khandor’s sports blog

Some people in this world simply cannot win-for-losing.

To wit:

Exhibit A

Please read the following “open letter” to the Raptors fanbase …

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A Letter From Bryan Colangelo

We believe we have the best fans in the NBA and we believe in the city and country that we play in. Your passion, pride and support has been tremendous no matter what the circumstances, and we cannot thank you enough for that. We all share a commitment to winning both on and off the floor and MLSE/Toronto Raptors ownership and management will do whatever it takes to WIN while also making the community a better place. Our franchise will evolve and emerge stronger than before, and I assure you that our combined efforts will produce the WINNER you are hoping for.

Bryan Colangelo
bc sig
President and General Manager
Toronto Raptors Basketball Club

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and search carefully for a reference to the …

Winning of a NBA Championship? 

[Hint: The specific words you are looking for are "NBA Championship".]

Incredulously …

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. [MLSE], and its President/General Manager for the Toronto Raptors, Bryan Colangelo, STILL DON”T SEEM TO REALLY GET THE MESSAGE.

It is simply not “good enough” to try to put a “winning” product on the floor in this league year-after-year.

What is actually REQUIRED, at least, from a 1st-class organization, to be able to get and, then, retain enough of the best players in the world is to:

First. State publicly that it is your intention to try your VERY BEST to build a championship-winning organization;

and, then,

Second. Through a whole series of actions which you take, begin to MAKE THAT INTENTION COME TO LIFE gradually, over a number of years, within the framework of a comprehensive Plan Of Attack.

The fact is …

Empty promises are worth less than the pen and paper which they are written with … usually in invisible ink.

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PS. Whatever people are advising Bryan Colangelo to write this sort of nonsense should be removed immediately from his inner circle.

PPS. Fans who fall for this type of blatant propoganda/kool-aide distribution, each and every off season, deserve exactly what they get from this carpet-bagging ownership group over the long haul.

According to yesterday’s edition of Raptors Republic …

Top 10 Bryan Colangelo mistakes

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1. Re-signed Sam Mitchell after he won the Coach of the Year award. Mitchell was the wrong the coach for the Euroraptors and once the scouting reports on Bargnani, Calderon and Ford got out, it showed the following year.
2. Did not move up in the 2008 draft and missed picking Chris Douglas-Roberts by one pick and did not select Bill Walker when athleticism at the wings was a dire need. Instead selected Nathan Jawai who produced nothing.
3. Failed to make moves at the trade deadline in 2007-08 and 2009-10 which would’ve bolstered the Raptors down the stretch. Rebounding and wing-defense was a concern in 2007-08 and it went unaddressed as the Raptors got trounced by the Magic. In 2009-10, the Raptors missed the playoffs by one game.
4. Trading away the 17th pick in the 2008 draft as part of the Jermaine O’Neal deal when young athleticism at the wing was a desperate need.
5. Picking up the $2.38M option on an unproven Marco Belinelli amidst indications that the salary cap would decrease significantly.
6. Signed Will Solomon and Roko Ukic to handle backup duties to Jose Calderon in the summer of 2008. Not having insurance at PG cost the Raptors dearly once Calderon got hurt and found out defensively as a starter.
7. Signing Jason Kapono to the full mid-level exception in the summer of 2007 when the Nets playoff loss had indicated perimeter defense to be our biggest weakness.
8. Instead of having a long-term plan, traded Jermaine O’Neal to the Miami Heat. O’Neal’s contract would have come off the cap this year; Hedo Turkoglu would never have been signed and we wouldn’t have Marcus Banks. Combine this with not extending Bargnani and Belinelli, and the Raptors would have been close to $35M under the cap and able to extend two max-offers, much like Miami this summer.
9. Extending Andrea Bargnani for $50M/5yrs when there was no indication that anybody else would offer a contract remotely as lucrative. This, in a summer where that money could’ve been used to woo other high profile free-agents like Joe Johnson.

…and the #1 mistake Bryan Colangelo has made…drum roll….

1. Signed Hedo Turkoglu to a $53M/$5yr contract. Turkoglu never got a proper chance to handle the offense as the redundancy factor with Calderon was too great. The Turk was out-of-shape and having poor defenders at 4 out of 5 starting positions made the Raptors the worst defensive team in the league.

