective positions] at the 06:05 mark [i.e. PG/A-Parker, SF/Marion, and PF/Bosh].

It’s highly questionable personnel decisions like these, made by the Raptors’ President/General Manager and/or their Head Coach that consistently put this squad squarely behind the 8-ball, and eventually leads to the unhappiness/frustration of their best players [e.g. Wince Carter, Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon].  

Tonight’s Raptors vs Heat match-up marks the occasion of Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon’s first return to Toronto, since the deadline deal last month. While some [many?] NBA analysts chose to focus on the contribution’s principals like JO & Shawn Marion could possibly make to their new teams, according to these eyes, neither of these two players were IN FACT the key component to this specific transaction for either team.

The KEY COMPONENT in this specific trade was Jamario Moon.

The FACTS IS … this trade never happens AT ALL, if Jamario Moon is NOT included in the package, from the Heat’s point of view.

Is Jamario Moon some sort of All-Star player with a high degree of significance to his individual game?

Not by a long shot.

However …

If you look at Moon’s individual Game Log this season you should be able to see for yourself just how well he’s played from a purely “Game Stat” perspective, and will note:

a. How well Miami has played in their games where they’ve given Jamario more than 04:59 of PT [i.e. 4-3/.571, which is actually an improvement on their overall W-L rec'd];

b. That the losses to Atlanta and Orlando have been on the road; and,

c. That their loss to Cleveland is recognized as an anomolous occurence in the NBA where a good team [32-28/.533] coughs up a gargantuan lead at home [i.e. ahead by 15 pts or so with under 5 minutes to play, I think] by failing to make a single shot in those last 5 minutes, despite playing well enough to win for the first 43.

The FACT IS … Jamario Moon is a highly serviceable [and, as a result, extremely valuable] NBA player who is versatile enough to play four [4] positions, in an adequate way, and is an exceptionally cost-effective investment for his team.

[i.e. the exact kind of multi-dimensional Wing Player who is NEEDED by the Raptors RIGHT NOW, to go with a #4/PF like Shawn Marion; and, a very useful running mate for a dynamo like Miami's Dwyane Wade]

Whether most Raptors fans acknowledge THIS or not is irrelevant.

Those who do not are simply WRONG.

FINAL SCORE: Raptors 97, KNICKS 127
Complete Game Info

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Upgrading Jamario Moon [#3/2/4] with Shawn Marion [#4/3] while, simultaneously, down-grading Jermaine O’Neal [#4/5] with Marcus Banks [#1], was never going to solve the Raptors’ problems this season … given their cost-effectiveness, as NBA players, and the respective positions at which they can succeed in this league.

That said …

The talent disparity between these two rosters:

is nowhere near where it needs to be in order to warrant the 30-point shellacking administered by the home team last night.

The Raptors now have a limited number of solid Rebounders [√] on their team. Using 5-Man units with only 1 or 2 of these players in combination with one another for a period of 45:19 in a 48:00 game … rather than using 3 of them together [which the Raptors did yesterday for just 2:41] … means that this team is going to struggle:

[i] Keeping its opponent off the boards; and,

[ii] Generating easy Fast Break Points.

As long as the Raptors continue to construct this type of roster [overall] … which is capable of being outscored by 36 points from beyond the arc, in a game like last night’s … and use their existing players in this way, it will be difficult for them to win another game this season against a High End team.

Coming out of the annual All-Star Break and heading toward this week’s Trade Deadline  [Feb 19, 3:00 PM] … as different trade rumours swirl about the NBA [on-line & elsewhere] … it can be instructive to assess where certain marquee players rank amongst their brethren, at the specific position[s] they play the best.

When considering Big Men [i.e. Centers/C and Power Forwards/PF], it is also imperative to understand what their fundamental role is within the NBA game and what qualities are the most important for them to exhibit on a consistent basis, if their respective team’s are going to have a legitimate chance to win a League Championship, now or in the not-too-distant future.

