Well, as distasteful as it all is, I’ll mention the lawsuit reported today against Chris Bosh. Chris’ ex says he cut her off and hasn’t supported their kid since her birth. Chris says he’ll take of his responsibilities. In other words, classic he said/she said.

I’m not going to speculate or cast aspersions on anyone. I for one trust the courts to sort this stuff out. If she’s trying to “play him,” as some say, hopefully the courts will recognize that and not let her get away with it. If Chris has been a deadbeat, hopefully the courts will figure that out and that kid will get the support it needs.

At the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Both of these people, both adults, need to sort their shit out – and if they need the help of a court, fine – and get right to making that kids life the best it can be. That’s a simplistic view, perhaps, but honestly… that’s what the focus has to be.

As for what’s going on in the rest of the Raptor world, well, not much. They’ve signed someone named Quincy Douby to a 10-day, and brought back Nate Jawai, to fill out the bench for the last couple weeks. Perhaps that means they’re getting ready to give Bosh, Jose and Bargnani extended rests? A little more Roko-motion? I’m not a fan of “shutting players down” unless they’ve got an actual injury – there are still people paying to see these games, and they’re paying to see the best players after all, and I vehemently disagree with tanking. But if those players play 5 or 6 fewer minutes than usual, if the young guys get a little more burn, I think we can all live with that.

Now, couple other things… I’ve been writing intermittently, finishing up my Watchmen review, my Secret Invasion Review, and some thoughts on iPhone 3.0. But it’s been a crazy couple of weeks so I’ve not had time to edit them and get them posted. It’s all coming soon, though. Stay tuned.

Tags: Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors

Well, we’ve got another tilt in this seemingly never-ending Raptors season tonight, where our boys look to drop their seventh in a row to the Pistons…and fall 20 games below .500..

20 games. That’s a sobering number. I mean, obviously, this team is underachieving, but that really puts it into perspective. That number shocked me. Let’s take a look at it, historically, for the Raptors.

In 2005-2006, they finished 27-55, although they may well have avoided the 20-games-under stat had Chris Bosh not gotten hurt. They had the brutal 1-15 start, but then played around .500 ball the next couple months; but when Bosh went down, it was over, they lost 12 of the final 13 games, finally hitting the -20 mark at 26-46 on March 31.

That was a funny season in that expectations were, in a way, abnormally low; after all, Rob Babcock said before the season that the team would probably win less than the previous year (when they only won 33). So I don’t think you can call that record at all disappointing - it was expected.

In 2002-2003, the Raps went 24-58 in what I call “the lost season.” Everyone seems to have forgotten this season, not surprisingly; it was over quickly (-20 on January 10, when they were 8-28) and not much memorable happened. But it was a disappointing season in that, coming off three straight playoff appearances, we all expected a bounce-back season. But Vince Carter couldn’t stay on the floor, and even when he did play, he had lost the ability to put the team on his back. Antonio Davis, Jerome and Alvin Williams battled injuries, missing a combined 45 games, and the Raptors struggled just to fill the roster; they didn’t dress 12 players a single time. MoPete was the only Rap to appear in 80 games.

Going back, 1997-1998 was the low point in Raptors history; they didn’t even make it out of December before falling to -20. An unbearable 17-game losing streak had them at 2-22 on December 17th! The previous two years weren’t much better, as they hit -20 in March of 1997 and February of 1996. Those can be forgiven, as expansion years, of course, but the point I’m trying to make here, is that the current season now matches up with the worst seasons in this team’s short history.

What’s sad is that, unlike those years, there is no excuse this year. We’re not an expansion team. We didn’t lose a record number of games to injury. We didn’t start with a brand-new coach or GM and our GM didn’t lower expectations before the year started. We didn’t have a sad-sack roster without an all-star. In fact, we had, according to Bryan Colangelo, the best Raptors team ever assembled - one bona-fide all-star (Bosh), another former six-time all-star (JO), one guy on the cusp (Jose), and a number-one draft pick (Bargnani). We were expected - in fact, I think you can say we were ASSUMED - to be in the playoffs.

But we’re not. We’re about to go 20 games under .500. And given those expectations, and lack of excuses, I’m prepared to say that this might be the worst Raptors season ever.

