khandor’s sports blog

Prior to the start of this year’s NBA Playoffs, yours truly characterized the Oklahoma City Thunder as a very good young team … without a legitimate shot at winning the League Championship this season.

Q. How come?

A. Scott Brooks still has a great deal to learn about coaching, and winning important games, in the NBA Playoffs.

Unfortunately, the outcome of last night’s contest, now serves as Exhibit A, in this regard.

Dallas Mavericks 112
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 105, OT
Complete Game Info
Dallas leads the series, 3-1

If you examine the:

1. Play-By-Play;

and, 

2. GameFlow Chart;

from last night, you should be able to see that Kendrick Perkins [C] was replaced by Serge Ibaka [PF] at the 3:41 mark of the 3rd quarter with the Thunder leading by 7 points [75-68] … and was never re-inserted by Scott Brooks for the remainder of the game, even though:

i. James Harden [OG-SF] fouled out at the 4:33 mark of the 4th quarter with OKC leading by 12 points, 99-87;   

and,

ii. K-Perk had led the Thunder to that point with a simple “NBA Plus/Minus” rating of +9.

Kevin Durant’s 9 Turnovers are not what lost last night’s game for OKC.

Russell Westbrook’s missed free throws and jump-shots late in the 4th quarter are not what lost last night’s game for OKC.

What lost last night’s game for OKC was:

I. Scott Brooks’ decision to play the tandem of Serge Ibaka [PF] and Nick Collison [PF-C], exclusively, from the 3:41 mark of the 3rd quarter, through the entire 4th quarter and, then, almost the entire 5-minute Overtime period;

II. While still emphasizing the Thunder’s:

A. Pick & Roll/Pop game with Russell Westbrook as their primary ball-handler;

and,

B. Perceived “Individual Match-up Advantage” with Westbrook [i.e. quicker] used relentlessly to attack Jason Kidd [i.e. slower] off the dribble;

in conjunction with,

III. Their team’s inability to get “stops” late in the 4th quarter and the Overtime; 

… without Kendrick Perkins on the floor.

Despite being heralded for the “brave” decision he made in the 4th quarter of Game 2, to keep several of his bench players in the game, coming down-the-stretch … in spite of their ever-shrinking lead … the simple fact is, Scott Brooks is still a long ways off from being classified properly as a Top Notch head coach in the NBA, when it comes to making in-game adjustments and implementing specific strategies, or tactics, at the correct time, which emphasize the right things and allow his players to succeed in a major way.

Hopefully last night’s disappointing outcome for OKC will serve as an invaluable [and extremely painful] learning experience for Coach Brooks and Misters Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Sefolosha, Harden, etc., when it comes to understanding properly the specific role that Kendrick Perkins needs to play on their team, going forward.

He is “The Defensive Anchor and The Rebounding Fulcrum” upon which their recent success is based, and he needs to be on the floor for their team at crunch time, if they are going to win big games against tough-minded opponents.

* Tyler Hansbrough makes his summer league debut. Those who think that Larry Bird made a mistake with the No. 13 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft are going to be in for a surprise this season.

* Colangelo works fast and hard to get Turkoglu. Hedo is many things but a player who “creates” shots working off the dribble he is not. Expect THAT from him, without the benefit of a pick and you’ll be in for disappointment Raptors fans.

* What’s next? As the old adage goes: “Some of the best deals a team ever makes are the ones it doesn’t make, in the first place.” Solace for Blazers fans in the aftermath of winning losing the Hedo Turkoglu Sweepstakes.

* Buyer Beware! Things are not always as they first appear to be, when it comes to advantageous signings during the NBA’s free agency period.  

* Nick Collison says Thunder is ready for the next step. Sleep on Oklahoma City this coming season at your own peril.

There are some in Raptorville who take as sacrilege any and all discussion of a possible trade which involves Andrea Bargnani [7-0, 250, C, 4th-yr], the 2006 No. 1 [Overall] Draft Pick.

The main reasons for this are:

1. If Chris Bosh leaves the Raptors, via trade or Free Agency, who will be the team’s Franchise Player? Andrea Bargnani is seen as the best candidate to fulfil that specific role.

2. Andrea Bargnani has the “potential” to be a multi-dimensional “superstar” player in the NBA, once he finally gets his act together. Giving up on him, at this point of his career, would be “premature” and a serious mistake in judgment.

3. Andrea Bargnani … as a former No. 1 [Overall] Draft Pick, who has under-achieved to this point … is incapable of bearing the kind of fruit, on the open market, that can help transform the Raptors into a legitimate contending team … because no other GM would be stupid enough to acquire him in exchange for something of real worth/value to the Raptors.

Well … guess what?

Yours truly doesn’t buy this type of thinking for a minute.

* Knowing who the Raptors’ FOUNDATION player is [Jun 04, 2009]

* Five off-season moves for the Raptors which would have helped to address their Treadmill status [May 29, 2009]

Here is but one example of a straight-forward transaction which involves Andrea Bargnani, as a commodity worth trading for the Toronto Raptors:

Andrea Bargnani in exchange for Jeff Green + Kyle Weaver

Possible Considerations

I. If you’re Sam Presti, would you think seriously about acquiring a player with Bargnani’s developing skill set?

PG - Russell Westbrook
OG – Thabo Sefolosha
SF – Kevin Durant Durant
PF – Nick Collison
C – Andrea Bargnani

… to go with these 4 players on your current roster.

