khandor’s sports blog

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 

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] *

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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.   

Toronto [7-13/.350] played its 20th game of the season last night.

Toronto Raptors 115
ATLANTA HAWKS 146
Complete Game Info

For those of you keeping track, these were the suggested outcomes that were listed here, in September [approximately 1 month in advance], for the team’s first 20 games this season, from the perspective of an astute NBA observer:

SUMMARY OF GAME RESULTS

1. 7-13 is the Raptors’ precise W-L Record at the 20 game mark.

2. 16-4 is an 80% accuracy rate, for this set of games, posted 1 month in advance.

3. Those who might try to suggest that what’s written here, on occasion, that pertains to the outcome of future sporting events, in terms of “Rights” and “Wrongs”, actually lacks a high degree of accuracy, might need to re-think their position, based on the facts at-hand.

At the 10 game mark, the Eastern Conference Standings looked like this:

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… and, this is what was written in this space pertaining to the situations for the Raptors, Wizards and Bobcats, respectively:

“It will be very interesting to see how the next 10 games play out for the Raptors … especially, now that Antawn Jamison is set to return to the line-up [Wed Nov 18 vs Cleveland] for the Wizards [2-7] and Charlotte [3-6]  acquired Stephen Jackson early today.” 

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Today, 10 games later, the EC Standings look like this:

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In the interview which Bryan Colangelo did with Eric Smith [FAN590], prior to the Raptors’ win vs the Bulls [Nov 11 2009], he said the following words:

“We’ll know what we’ve got by the end of the month.”

The Bosh Factor: Bryan Colangelo Won’t Be Patient With Early Losses

Do you think that …

Bosh lashes out over defensive collapse
Feschuk: Triano criticized by players
Raptors embarrassed in Atlanta
Cold, harsh reality
Raptors criticize Triano after Hawks blowout
Raptors point finger at coach, team pride over defensive woes

Jay Triano - Dec. 2, 2009
Chris Bosh - December 2, 2009
Jarrett Jack - December 2, 2009
Antoine Wright - December 2, 2009
Jose Calderon - Dec. 2, 2009

Bryan Colangelo now knows exactly what sort of team he has on his hands, at the moment and looking ahead to the rest of this season?

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As was first written in this space 11 days ago …

Raptors’ crunch time starts today vs Magic [Nov 22 2009]

… the sad fact is that:

The last 2 weeks have certainly PROVED to be a most interesting time in the 15 year history of the Toronto Raptors franchise.

Unfortunately, as a Raptors fan … since before the actual inception of the franchise … would it were only the case that this specific sequence of events had, in fact, NOT come to pass, at all.

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Related:

What the Raptors SHOULD do right NOW to improve their performance against High End opponents [Dec 02 2009]
Raptors half-way through their first 20 games [Nov 16 2009]
Toronto Raptors Season Preview: Games 1-20 [Oct 20 2009]
Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & faces of the franchise [Mar 25 2009]
What’s really going on here: Part II [Dec 05 2008]
Wait a second … what’s really going on here [Dec 04 2008]
Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & coaches [Apr 30 2008]
Tic toc, tic toc, tic toc … [Apr 11 2008]

In the interview Bryan Colangelo did with Eric Smith [FAN590], prior to the Raptors’ win vs the Bulls [Nov 11 2009], he said the following words:

“We’ll know what we’ve got by the end of the month.”

The Bosh Factor: Bryan Colangelo Won’t Be Patient With Early Losses

At the time, Toronto’s W-L Record was 3-4/.429.

11 days later, it is now 6-7/.462, good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division and 9th place in the Eastern Conference.

Beginning with this afternoon’s home game vs Orlando, the Raptors will play 7 games over the next 11 days:

Game 14 Sun Nov 22 vs Orl [10-3/.769; 1st Southeast, 2nd EC]

Game 15 Tue Nov 24 vs Ind [5-5/.500; 4th Central, 8th EC]
Game 16 Wed Nov 25 @ CHA [3-9/.250; 4th (tie) Southeast, 10th (tie) EC]

Game 17 Fri Nov 27 @ BOS [9-4/.692; 1st Atlantic, 4th EC]

Game 18 Sun Nov 29 vs Pho [10-3/.769; 1st Pacific, 1st (tie) WC]

Game 19 Tue Dec 01 vs Was [3-9/.250; 4th (tie) Southeast, 12th (tie) EC]
Game 20 Wed Dec 02 @ ATL [11-3/.786; 1st Southeast, 1st EC]

which will take the team to the 1/4 pole of the regular season schedule.