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Q1. What’s the take from this corner?

A1. Interestingly enough …

The 2 most important items of wrong-doing, since the Raptors’ GM was first hired [i.e. February 28, 2006], have both been omitted from this list.

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MAJOR MISTAKE #1
Selecting Andrea Bargnani, as the No. 1 [overall] Draft Pick in 2006, rather than trading down for either Rudy Gay or Brandon Roy.

Everything which has happened with this franchise since that decision was made has been SIGNIFICANTLY effected by it.

MAJOR MISTAKE #2
Failing to fire Sam Mitchell at the conclusion of the 2005-2006 season … when the team won only 27 games … and BEFORE the turn-around 2006-2007 season … when the team won 47 games and the Atlantic Division.

This was the precise moment in time when a truly Top Notch general manager would have decided to implement a new PARADIGM with the Raptors organization … predicated upon the “prime objective” of WINNING MULTIPLE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS.

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Your feedback is welcome in the comments section.

Related:

Bill Lankhof goes YARD on the Toronto Raptors 

What you see below are two video clips which The Arsenalist has done a good job parsing out from last night’s Raptors’ W vs the Pacers, while asking for “the answer” to 2 specific questions, based on this footage:

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Q1. Why did Belinelli leave Rush open?

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Q2. Why did Bargnani feel the need to help [leaving Granger open]?

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These are perfectly good “technical” questions which deserve to be answered properly [and thoroughly] by an actual basketball expert.

ANSWER 1

In this sequence:

Jarrett Jack is X1, checking Earl Watson/PG [i.e. O1].
Marco Belinelli is X2, checking Brandon Rush/OG [i.e. O2].
Hedo Turkoglu is X3, checking Danny Granger/SF [i.e. O3].
Andrea Bargnani is X4, checking Tyler Hansbrough/PF [i.e. O4].
Amir Johnson is X5, checking Jeff Foster/C [i.e. O5]. 

When O1 is passed the ball in the Right Wing position, X2 is the defender with the responsibility of checking the opposition player who is now occupying the “lowest” spot [i.e. closest to the baseline] on the weak side of the floor [i.e. O2].

X2’s responsibility is to be in a Help position vs any baseline drive by O1.

X3’s responsibility is to be in a Help-the-helper position vs any baseline drive by O1.

When O1 drives by X1, toward the Right Baseline, X2 must provide Help. It is then X3’s responsiblity to Drop/Sink Down toward the Left Baseline, in order to provide Help for the Helper [i.e. X2].

When O1 then makes a pass to O2, in the Left Corner, it is X3’s responsibility to, either:

A. Intercept/deflect this pass; or, B. Close-out vs O2.

In this instance, however … Hedo Turkoglu provides NEITHER of these two required responses.

This was a defensive miscue by X3, Hedo Turkoglu.

* The ONLY exception would be, if the Raptors’ actual game-plan called for whichever defender was assigned to Granger to NOT rotate off of him in all dribble penetration scenarios.

Instead of X3 [i.e Turkoglu] initiating a Secondary Rotation vs O2 [i.e. Rush], X5, Amir Johnson [who was checking an offensive player located above the FT Line, i.e. Jeff Foster], was forced to make a late attempt at a close-out vs X3’s assigned check, in a fruitless attempt to stop this wide open Corner 3-PT shot.

ANSWER 2 

In this sequence:

Jarrett Jack is X1, checking T.J. Ford/PG [i.e. O1].
Marco Belinelli is X3, checking Danny Granger/SF [i.e. O3].
Hedo Turkoglu is X2, checking Brandon Rush/OG [i.e. O2].
Andrea Bargnani is X4, checking Troy Murphy/PF [i.e. O4].
Amir Johnson is X5, checking Solomon Jones/C [i.e. O5]. 

When O3 [i.e. the Dribbler] and O4 [i.e. the Picker] executed a High Left Wing Pick, X4 and X3 had the responsibility of Switching … which they did effectively.

X1’s responsibility was to then be in position to provide [weak side] Help on any Middle Drive by O3.