Big Man Ranking Criteria

* Leadership
* Rebounding [which includes: i. Defensive; ii. Offense]
* Team Defense [which includes: i. Interior Rotations; ii. Perimeter Rotations; iii. Execution of Pick & Roll Techniques; iv. Transition Effectiveness; v. Shot blocking off the ball; Switching off the ball]
* Low-Mid Post Scoring
* Passing Effectiveness
* Individual Low-Mid Post Defense [which includes Shot blocking on the ball]
* Individual Perimeter Defense
* Screening Effectiveness
* Picking Effectiveness
* Perimeter Scoring
* Offensive Transition
* Physical Traits: i. Quickness; ii. Agility; iii. Explosive Power; iv. Size & Strength
* Psycho-Emotional Traits: i. Stability; ii. Intelligence; iii. Intensity; iv. Toughness 

These are the current rankings, according to this corner:

Use the “comments” section to provide your feedback.

There are many different ways to assess the performance of a player or a team, in general, in a basketball game.

One of the simpliest is this:

1. Use a traditional Box Score.

2. Count Rebounds [Reb], Assists [Ast], Steals [Stl], Blocked Shots [BS] and Points Scored [Pts] as “Positives”.

3. Count Missed FGAs [FGA-FGM], Missed FTAs [FTA-FTM], Turnovers [TO] and Personal Fouls [PF] as “Negatives”.

4. Do NOT weight any of the individual statistical categories in an unique way.

5. Add the “Positives” and the “Negatives” together for that specific game.

6. Refer to this “Composite” number as a form of “Simple Plus/Minus” [SPM] which reflects each player’s tangible contribution to that specific game, relative to one another.

7. Compare each player’s and each team’s SPM for this specific game.

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When you take a look at the Box Score for last night’s Raptors vs Grizzlies game, as an example, and examine it in this way, this is what you will find:

There were only 3 players for the Raptors whose raw performance numbers [i.e. SPM] indicate that they made a positive contribution overall to their team’s effort and at least held their own against their counterparts for the Grizzlies:

1. Jamario Moon [+17, MP/28]

2. Jose Calderon [+12, MP/36]

3. Joey Graham [+9, MP/26].

When different NBA Analysts state that there are certain players on the Raptors who are being used incorrectly, or are better basketball players than many casual NBA fans might realize, this is the type of basic statistical evaluation upon which these assessments are based.

Although rudimentary game stats like SPM do not always tell the whole truth about how a player or a team actually performed in a specific match-up, they can certainly be helpful in this regard and allow a casual fan to increase his/her understanding of both Effectiveness & Efficiency in a NBA game.

If you watched last night’s Raptors/Grizzlies contest, either live or on videotape delay … 

Were you able to tell at the time that Moon, Calderon and Graham were the 3 best players for Toronto?

… and that:

1. Andrea Bargnani [0, MP/31]

2. Jake Voskuhl [0, MP/2]

3. Roko Ukic [+1, MP/16]

4. Anthony Parker [+2, MP/40] 

5. Jason Kapono [+4, MP/30]
6. Jermaine O’Neal [+5, MP/32]

might have been their 6 worst?

If not … then maybe next time you will see a few things in a slightly different light.

FINAL SCORE: Raptors 92, Hornets 101
Game Info; Box Score; Full Play-By-Play; Video Highlights

When you only use 8 players, and your starting Center & Power Forward combine to make 10 Turnovers … 5 apiece, both with a negative AST:TO [3:5] … and their primary back-up off the bench also commits 2 Turnovers, for a total of 12 from these two positions; with the entire team committing just 16 [i.e. 12-16/75%] … there should not be any mystery, whatsoever, when a team is unable to play through its post players coming down the stretch of a close game, in the NBA, on the road.

When the Hornets are forced to play without Chris Paul [PG] and Tyson Chandler [C], and the Raptors still cannot close the deal, despite leading by 8 pts [83-75] at the 06:52 mark of the 4th quarter … and in spite of playing without Chris Bosh, themselves … by [i] losing the Turnover Battle, [ii] losing the Rebound Battle [34-36], yet again, and [iii] getting hammered from the 3PT Line, to the tune of 24 Pts [21-45] … it is a harbinger of troubled times ahead for the Dinos.