This is the specific stretch of games that will reveal exactly what type of team the Raptors have, at the moment, and what can be expected from this group for the remainder of the season should there be no further major player personnel and/or coaching changes going forward.

While some voices in Raptorville believe the team’s performance during this stretch will turn out to be a source of tremendous optimism, and preceed a gradual upswing in the standings, as the season progresses …

45 Wins, and How the Raptors Will Get There [5-2, Nov 22 to Dec 02]

looking ahead, in September, from the vantage point of an astute NBA observer, this corner did not share that same perspective:

Raptors half-way through their first 20 games

According to his record, as a General Manager, Bryan Colangelo has a well-documented history of making an assessment of his team’s situation sometime in the first two weeks of December.

Tic toc, tic toc, tic toc … [Apr 11 2008]

If he likes what he has seen to that point, he continues moving forward, as is.

If, however, he does NOT like what he “thinks” he sees from his team … then, the fanbase best be prepared for a seismic shift, in terms of either player personnel and/or the head coach position.

Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & coaches [Apr 30 2008]

Wait a second … what’s really going on here [Dec 04 2008]

What is really going on here: Part II [Dec 05 2008]

Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & faces of the franchise [Mar 25 2009]

The next 2 weeks should prove to be a most interesting time in the 15 year history of the Toronto Raptors franchise. 

Related:

VC Declines Honour

There is nothing wrong with the rigid defensive philosophy which Jay Triano is using this season for the Toronto Raptors, i.e. to force baseline and protect the paint. In today’s NBA, this is actually standard fair and is used by other good teams, as well [e.g. Miami Heat, 6-1].

So, too, however, was there little wrong with the flexible defensive philosophy used for the previous 4 seasons by Sam Mitchell, former Raptors’ head coach, which required game-to-game [possession-to-possession?] adjustments based on the specific strengths or weaknesses of the team’s opponents.

The Raptors’ main defensive problems are not rooted in the team’s philosophy, per se, but are based on the specific short-comings of their individual players … several of whom should NOT have been expected to be able to play first rate defense this season by anyone with a sound grasp of how the game actually works in the NBA.

When your team has a roster that looks like THAT ↑↑↑, and struggles to DEFEND and REBOUND effectively:

Points Differential Rank, #18
Points Allowed Rank, #28
Rebounding Differential Rank, #26
Opponent’s FG% Rank, #23

the primary responsibility lies, not with the head coach or the individual players, but with the architect[s] of the team.

On an annual basis, the very best franchises in the NBA place their emphasis on Acquiring and Retaining individual players who advance the cause of their squad by contributing a great more than just scoring points.

When you look at the list of teams that have achieved major success in the history of the NBA:

NBA Finals: All-Time Champions

2009 NBA Champions, Los Angeles Lakers, QIR #6
2008 NBA Champions, Boston Celtics, QIR #1
2007 NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs, QIR #2
2006 NBA Champions, Miami Heat, QIR #3
2005 NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs, QIR #1 [tie]
2004 NBA Champions, Detroit Pistons, QIR #1
2003 NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs, QIR #1
2002 NBA Champions, Los Angeles Lakers, QIR #4
2001 NBA Champions, Los Angeles Lakers, QIR #9

What it takes to win the NBA Championship [QIR definition]

it should be plain to see how placing an inordinant value on the “offensive” contributions made by any individual player is Fool’s Gold.

Related:

Where and how exactly Toronto lost last night at San Antonio

Here is this year’s direct quote from the Raptors’ President/GM:

Raptors makeover will work: Bryan Colangelo
“The scope of the makeover definitely changed from what we originally thought but it wasn’t because we didn’t feel like we should do some of those things,” the president and general manager explained. “It was because we were limited in what we thought we had available to us.”

That all changed after a bold four-team, double sign-and-trade transaction centred on Hedo Turkoglu and Shawn Marion which gave Colangelo the resources to complete a rather remarkable makeover that will be fully unveiled at the team’s annual media day today.

“We’re much better off for it,” said Colangelo. “With all the new faces it’s going to be a challenge … but we really did want to make some changes.

“We’ve accomplished it on paper and now we have to put it all together.”

There’s the rub.

Yes, on paper the Raptors seem vastly improved over the squad that finished last season 33-49.

They have five backups who have been NBA starters and a big starting lineup seemingly more talented than it’s been in years.

But paper isn’t reality; no one can tell what is actually going to transpire during the course of a season.

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There’s the rub?

Here is what he had to say last season, at this exact same time:

On paper … the best team the raptors have had
“On paper, in terms of just pure talent, I would say, yes, this is the best team we’ve had,” the Raptor president and general manager said Monday afternoon.