Is there any chance the Raps can stave it off? They’ve got some easier opponents coming up, and Detroit’s not the same old Detroit, right? Well, they’re not, but that doesn’t make a difference. They’re still better than us at every position, unless Rasheed Wallace doesn’t play; even then, I think Jason Maxiell and Antonio McDyess will have no problem guarding Bosh and Bargnani. If they can take our two best players out of the game, what else do we have? As we’ve shown all year, not much.

I don’t want to say it’s hopeless, since as I indicated, the Pistons aren’t the same old Pistons (only 32-31), Rasheed is banged up, and Allen Iverson is on the shelf too (although I’d argue they’re better without him). But given the lack of interest the Raps have shown lately, and given that the Pistons, a team with some actual passion, are still fighting hard for playoff positioning (they’re in 6th, 2.5 back of Miami , and you better believe they want that #5 seed so they can avoid the Cavs, Celts and Magic in round one) I don’t see the Raps putting up much of a fight. Pistons by 17.

Incidentally, I just want to say, again, for the record, I will not be calling for Bryan Colangelo’s head in this space; yes, he’s made some bad moves, yes, this team has gotten worse the past two years. But if you seriously believe there is someone else out there available who could do better, please, let me know. In fact, if you think it’s all doom and gloom, I’m going to mention this:

In the past 10 years, including this one, the Raptors have been to the playoffs five times. Take a look at the rest of the league:

Cleveland: 4, including this year.
Boston: 6, including this year.
Orlando: 6, including this year.
Atlanta: 2, including this year.
Miami: 7, including this year.
Detroit: 9, including this year.
Philly: 7, including this year.
Milwaukee: 6, including this year.
Chicago: 3
New Jersey: 6
Charlotte: 0, in 5 seasons
Indiana: 7
New York: 3
Washington: 4

LA Lakers: 9, including this year.
San Antonio: 10, including this year.
Houston: 5, including this year.
Utah: 7, including this year.
New Orleans/Charlotte: 7, including this year.
Portland: 5, including this year.
Denver: 6, including this year.
Dallas: 9, including this year.
Phoenix: 7
Golden State: 1
Minnesota: 5
Seattle/OKC: 3
Memphis: 3
LA Clippers: 1
Sacramento: 7

The Raptors are tied for 16th in playoff appearances in the past 10 years. So middle of the pack. Is that good enough? Of course not. The fact that four of them were first-round exits hurts, a lot. But it could be worse - much, much worse. Reading some of the crap out there makes it sound like this is the end of the world or that Colangelo should be fired or the entire roster traded or whatever. You know what? Building a successful NBA team is not easy. It just isn’t. And, it takes time. Those “consistently good” teams are rare. Only one team has made the playoffs every year in the past 10: San Antonio. 3 more have 9 appearances. The next highest is seven. All that should tell you one thing: in a 30-team league, with a salary cap and free agency, it’s hard to maintain that high level of play. When the entire system is DESIGNED to keep teams “on an even ground,” those that have success are the exception, not the norm.

And you know what? We have a GM who’s still respected around the league (and has past success - unlike players, most GMs don’t get worse with age), we have a great arena, we have an ownership that has been willing to do everything except spend the luxury tax (which I think is reasonable). And we have the most passionate fans around. Would you rather we were just shaving salary without regards to wins, like Memphis (or even Phoenix)? Would you rather we had owners and GMs who don’t care/are incompetent, like the Clippers or T-Wolves? Would you rather our fans didn’t give a crap, like New Jersey or Atlanta?

I’m not saying that we, or the team, should be satisfied with what we’ve got. I’m not - I want more, absolutely. But when things get rough like this season has been, you can’t just focus on the negative. Looking at the bigger picture - which you simply must do when the smaller picture (this season) is so ugly - you can see this team still has things going for it, and that things could, in fact, be a lot worse.

Tags: Bryan Colangelo, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors

… you won’t be missed. Scrub.

Welcome, Patrick Fitzgerald O’Bryant! I’m sure you’ll join in the fine tradition of virtually useless Toronto big men, like Uros Slokar, Pape Sow, Mamadou N’Dyai, Nathan Jawai, Eric Montross, Rafael Araujo, Alex Radejovic, Jake Voskuhl, Acie Earl, Primosz Brezec, Robert Archibald, Mengke Bateer, Nate Huffman, Sean Marks, Jelani McCoy, Loren Woods, and of course, the immortal Yogi Stewart…

Good God, that is one depressing list, and I didn’t even mention The Corpse of Hakeem Olajuwon.