Hmmm …

II. If you’re Bryan Colangelo … once you’ve fully recovered from your self-induced mild heart attack,  … might you, too, be intrigued by the prospect of a line-up which could look like this:

STARTERS
#1. PG – Jose Calderon
#2. OG – Kyle Weaver
#3. SF – Mystery Player #1 [via Shawn Marion trade]
#4. PF – Jeff Green
#5. C – Chris Bosh [or whoever replaces him at $15.0 M/yr]

BENCH
#6. PG - Marcus Banks
#7. PG – Roko Ukic
#8. PG/OG – Anthony Parker [re-signed]
#9. 2009 1st Round Draft Pick [via trading down]
#10. 2009 1st Round Draft Pick [bought for $3.0 M from Miami]
#11. SF – Joey Graham [re-signed]
#12. 2009 2nd Round Draft Pick [via trading down]
#13. PF – Kris Humphries
#14. PF – Reggie Evans [via Jason Kapono trade, Amen!]
#15. Mystery Player #2 [via Shawn Marion trade]

Whether or not the Raptors can bounce back this coming season to qualify for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs and then re-sign Chris Bosh next summer [i.e. during his period of unrestricted Free Agency], a proposed trade like this one … made in conjunction with a co-ordinated series of personnel moves, designed to improve the team’s Quality Depth and increase their actual number of youngish, athletic assets … is a viable option for Toronto to consider, moving forward.

An upwardly mobile team … like THAT … is what the Raptors should be trying to build.

[use the comments section to supply your thoughts]

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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.

Raptors fans …

So you’re scared and you’re thinking
That maybe we ain’t that young anymore
Show a little faith there’s magic in the night
You ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright
Oh and that’s alright with me …

Going into tonight’s game, which of these two player rosters would you prefer, if you were a working GM in the NBA?

Oklahoma Thunder Active Roster
No.	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt	DOB	Exp	College
4	Collison, Nick	FC	6-9	255	10/26/80	5	Kansas
35	Durant, Kevin	GF	6-9	215	9/29/88	1	Texas
22	Green, Jeff	F	6-9	235	8/8/86	1	Georgetown
51	Hill, Steven	FC	7-0	245	11/14/85	R	Arkansas
34	Mason, Desmond	GF	6-5	222	10/11/77	8	Oklahoma State
27	Petro, Johan	C	7-0	247	1/27/86	3	None
18	Sene, Mouhamed	C	6-11	230	5/12/86	2	None
7	Smith, Joe	PF	6-10	225	7/26/75	13	Maryland
31	Swift, Robert	C	7-1	270	12/3/85	4	None
25	Watson, Earl	PG	6-1	185	6/12/79	7	UCLA
5	Weaver, Kyle	G	6-6	201	2/18/86	R	Washington State
0	Westbrook, Russell	PG	6-3	190	11/12/88	R	UCLA
3	White, D.J.	PF	6-9	251	8/31/86	R	Indiana
54	Wilcox, Chris	FC	6-10	235	9/3/82	6	Maryland
21	Wilkins, Damien	GF	6-6	225	1/11/80	4	Georgia

  – Player injured

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One is $12.7 million over the Salary Cap; the other is $1.1 million under the Cap.

One has an average age of 24.7; the other an average age of 26.6.

One has 2 No. 1 [overall] NBA Draft Picks on it; the other has 1.

Both are led by first-time, interim head coaches.

Objectively speaking, when you’re hard-pressed to distinguish between the authentic talent levels of two teams in the NBA with respective W-L records as far apart as these … i.e. Toronto is 10-15, .400; Oklahoma is 2-24, .077 … it does not portend well for the squad with the higher win percentage, if it’s also playing away from home.

As the first game in a 6-stop Western road trip, this is now a crucial get for the Raptors. 

* Win tonight … and the up-coming match-ups against the Clippers, Kings and the Warriors will not look nearly so daunting.

* Lose tonight … and the Dinos will be staring straight into the abyss of a calamitous 10-game losing streak:

Sun Dec 14 vs New Orleans/15-7, .682 - LOSS
Mon Dec 15 vs New Jersey/12-12, .500 - LOSS
Wed Dec 17 vs Dallas/14-10, .583 - LOSS
Fr Dec 19 at Oklahoma City/2-24, 0.77 - ?
Sat Dec 20 at San Antonio/15-10, .600 – ? [L]
Mon Dec 22 at LA Clippers/7-18, .280 - ?
Fri Dec 26 at Sacramento/7-19, .269 - ?
Sat Dec 27 at Portland/17-10, .630 - ? [L]
Mon Dec 29 at Golden State/7-19, .269 - ?
Wed Dec 31 vs Denver/17-8, .680 - ? [L]

from which they might not be able recover this season.

On the road, in the NBA, is where a team – especially one that’s struggling – finds out exactly what it’s made of … and, whether it should either:

A. Sit tight, [and] take hold

or

B. Trade in these wings on some wheels.

Key early season games for the Raptors
Key early season games for the Raptors: Part II

Come Jan 01 2009, the Raptors will have their answer.

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“The door’s open but the ride it ain’t free.”
- Thunder Road [Bruce Springstein]