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To wit:

Failing and falling and finding blame
Action: Another late-game meltdown.

Reaction: When they have fallen completely apart, and it happens with shocking regularity, there’s always been a measure of, not calmness, but togetherness in the locker room.

But when does that fall completely apart like the team does? When do they start turning on each for the brain cramps that kill them night after night after night?

There were a few sideways glances and rolled eyes at times in the New Orleans game and a few in the locker room after.

Maybe Bargnani could pass the ball a wee bit more.

Maybe Jamario could not take silly jumpers.

Maybe Jose could feed O’Neal more and not try to get everyone else involved, or ask them to get the ball in the post.

I’m not saying they’re at each other’s throats but with each blown game, I get a sense an explosion is closer to reality. That might not be a bad thing, mind you, but the danger is that they really start getting on each other and it’s counter-productive. Some creative differences are good, a meltdown of any semblance of team chemistry is not.

This losing is getting to them, I can just tell by the terse answers, or lack of answers, we’re getting to innocuous questions. Nerves are frayed and this is a dangerous, dangerous time.

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There is now a solid chance that things will actually become even WORSE, in Raptorville, before they eventually end up getting BETTER.

RAPTORS SCHEDULE

Jan 30 vs Milwaukee L 85-96
Feb 01 vs Orlando L 90-113
Feb 03 at Cleveland L 83-101
Feb 04 vs LA Lakers L 107-115
Feb 06 at New Orleans L 92-101
Feb 07 at Memphis ?
Feb 10 at Minnesota ?
Feb 11 vs San Antonio ?
Feb 15 All-Star Game
Feb 18 vs Cleveland ?
Feb 19 Trade Deadline
Feb 20 at New York ?

Now that the Dinos have sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Division … below the former laughingstock, New York Knicks … and the Eastern Conference, in general, it is interesting to hear the rationale coming out of Raptorville.

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Exhibit A

Bryan Colangelo talks with the FAN590 Morning Show [Feb 05]

* Things started to go awry when Jorge Garbajosa was injured 2 seasons ago; he was a “glue player”

* Some of the adjustments made since then haven’t quite taken effect yet

* The coaching change made this year has had benefits for Joey Graham and Andrea Bargnani

* Injuries to O’Neal and Calderon have hurt the team so far this season

* This is a Jekyl & Hyde team

* For whatever reason the team hasn’t come together yet this year

* Consistent intensity throughout games has been lacking

* This team is better than its record has shown this season

* Using Anthony Parker as a viable Point Guard is a positive step

* Chris Bosh is not on the market and is a cornerstone player for this franchise

* The chemistry may not be perfect though/yet between Bosh & O’Neal

* I’m not ready to call the O’Neal acquisition a failure yet

* I’m not sure that Jay Triano [11-23] has done anything yet to lose this job

Exhibit B

Are Raptors now paying the price?
Such is the bond Calderon shares with his mates on Spain’s national Olympic team. And as heartwarming a bromance as it is, it’s conceivable it has cost the Raptors a full-strength point guard for the majority of this disappointing season.

Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo said yesterday that Calderon, who missed Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers with the sore right hamstring that has kept him out of 13 games this season, is expected to play tonight in New Orleans.

Chris Bosh, Toronto’s all-star forward who sprained his right knee Wednesday, will travel with the team but will not be in the lineup.

Perhaps both Calderon and Bosh would be healthy today if they hadn’t spent the summer chasing an Olympic gold medal in China.

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To which this corner simply says, Balderdash.

High End teams in the NBA do not make excuses like these.

High End teams in the NBA cope successfully with injuries each & every day.

High End teams in the NBA ensure that they have a deep roster AND several TOP NOTCH players who can share the load with one another.

High End teams in the NBA have a well-developed over-riding Action Plan, based on sound Basketball & Business principles with the goal of winning the League Championship, which creates a distinct identity for entire operation and provides a framework for their personnel decisions from year to year.

High End teams in the NBA do not function like the Toronto Raptors. 

Watching a game like this one, last night, lays bare many of the problems with the Raptors’ organization, in comparison with an outfit like the Lakers.