X5’s responsibility was to defend 1-on-1 vs O5’s cut to the weak side Low-post position.

X2’s responsibility was to Sink to the Middle, coming off of O2 slightly, in order to deter/contest/defend against an interior pass to O4 [i.e. if he rolled to the basket].

X3’s responsibility was to engage O4 and neutralize his attempt to get open following the Pick Action [i.e. either rolling to the basket or popping out to the perimeter].

X4’s responsibility was to defend against O3 [i.e. the Dribbler].

When O3 then Drove Middle, into the lane, it was due to the “poor lateral defensive footwork” of X4 [i.e. Bargnani].

What X4 did effectively, however, was position himself in a way to be able to contest a running jump-shot from O3, if this player would have attempted to execute this specific type of low percentage shot on his drive into the lane.

Instead of doing this, though, O3 … when confronted with the weak side Help from X1 … made a Kick-out Pass to O1. 

At this point, two Defensive Rotation Options were in play:

A. X5 needed to Rotate Out to defend against O1 [i.e. with X4, either: i. rotating directly to defend vs O5; or, ii. rotating to O2, if X2 had been able to rotate to defend against O5]; or,

B. X1 needed to Recover [quickly] AND Close-out against O1, with X4 maintaining/re-establishing his defensive position relative to O3.  

OPTION B is what actually happened.

To this point, the Raptors were able to cover-up for Bargnani’s initial miscue.

When O1 then Drove Middle, getting into the lane, X1 did a poor job keeping the ball on the perimeter of the defense BUT a good job of at least maintaining his defensive position between the ball-handler and the basket, which enabled X3, X2 and X5 to all Stay Home on their individual check … although X5 did provide some Secondary Basket Protection by Stepping Up towards the front rim in support of X1.

The defensive miscue which occured next … i.e. X4’s decision to release his individual check to “Trap In/Out” vs O1 … was due to a lack of discipline/concentration by Bargnani.

Considering that Turkoglu first refused to LEAVE Granger … for whatever reason … in the 1st clip, and then Bargnani refused to STAY WITH Granger … for whatever reason … in the 2nd clip, it’s a sound observation to assert that at least one of these two players failed to do his assigned job properly, in these specific sequences, and that perhaps BOTH of them DO NOT have the discipline/concentration required to be a consistent defensive player for the Raptors, at this point.

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Anyone else who would like to have “an answer” provided to a technical basketball-related question, please feel free to create a youtube video clip, in some format, and forward it to this blog.

What you will get back, in return, is an accurate reply.

Cheers

When it comes to commenting on the goings-on with the Toronto Raptors there are many individuals operating in the blogosphere today who do a good job, from the perspective of a basketball fan, including the likes of:

Doug Smith
Mike Ulmer
Frank Ziccarelli
Eric Smith
Scott Carefoot
Tim Chisolm
Holly McKenzie
The Arsenalist
Chris Black
Realgm-Toronto Raptors
etc., etc., etc.

However …

Part of the problem which exists, in Raptorville, is a general lack of “technical understanding and experience” when it comes to the subtle nuances involved with proper execution in the NBA game.

Exhibit A - Properly Understanding NBA Defense vs Pick and Roll/Pop Scenarios

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[unlike what is stated incorrectly in the video clip above ... ]

What you see when you click on the different links below, and watch the included video clip, are a few examples of the proper ways to view, “How Teams In The NBA Attempt To Defend Against The Pick And Roll/Pop With Varying Degrees Of Success“:

Every Play Counts: The Phoenix Pick-and-Roll

The Defense Never Rests: Neutralizing Nash

Pick and Roll Defense

Enjoy!

PS. The Raptors’ main problems yesterday against the Magic’s “3-5 Pick and Roll” were related to the lack of a “Secondary Rotation” AFTER the initial Switch was executed properly by Turkoglu and Bosh, like most good teams do when coming down the stretch of tight NBA games in the 4th quarter.

PPS. At one time, Del Harris had an excellent article available on-line, in a pdf file, which detailed the basic mechanics of proper “Pick and Roll Defense in the NBA” and contained accurate information concerning the application of “Secondary Rotations When Using Switch Techniques”. Unfortunately, it no longer seems to be available. Should it ever re-surface, however, do yourself a favour and download it. It will help you to understand what it is the Raptors SHOULD be trying to do when they intitiate a “Switch” technique vs Pick and Rolls.