It’s gotta be depressing for the guy with the most Irish name in the history of the NBA to be traded away from the Celtics. And this guy went 9th in 2006! More proof that the 2006 NBA draft was the worst of all time…

Well, all in all, another disappointing deadline day. Not that I expected the Raps to do anything, but it would have been nice to see some big names get moved (like Vince Carter). Ah well.

Tags: NBA Trade Deadline, Toronto Raptors, Will Solomon

Slow day at work, so here’s a couple thoughts on the goings-on of the day.

First up, Alonzo Mourning has officially retired.

Excuse me if I don’t shed a tear.

Raps fans have a hatred for Zo that I believe is only topped by their hatred for Vince Carter. To recap, Carter was traded to New Jersey for Zo - who was unhappy in New Jersey and wanted out - as well as the Williams Brothers and two draft picks. It also cost them highly touted Jerome Moiso (waived), who was just about to find his groove with the Raps!! Um, just kidding about the last part.

(What was the biggest shame was that Alvin Williams was too hurt to play and Jerome Williams had been traded a year earlier. I mean, all they had to do then was trade for one more Williams and they could have had a lineup of five Williamses on the floor, and that would have been the greatest moment in Raptors history. Alas.)

That trade looks pretty bad as it is but what made it worse (the worst trade in the NBA this decade, in fact) was that Mourning refused to play in Toronto. In fact I don’t know if he ever actually came to Toronto. He wanted to be traded, yes, just not here.

So, you’d think, if you were the Raptors, you’d confirm with him that he’d play before pulling the trigger, especially since he was the only player of value in the trade coming this way.

But, no, that didn’t happen. Actually, rumour has it, it did: Sir Rob Babcock did indeed ask - and Zo confirmed he wouldn’t play - but BABCOCK STILL MADE THE TRADE.

Now, you’d think at this point, the Raps would play hardball and force Mourning to report, and if he didn’t not pay him, as is their right under the collective bargaining agreement.

But, no. They let him sit out - in Miami - and never even tried to make him join the team. In fact as I recall he never even had to take a physical to prove he could play, and thus couldn’t even be fined for not playing.

Now, you’d think, OK, here’s a guy that won’t play for us, he wants to play somewhere else so he’ll accept a bargain buyout and we’ll go our separate ways.

But, no. The Raptors offered to buy him out FOR THE FULL VALUE OF THE CONTRACT. He never played a game for the Raps, still collected his ENTIRE paycheque from us, and then went on to help the Heat win a title.

So, you can understand why Raps fans don’t like the guy. There was no reason for him to act like such a prima-donna; especially mere months after saying he wanted to play with Jason Kidd in Jersey, he could have rehabbed his image by coming to TO, teaming with Jalen Rose and mentoring Chris Bosh and (ahem) Rafael Araujo. Instead he acted like a prick and never even showed up.

And if - as he claimed - it wasn’t about the money, but rather about going somewhere to win a title - he would have simply accepted a minimum buyout to be set free. But he took the full amount! It was nothing but highway robbery.

Still, as big of a jerk as he was to the city of Toronto… the blame really is on Babcock here. First of all, this was a terrible trade, even with Mourning; he could have done better. Second, Babcock enabled the situation. He didn’t force Mourning to report when he could have. He waived the physical. He paid the ridiculous buyout.

Why would he ever, in a million years, do this? I don’t know. I understand he was blinded by the fool’s gold of the draft picks and made the trade despite Zo’s refusal to play. But at the least, you don’t pay the guy FULL AMOUNT and allow him to go help another team! The purpose of a buyout from the team’s perspective is to save a little money. If you’re going to pay him the full amount anyway, you may as well keep him on your team so he can’t help someone else!

Anyway, the point of this tirade was to suggest that it be Babcock, not Mourning, that deserves the brunt of your hatred. Yep, Mourning was an ass for refusing to report. But Babcock was a much bigger ass for A) making the trade in the first place and B) not taking a harder stance with Zo.

Also, SI Grades the Raps

This afternoon also saw this rather harsh grade - and harsh reality - of the Raptors season from Steve Aschburner of SI.com:

Toronto Raptors: It’s not easy to earn a grade this harsh. You would need to underachieve dramatically, abruptly fire your recent Coach of the Year (Sam Mitchell), have a showy offseason move (trading for Jermaine O’Neal) blow up in your face, turn your lone superstar into a cranky finger-pointer who might want out, cope badly with a key injury (Jose Calderon), run off a string of losses and drown in trade rumors a month before the NBA deadline. Ladies and gentlemen, your … Toronto … Raptors! Grade: F

Good times. My grades from a week ago were a smudge higher, but really, I can’t disagree with him at all. Although, he also forgot to mention “trot out the worst collection of swingmen in the NBA every game,” as well as “bring in two guys who washed out of the NBA years ago (Adams and Solomon) as your only off-season free agent pickups.”