The next BIG game on the NBA schedule happens this evening, in Boston, between the Lakers and the Celtics … and the Showtime.v2.crew was clearly in a Resting/Conservation State for last night’s encounter with the Raptors.

FINAL SCORE: RAPTORS 107, Lakers 115
Game Info

Despite the fact that Misters Gasol, Bryant and Odom played 44, 37 and 33 minutes, respectively, in no way were the Lakers’ three best players in last night’s game pushed to give their maximum effort. In reality, the Lakers cruised through much of this game, i.e. just doing enough to get buy … despite the absence of Andrew Bynum and the fact they were trailing on the scoreboard until well into the 4th quarter … with 11 players seeing action altogether, 10 of them for at least 8 minutes, and 9 of those for a minimum of 13:52 [i.e. Josh Powell].

When the game needed to be won, however … in the final 4 minutes of the 4th quarter … Kobe & Co. simply put their collective foot on the gas, and accelerated away from the Raptors.

Whoever thought that the Raptors’ player roster heading into this season would be good enough to compete with a LEGITIMATE CONTENDER for the NBA Title, like the LA Lakers:

was simply looking at the situation with their Eyes Wide Shut, including the Raptors’ President/GM, Bryan Colangelo.

The stark reality is that this Raptors’ team has only Andrea Bargnani [No. 1/2006] and Nathan Jawai [No. 41/2008] to show from the last 3 NBA Drafts [i.e. 2008, 2007 & 2006], and precious few tangible assets that are coveted by other organizations across the League upon which it can realistically hope to build a solid franchise for years to come.

After fielding a competitive roster a year ago which looked like this:

Sam Mitchell, Alex English, Mike Evans, Jay Triano
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Ford-TJ, Parker-A, Delfino-C, Moon-J & Bosh-C
————————————————
Calderon-J, Kapono-J, Graham-J, Bargnani-A & Nesterovic-R
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Martin-D, Garbajosa-J, Baston-M, Humphries-K, Brezic-P,

12 months later … the Raptors currently have a 19-32/.373 W-L record, are in last place in the Atlantic Division, are in 14th place overall in the Eastern Conference [out of 15 teams], and have an Interim Head Coach, Jay Triano, who has actually been a member of their coaching staff since the days of Lenny Wilkens.

Due to the way in which MLSE chooses to operate its pro sports franchises – please see the Toronto Maple Leafs, as a prime example – there is absolutely ZERO ["0"] chance that Raptors’ President/GM [Mr. Colangelo] will be the one who takes full responsibility [and the fall] for this sorry situation.

The best that Raptors fans everywhere can hope for now …

* With Jose Calderon on the shelf yet again with his recurring hamstring injury

* With Chris Bosh on the shelf now with a sprained right knee

* With Kris Humphries on the shelf with a broken fibula

and,

* With an oft-injured $21 Million per year player like Jermaine O’Neal on the books, in the first place, until the summer of 2010

… is that he [Mr. Colangelo] doesn’t panic and, instead, makes a worthwhile transaction or two during this next off-season, in and around the 2009 NBA Draft and the UFA signing period.

The current season for the Raptors is now officially a Lost Cause.

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FWIW …

know, as well, that the Raptors did, in fact, lose the battle in almost every meaningful statistical category for last night’s game.

This is Michael Grange’s [From Deep] blog entry from January 8, 2009:

Bargnani’s time is now

Almost one full month later …

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If the following two trade options were presented to you:

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Trade Option #1 or Trade Option #2

In my book, it’s NOT EVEN CLOSE.

A TOP NOTCH General Manager, in the NBA, would go for Trade Option #2, then:

* Keep Anthony Roberson
* Buy out Stephon Marbury
* Trade Jason Kapono [for a serviceable Big, while Humphries is out, or a useful Wing player]
* Trade or release Will Solomon

AND go shopping this summer for the type of complementary players that the Raptors NEED to surround Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani, in order to resume their gradual climb up the Eastern Conference Standings next season and beyond, building on the Lottery Pick they are now in line for this year.