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On paper?

On paper … means absolutely squat, in the NBA environment.

How a team’s players and coaches fit together, or not, whether they can create individual mismatches which their squad can then take full advantage of, and/or whether they can combine to minimize the match-up advantages which their opponents have based on their respective strengths and weaknesses, etc., are not things which can be assertained with accuracy from looking at a collection of statistical data accounting for “seasonal/career averages” in a plethora of categories ranging from simple to advanced.

Regardless of what the “stats gurus” will try to tell you about “How the game works”, the team that will eventually win the 2009-2010 NBA Championship will not be determined by:

A. How it happens to look on paper;

B. How it happens to perform in a NBA video game;

C. How its players may happen to rank in a NBA Fantasy Hoops contest;

D. etc.

There are 5 teams with a legitimate shot at winning the title this year:

1 LA Lakers [the reigning champions, 65 wins last season]
2 Boston Celtics [the 2007-2008 champions, 62 wins last season]
3 San Antonio Spurs [the 2006-2007 champions, 54 wins last season]
4 Orlando Magic [the reigning finalists, 59 wins last season]
5 Cleveland Cavaliers [the 2006-2007 finalists, 66 wins last season]

based upon:

1 The overall strength of their organization, from top to bottom;
2 The Quality Depth on their roster, specifically designed to create and minimize individual match-up advantages for themselves and their opponents, respectively;
3 Their team’s ability to Rebound & Defend, in general … and, specifically, on certain crucial possessions which decide the final outcome of playoff games;
4 Their collective ability to play Shared Team Offense;
5 Their star players’ abilities to make crucial plays, where necessary, in all three main phases of the game, i.e. Defense, Offense and Rebounding;
6 The quality of their coaching; and,
7 The quality of their GMing.

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Unfortunately, what is now painfully obvious for the Raptors is the lack of an over-riding plan for this organization to ever win a NBA championship while operating under the ownership of MLSE.

Since April 2004, when Glen Grunwald was fired from his position, as GM for the team, the Raptors have been in almost constant state of flux:

2003-2004, Grunwald-O’Neill
33-49/.402, 10th place, missed the playoffs

2004-2005, Babcock-Mitchell
33-49/.402, 11th place, missed the playoffs

2005-2006, Babcock-Mitchell/Colangelo-Mitchell
27-55/.313, 12th place, missed the playoffs

2006-2007, Colangelo-Mitchell
47-35/.573, 3rd place, 1st Rd playoff loss

2007-2008, Colangelo-Mitchell
41-41/.500, 6th place, 1st Rd playoff loss

2008-2009, Colangelo-Mitchell/Colangelo-Triano
33-49/.402, 13th place, missed the playoffs

2009-2010, Colangelo-Triano
?, ?, ? 

Teams “in a constant state of flux” do not know what they are doing when it comes to ever being able to build a championship operation in the NBA … in spite of their own ability to make $$$ hand-over-fist, on an annual basis.

It takes a high degree of Basketball Acumen to actually win the title in this league … and THIS simply isn’t to be found on a piece of paper, or through crunching numbers.

As different NBA off-season previews begin to surface in the blogosphere …

Bleacher Report
Pro Basketball Fans
Sports Alchemist

it can be very interesting to see which specific teams are perceived by different NBA observers to be head and shoulders above their immediate competition.

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Despite what some observers may perceive to be a heightened level of NBA  ”talent” on the Raptors’ roster this season, at this point, at least, this corner would suggest treading softly, instead, if your plan involves jumping on the Dino’s mounting bandwagon, as a former lower-echelon team with a legit chance to make major W-L gains in the standings.  

Last year the Raptors started their season 8-9, fired their head coach [Sam Mitchell], and proceeded to lose 40 of their remaining 65 games [.385], to miss the playoffs completely; while, the 76ers began their campaign 9-14, fired their coach [Maurice Cheeks], and then went on to win 32 of their remaining 59 games [.542], to make the playoffs as the 6th seed.

Debate in the Paint: Fear the Raptors
Debate in the Paint: Raptors just can’t escape mediocrity

Hmmmmmm …

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“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” - Anonymous

Araujo pick set off chain reaction
I‘ve always considered the drafting of Rafael Araujo the Raptors’ original sin. It set off a chain reaction the team has never really recovered from.

Araujo, as every Raptors fan knows, was picked No.8 overall by Rob Babcock, who promised on draft night that the big Brazilian was “Not a stiff.”

Well, he was a stiff. One with small hands and short arms and - quite literally - no upside.