Oh, hey, and guess what the only other team to get an “F” was? That’s right, the Clippers. Remember when everyone thought we’d be Phoenix North? Turns out we’re Clippers North.

Yep… really good times.

Remember when Young MC rapped, “well you got no money and you got no car, then you got no woman, and there you are”?

Well we got no swingmen and we got no D, so we got no winning, and here we are.

Here we are.

Tags: Alonzo Mourning, Toronto Raptors

So, no Jermaine today. I cannot see any reason why he would not be playing unless a trade is imminent, but, hey, what do I know. Maybe he really is Mr. Glass and he can’t play. I’m sure he won’t be bothered to show up on the bench though, even though he traveled to Atlanta.

Also, no Jose, as we expected. Kapono is back but Humphries is out. And Nathan Jawai makes his debut (on the active roster at least).

I won’t be able to watch the game but I’m sure I’ll have some thoughts to post later on/tomorrow regardless, on both the game and the slowest developing trade in the history of trades.

Tags: Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto Raptors

Well, last night’s lacklustre effort hardly seems worth writing about. Yeah, they teased us with a fun comeback before Jason “Travelin’ Man” Kapono walked away with it, but to get down 24 after three quarters? Pathetic.

As the Raptors have struggled this season, I’ve wrestled with one question in my mind. Actually, there’ve been many questions, but one key one is this:

When does “there’s still time to turn it around” become “it’s too late to turn it around?”

You can never say never in pro sports, that’s for sure. Plenty of strange things have happened.

But barring something miraculous, unexpected, divine, whatever you want to call it, I think this moment, right now - the halfway point of the season, with the Raptors nine games under .500 - we have officially reached the “it’s too late” point.

It’s over.

Think about it. 16-25, with 41 games to go. That means a 24-17 record just to get to 40 wins, which is probably what will be required of the 8th playoff seed.

Given the Raptors’ play this season, do you - does anyone - think that is possible? Again, “anything is possible” but don’t forget another saying: “you are what your record says you are.” The Raps are a sub-par eastern conference team. They have one three-game winning streak all season, and four streaks of three or more losses. There’s simply zero evidence to suggest that this team can go on the sort of winning streak it requires to climb out of a nine-game hole. The team is too inconsistent, doesn’t defend or rebound well enough, to string wins together.

The Raptors won’t win 40 games and they won’t make the playoffs. Heck, even if they do win 40 and sneak in, by all accounts this season is an abject failure. The expectations, I believe, were 48 wins and a playoff round victory. So 40 wins and a playoff loss are still a failure.

For whatever reason - whether it was his own stubbornness or the lack of a good offer - Bryan Colangelo did not make a deal that could push the team to the next level. It was clear after Triano lost 8 of his first 10 games that Sam Mitchell wasn’t the issue - it was the talent on the roster. Yet Colangelo didn’t make a move to fix it. You can claim “patience” if you like, but you’d think a “basketball genius” like Colangelo would realize that a roster whose four best players are three power forwards and a point guard - along with the worst collection of wing players in the NBA - wasn’t going to win many games.

I know, hindsight is 20/20. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t take 40 games to realize the roster isn’t good enough - after 24 it was clear, and a move should have been made right away.

Now, it’s too late. Even a JO for Shawn Marion trade - which, even though I don’t like Marion in general, looks it would be perfect for both teams - would be too little too late.

Nine games under .500! I still can’t believe it’s gotten this bad. And the thing is, the schedule doesn’t really get better until after the all-star break. Before then, the Raps play Phoenix, Altanta, Detroit, Chicago, Sacramento, Jersey, Milwaukee, Orlando, Cleveland, the Lakers, New Orleans, Memphis, Minnesota, and San Antonio. That stretch encompasses two three-game road trips. How many of those are realisitically winnable? Four, maybe five? Even if we go 6-8 that leaves us a record of 22-33. 11 games under at the all-star break? Yeah, this thing just isn’t happening.