Orlando Magic 125
TORONTO RAPTORS 116
[Sun Nov 01 2009]

Box Score Info

Crucial Sequence, Play-By-Play

Crucial Sequence, Substitution Chart

Gruesome Details

1. Orlando played without Vince Carter [Starting Off Guard], Mickael Pietrus [Starting Small Forward] and Rashard Lewis [Starting Power Forward].

2. Between the end of the 1st Quarter [36-28] and the 7:03 mark of the 2nd Quarter, Orlando opened up a 22 point lead [54-32].

3. The Raptors players who were on the floor for this specific segment of the game were:

PG - Jarrett Jack [3:57, -14]
OG - Marco Belinelli [3:44, -9]; Antoine Wright [1:13, -5]
SF - Antoine Wright [3:44, -9]; Hedo Turkoglu [1:13, -5]
PF - Chris Bosh [3:14, -7]; Amir Johnson [1:43, -7]
C - Rasho Nesterovic [3:14, -7]; Andrea Bargnani [1:43, -7]

4. There are good reasons why Indiana, Golden State, Dallas, Milwaukee and Orlando each chose not to retain the services of Misters Jack, Belinelli, Wright, Johnson and Turkoglu, respectively, this past summer AND the Raptors need to seriously consider limiting the floor time given to Andrea Bargnani this season.

Instead of placing blame for this loss on a player like Jose Calderon [PG] … whose specific strengths and weaknesses were well-known two seasons ago when he first won the Starting PG job over incumbent TJ Ford … accusing fingers in Raptorville should be pointing in an entirely different direction, i.e. at the architect[s] of the team.

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PS. Raptors fans were told in the summer which specific teams SHOULD have been viewed, both, at the time and down-the-road, as the BIGGEST winners in the four-team [blockbuster?] trade between Toronto [1-2], Memphis [1-2], Dallas [2-1] and Orlando [3-0]. Shame on you, if you were one of those who chose NOT to listen back then.

PPS. Yes, the 2009-2010 regular season is only 3 games old for the Raptors, but … when you look closely at the first 20 games on their schedule … it doesn’t get any easier for Toronto until the 2nd week of December.

Related:

When three birds of a different feather flock together it’s a poor omen for the Raptors

According to different published reports, the New York Knicks are currently in the process of exploring Sign & Trade options this summer for David Lee [restricted free agent, right now], their 2005 No. 30 [overall] Draft Pick.

In contrast, earlier today it was announced that the Toronto Raptors have agreed to extend the existing contract of Andrea Bargnani [restricted free agent next summer], their 2006 No. 1 [overall] Draft Pick, to the tune of $50.0 M for the next 5 seasons.

Hmmm …

Then a few minutes ago, this comment:

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“Although it’s a tough comparison, I would say that what you lose from Bargnani on D you make up for with tremendous talent on O. Don’t get me wrong, David Lee is a fine player, but I’d still rather have Bargnani.”
- Marc 
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was submitted to the following thread:

Bargnani extended, salary cap, pick barter

at Raptors Republic which, in turn, generated the following Poll Question in the mind of yours truly:

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The Specific View From This Corner

If the long term goal of your franchise is to field a highly “competitive” team which plays an “entertaining” brand of pro basketball and allows you to reap tremendous “profits” from the enterprise … then, Andrea Bargnani, whose specific high end skill-set is concentrated almost exclusively on offense, is the superior building block for your team.

However, if/when the long term goal of your franchise is to field a DOMINANT team that is actually CAPABLE of WINNING the NBA CHAMPIONSHIP one day in the no-too-distant future … then, David Lee, whose specific high end skill-set is better dispersed over ALL THREE main phases of the game [i.e. Rebounding, Defense and Offense] is the superior building block for your team.

PS. Your exact answer to this Poll Question explains a great deal about how you view the NBA game and reflects the priorities which you have as a fan and/or an informed observer. 

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Visitor feedback is welcome in the comments section.