Missing at No.8 isn’t ordinarily the end of the world. It happens. And it says A LOT about the NBA that having the chance to pick the eighth - or in this year’s draft - the ninth best player in the world in a given year carries with it no certainty of success.

Tough league.

But the 2004 draft had its share of good players. One of them - Andre Iguodala - was taken ninth by the Philadelphia 76ers, as every Raptors fan knows.

Which is the problem: It’s not so much that Araujo was a bust, it’s that Iguodala represents exactly and - short of Kobe/LeBron/Wade - I mean exactly what the franchise needs.

He slashes. He defends other wings. He’s a one-man fastbreak. He’s a passable spot-up shooter. He’s very good playmaker and passer. He’s relatively affordable, at $12-million a year, which is pretty good value for a Tier 1A wing player in the NBA.

But you know all this.

Still, I’ve been thinking about Iguodala as I’ve [been] watching Mickael Pietrus with the Orlando Magic.

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In contrast, what this corner sees is that the specific time-line … i.e. Chain Reaction … for the de-evolution of the Raptors looks like this:

* Fired Glen Grunwald, Apr 1, 2004
* Hired Rob Babcock, Jun 7, 2004
* Drafted Rafael Araujo [No. 8], Jun 24 2004
* Hired Sam Mitchell, Jun 29, 2004
* Traded Vince Carter, Dec 17, 2004 [for exactly what, in return?]
* Fired Babcock, Jan 26, 2006
* Hired Bryan Colangelo, Feb 28, 2006
* Drafted Andrea Bargnani [No. 1], Jun 28, 2006
* Traded Charlie Villanueva for TJ Ford, Jul 1, 2006
* Traded for Carlos Delfino, Jun 15, 2007
* Signed Jason Kapono, Jul 11, 2007
* Traded TJ Ford & Rasho Nesterovic & No. 17 Draft Pick for Jermaine O’Neal & No. 41 Draft Pick, Jun 26, 2008
* Signed Hassan Adams, Jul 8, 2008
* Signed Roko Ukic, Jul 16, 2008
* Signed Will Solomon, Jul 28, 2008
* Bought out Jorge Garbajosa, Aug 10, 2008
* Fired Mitchell, Dec 3, 2008

33-49/.402, 14th place in the Eastern Conference

———-

April 1, 2004 [and, then, Dec 17] will live-on, in infamy … as a sort of very real, cruel JOKE … in the history of this franchise, purpetrated by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment [MLSE, i.e. Richard Peddie & Larry Tanenbaum]. 

Understanding the demise of the Toronto Raptors, since the end of the 2006-2007 season to where the team stands today, means starting with a simple review of their personnel, Then vs Now:  

Then

47-35/.573
1st place, Atlantic Division
1st Round Playoff Loss
General Manager - Bryan Colangelo
Head Coach - Sam Mitchell 
Main Players - TJ Ford/PG, Anthony Parker/OG, Morris Peterson/SF, Jorge Garbajosa/PF & Chris Bosh/C
Support Players - Jose Calderon, Darrick Martin, Juan Dixon, Joey Graham, Andrea Bargnani, Kris Humphries & Rasho Nesterovic,

Now

33-49/.402
4th place, Atlantic Division
Failed to qualify for the Playoffs
General Manager - Bryan Colangelo
Head Coach - Jay Triano 
Main Players - Jose Calderon/PG, Anthony Parker/OG, Shawn Marion/SF, Chris Bosh/PF & Andrea Bargnani/C
Support Players - Roko Ukic, Marcus Banks, Quincy Douby, Jason Kapono, Joey Graham, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai, Jake Voskuhl & Patrick O’Bryant

Italics - “New” Personnel

If you compare the two teams individual-by-individual, this is what you should be able to see:

Those who think that the current version of the Raptors is somehow lacking “Leadership” from Chris Bosh & Jose Calderon, or that CB4 is somehow NOT worthy of consideration as a legit “Franchise Player” in the NBA, or that El Matador is somehow “Too Conservative With The Ball & NOT Dynamic Enough”, as a main-frame PG, etc., to form The Core of a contending team in the Eastern Conference are displaying an overall lack of Basketball Acumen, when it comes to Understanding How Exactly the NBA Game Works.

Instead of BUILDING UP the remainder of the team’s personnel AROUND Chris Bosh [C] and Jose Calderon [PG], since the end of the 2006-2007 season, what Bryan Colangelo has done is DECREASED/LOWERED the actual Ability Level & Functionality of the other key pieces to the Raptors puzzle.