It’s a shame because all of this only makes Chris Bosh’s decision in 2010 a lot easier. In fact, he basically gets off scott-free - he may decide to bolt but no one will blame him, as the team didn’t add any talent around him. This isn’t a McGrady situation, where he leaves just as the team is getting good because he wants to get his own. This isn’t a Carter situation, where the team signed all the guys he wanted and then he complained it wasn’t good enough. This is Colangelo’s team, and Bosh signed his last extension with the understanding Colangelo would improve the roster. He hasn’t; all he’s done is add players that play the same position! So who can blame Bosh for leaving? Not me.

So, we get to struggle through, will miss the playoffs and end up picking, what, 10th, in a weak draft? A no-impact player who’s gonna sit on our roster taking up cap space. Great.

Meanwhile, without an O’Neal trade, we’ll still be over the cap in the summer, with a huge hole at shooting guard (Parker, Graham and Moon will all be free agents, although Graham has a team option). There’ll be about an 8-million dollar gap between the payroll level (about $64 mil) and the luxury tax (probably around $72 million), so the Raptors can use their MLE on someone, but are they going to get a starting two-guard for that, and fill out the bench (Solomon and Voskuhl will also be gone). Now, I believe we can bring Delfino back (as a restricted free agent, we can sign him to whatever and still have the full MLE) but either way, the team won’t go over the cap level, so… replace Parker with Delfino, the minimum salary scrubs with other minimum salary scrubs… and essentially, you’ve got the same team next year that you have this year.

Here’s some Report Cards on how they’ve done and what we can hope to see going forward:

Andrea Bargnani: C
Has been awesome this month. But, was completely awful in December, after being average in November. So, overall, just average. Big question is, can he stay on track and improve and not backslide? Right now, he looks like the starting center of the future, no doubt about it. Please, Andrea, keep it up.

Chris Bosh: C+
Unbelievable first month, underwhelming second month, great third month. Regardless of play, not producing wins, and that’s what franchise players do. Needs to develop some sort of go-to move if we’re going to keep giving him the ball down by 2 with 10 seconds left.

Jose Calderon: C
Still takes care of the ball exceptionally well and gives it to guys in good position to succeed. But overall, has not performed at the same level he was at last year. His shooting percentages are down and he is not as aggressive, doesn’t turn the corner on the PNR the way he did last year. Hopefully that’s due to his injury problems, and it’ll come around. He’s potentially the second-best offensive player on the team, he needs to assert himself more on that end - especially if he continues to be a liability on the defensive end.

Jermaine O’Neal: B
When he’s been out there, Jermaine has been pretty solid. Other than a few instances where he’s forced his offense unnecessarily, his shots have been decent, and defensively, he’s done, well, about as well as anyone can when the perimeter is a giant sieve. You certainly can’t question his effort or passion when he’s on the floor. If only he could STAY on the floor! Mr. Glass just gets injured way too easily. If it’s true that he’s been helping Andrea out in practice, and that he’ll come off the bench (for now) as was reported this week, then I have even more respect for him. Still don’t understand why he can’t sit with the team on the bench, though.

Jamario Moon, Joey Graham, Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono: F
Collectively, the worst corps of swingmen in the NBA. Moon is a slasher who settles for jumpers, Kapono is a shooter who tries to slash. Joey has had good flashes, but still makes too many mistakes. Parker gives his all but has clearly lost a step; he’d be a great sixth or seventh man, the James Posey type role, only he’s the only capable guy in the whole group so he’s got to start, and is asked to do more than what is reasonable for a player his age and caliber. Thankfully, only Kapono is under contract next year, but can they find anyone decent to replace the rest? This has been the Raptors’ Achilles heel the past two-and-a-half years.

Kris Humphries, Jake Voskuhl: D
Everyone keeps expecting Hump to embrace his role as board-crasher / body banger, but he seems insistent that he’s got more offensive game than he really does. Hopefully, Voskuhl is teaching him that effort and scrappiness will get you the PT. Hump will be back next year; will he get it by then? Until he does, he’ll be 10th man. If he embraces the role, and plays within himself, he could be a solid contributor. Voskuhl has committed some hard fouls, and, um, well… that’s about it. But, that’s his role, he knows it, and plays it well.

Roko Ukic: A
The most (only?) pleasant surprise on the team. I expected very little from him this season, but he’s exceeded those expectations 100-fold. He still can’t shoot and he’s gotta learn some tricks for finishing at the rim. But he’s fast, tall, has good defensive fundamentals, and, most important for a young PG, has confidence in himself and his abilities - he’s not intimidated and doesn’t back down from anyone. He’s the only Raptor who consistently takes the ball strong to the hoop - even though the only scouting report out there on him is “lay off and make him shoot,” he still finds a way to get there. Another thing that’s impressed me, he doesn’t pick up his dribble under pressure and he never stops moving, which are two regular rookie PG mistakes - they get pushed into traps when they slow up. If he develops that jumper, he’ll be, at the least, a very good backup PG in the NBA. If he develops range, puts on strength to finish at the hoop, and continues to develop his court sense? Well then the sky’s the limit.

Will Solomon: D
Has been marginally better the past three games, which amounts to “not making me want to stick my head in the oven,” but hey, progress is progress. The problem is that he regularly makes the wrong decision - drives when he should shoot, shoots when he should pass, picks up his dribble, misses the open man, waits too long for the entry, passes to the wrong man… etc. Even that ridiculous haircut is a terrible decision. Hey, for about the same price we could have had the original NBA fauxhawk, Damon Jones, and he would have been much better. Alas.

Hassan Adams: F
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. He won’t be missed.

Nathan Jawai: N/A
Obviously, you can never expect too much from a second-round pick, but it would be nice to see him play. Also, would have been nice for the Raptors to give him a physical before signing him to a two-year contract… sigh. But that’s not his fault, and he gets credit for being with the team every day (unlike say, Jermaine O’Neal) and, from all accounts, working hard to get into shape. Here’s hoping he gets some garbage time minutes in the final two months of the season.

Overall, those grades are low and maybe the individual performances aren’t that bad. But this is a team and the only thing that really matters is winning, and this team isn’t doing that so everyone has to be held accountable.

So, yes, I’m very disappointed in the team’s play this season and not too optimistic about the future. The next 41 games might be a real drag, at least without a trade to spice things up.

But, at the end of the day, as always, I’ll support the team through thick and thin! And I’ll never support tanking; winning is the only thing that matters. So, let’s go Raps! Get out there and win some more games!

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Indiana Pacers, Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto Raptors

Allow me to be the 617th person to use that headline. I’m also far from the first person on the Internet to wonder about this, but… what’s the story with Jermaine O’Neal’s injury?? The guy has now missed six games, two full weeks, because of a “bruised knee.” What’s more disturbing is that it was his “good knee,” the right one.

What is most disturbing is that he hasn’t been seen since! He’s never been on the bench with the team. I don’t understand this. On the road I understand. Obviously there’s no point making the road trip if you’re not gonna play and flying can have an adverse effect on joints. I get that.

But why isn’t he with the team at the home games? Doug Smith and others maintain it’s because he’s in the locker room getting “treatment” on the knee because that’s when the trainers have the most free time. Now, I’m no doctor and I’ve obviously never been connected with a pro sports team. But this strikes me as pure BS.

First of all, it’s a bruised knee. What possible treatment could there be other than ice and/or heat, and some stretching? He’s not undergoing surgery every game, is he?

Second, how many members of the training staff could it possibly take to administer this treatment? Is he the bionic man, does he need a team of experts examining it and giving him a tune-up every day? You’re telling me that our crack staff are so busy the other 21 hours of the day that they can’t help him stretch?

Third, other injured players on other teams don’t make this excuse (not unless it’s a serious thing like a surgery). I’d never heard it before, except with the Raptors (I remember it happened last year with Bosh). Why do the Raptors consider this an acceptable practice, for team members to not be with the team?

Finally, even if it does take 10 guys and the only time these trainers are available is game-time… how long can it take? Can he not come on the bench after halftime? Not only that, but after six games, shouldn’t it just be a “rest” thing?

This defies explanation to me. Other players sit on the bench when they’re hurt. Jose tried to play the other night against Memphis; he even warmed up pre-game. He decided he couldn’t play, so he went back in, showered, and sat with the team after the first quarter.

Not only that, but shouldn’t the guy WANT to be with his teammates? Shouldn’t the team go out of the way to give him treatment another time so the team can stay together?