Until the Raptors re-stock their barren shelves with Additional Players to provide them with INCREASED Ability Level & Functionality, in terms of QALITY DEPTH, overall, they will remain a Treadmill Team, in the Salary Cap-driven NBA. 

———-

Q1. How many of the current Raptors would rank in the top half of all the players in the League at their respective positions?

A1. Excluding Chris Bosh [C] & Jose Calderon [PG] … very few, if any.

The following has got to be one of the most humourous headlines, in the 14-yr history of Raptorville, courtesy of Frank Zicarelli [long-time scribe for the Toronto Sun]:

Raptors defence looks terrific … in practice
Every defensive breakdown was broken down, regardless of who was getting exposed.

Whether it was off the dribble, in transition or off the ball, no player and no scenario was overlooked when the Raptors gathered yesterday in the wake of Wednesday’s capitulation in Philadelphia.

It seems as if every day the Raptors are being asked why defensive assignments aren’t getting executed and why players aren’t communicating.

It has become a daily ritual, a season-long deficiency that was punctuated in Toronto’s 115-106 loss to the host Sixers, a team that entered the evening with its own issues, but still managed to shoot 56% from the field, a number that hovered around 60% until it emptied its bench.

No one associated with the Raptors has any answers.

The unspoken words are that this group is simply too soft mentally and too thin on basketball IQ to defend any opponent for a 48-minute game.

It has never been corrected and, with time running out, it likely will linger into an off-season that promises to be one of profound change.

“I can deliver a positive message every day, but until we see we’re doing it, it’s an entirely different story,” said Chris Bosh ahead of tonight’s tip against the Detroit Pistons at the Air Canada Centre.

Interim head coach Jay Triano has made it a point to refrain from addressing the team following a loss. In his mind, he wants all emotions detached from the moment. And besides, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie.

But Triano and his staff broke down every defensive possession from Wednesday and shared the horrifying video evidence with their players yesterday.

Bosh, however, sees his teammates defend hard in practice and watches as each shot is contested.

“Sometimes you can’t even get your shot off,” Bosh said. “I just don’t [know] why it doesn’t transfer into games. We’re always talking about it. We can talk all we want, but it’s all about action.”

—————————————

What it also is, however, is a concise delineation of one of the MAJOR on-court problems with this year’s Raptors team; namely, the overall lack of Quality Depth on their roster, which was identified specifically, in advance, in this space,

Talking the talk, already … in Raptorville [Sep 29 2008],

during the pre-season.

When your team plays “well” in practices and competes “hard”, by all accounts … especially on the defensive end of the floor … but, then,  CONSISTENTLY SHOWS ITS DEFICIENCIES IN THIS SAME ASPECT OF THE GAME WHEN THE BRIGHT LIGHTS COME ONE … what it means is that:

The individuals who your players are competing against in those practices are, in fact, INFERIOR to those who they MUST compete against in their real-life games … by a wide margin.

Whether you’re team is prepared to acknowledge this, or not, is irrelevant.

When Sam Mitchell [former Head Coach] made observations like these:

Fore-warned is fore-armed [Wed Oct 29 2008]

during the pre-season,

… and, then, 5 months [and 42 losses!] later, your interim [former assistant] head coach makes the following observations:

Jay Triano’s post-practice interview [Thu Mar 12, 2009]:

it should tell you everything that you need to know about the quality of the player roster assembled by the Raptors this season, and that very little has actually changed with this team since the pre-season, re: the ability of its players to compete effectively on the defensive end of the floor, on a nightly basis in this league, relative to the best players in the world … who have both NBA Calibre Athleticism and NBA Calibre Hoop Smarts, in abundance.

You can slice an apple any way you’d like … but, in the end, it simply does NOT change what you’ll find at its Core.

When a team’s Won-Lost Record stands at 23-42/.354, in a season which began with the President/GM making a public statement that:

“This is the best team we’ve had, on paper.”

and, includes the dismissal of its head coach, only 17 games into the campaign, with an 8-9 mark …

the COLD, HARSH REALITY is that the MAIN on-court problem with this team, this season, is the Lack of Quality Depth on the roster, from Player #1-15 … which consistently plays itself out each day in practice, and in EVERY game, with the way they compete against One Another but, then, fall short against their Real-life Opponents.

———————————–

17 games left to go.

The Raptors’ President/GM was WRONG.

The 2009 NBA Draft Lottery awaits.

It’s a d*mn shame, too … considering what could have been heading into this season, i.e. Understanding Bryan Colangelo’s Method of Operation, re: Option 1 or Option 2.