I’m done with the “he’s getting treatment” excuse. It’s one of these choices:

• The injury is worse than a simple bruise: This is the most likely one, and it’s some sort of strain or sprain that requires actual treatment. Which is fine, but why are they hiding it?
• The injury isn’t what’s described at all: In other words, it’s not a right knee bruise, and it’s actually a problem with the surgically repaired left knee, or perhaps even the ankle he injured earlier. Is it possible he’s in a walking boot and they’re hiding it? It seems unlikely, but more possible every day we don’t see him.
• There is no injury, and they’re aggressively trying to trade him and they’re holding him out because they don’t want him to aggravate anything. At first, I thought this must be the case, but the more time that goes on the more unlikely it is. If there was gonna be a trade it would have happened by now, no?
• O’Neal can’t be bothered to come to the gym, or, in the most unlikely scenario, JO simply quit on the team. And he’s either requested a trade or just won’t come back to the team. I don’t believe this is the case, JO strikes me as having too much pride to do this sort of stunt, and that would mean all his rhetoric about being a team and sticking together earlier this year as PR crap. And I don’t believe that Jermaine is like that.

I’m sure in the end it’ll amount to nothing and he’ll be back - rusty - and we’ll forget about it. But I for one find his absence very strange, and stranger every day he’s out. Why doesn’t the team just admit it, “the injury was a little worse than we thought and we’re letting him hang at home to rest.”

You know, I’m beginning to wonder if this entire Raptors medical staff doesn’t deserve some investigation. Let’s take a look at O’Neal, first of all. He came in relatively healthy, was just getting going when he suffered a nearly-horrendous fall against the Nets. It apparently wasn’t as bad as it looked since he walked off under his own power, but I think we can all agree - it was still bad.

Yet he played two days later. No one would have faulted him for sitting that one out, in fact most everyone was shocked he played. But apparently he got cleared, so he came out - and after limping around for a quarter favouring the knee, he sprained his ankle.

So the question is: Why was he allowed to play when any sane person could clearly see he needed a couple days off?

Next, Jose Calderon goes down with a hamstring injury a couple of days later. Hamstrings are funny; they hurt like a mofo when you first pull it, and after that it doesn’t feel bad at all - just a general tightness. But try running on it, and you feel it something fierce. It generally takes about 10-12 days to bounce back from, in my experience (both having pulled my hamstring a couple times and watching a lot of sports).

Yet Jose came back after about a week. Clearly he should have been kept out longer, because he was awful for about three full weeks!

And it was the same thing yesterday. It had been nine days. They said he was ready to go, but two minutes into the game anyone watching could see he wasn’t ready; he played about 20 and now he’s out tonight too.

Why is this continuing to happen? How is it possible O’Neal was allowed to come back one game after his knee nearly collapsed, but has now missed two weeks because of a bruise? Why did Jose’s hamstring take more than a month to heal the first time, and he was then allowed to come back too soon the next time?

And why we’re on the topic… why the hell did it take Jawai two months to be cleared to play??

Do we really have the worst medical staff in the league or does it just seem like it?

All I know is, two weeks is a long time to miss for a bruise.

Tags: Jermaine O'Neal, Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors

Quick correction to my last post about Vince Carter. I somehow neglected to include Game 6 of the 2007 Playoffs, which was, until the November 21st game, the best game between these two teams since the trade. Perhaps the end was too painful and I blocked it out. Carter had another average game, 6-19 for 21 points in the Nets’ one-point win.

Anyway, I’ve updated my spreadsheet and here are Carter’s stats against Toronto, including Game 6 and this past weekend’s games:

44.6% FG, 36% 3FG, 68.5% FT, 6.5 R, 4.5 A, 23.7 PTS in 23 total games. New Jersey with a 13-10 record.

And his total stats as a Net, through Monday’s game:
45% FG, 36.9% 3FG, 80.4% FT, 5.9 R, 4.7 A, 24.2 PTS. 317 games played.

So, again, virtually identical. I think I’ve made my point here, though I’m sure I’ll be forced to bring it up again when the Nets come to town in January… but Carter’s no different against the Raps than he is against anyone else.

Of course, in the one stat that really matters, he’s got 3 more wins against the Raps than we have against him - and I hope that we can get one more this year.

Tags: Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter

By the way, after hearing several people say, “Stop booing Vince Carter, it only makes him better/try harder!” I decided to do some research. Is that sentiment true? Does the negative attention make him better?

Carter’s performance last week was an absolute classic - that was one for the ages. But was that indicative of his play in Toronto, or an aberration?

Here’s his stats from Friday:
November 21, 2008: New Jersey 129, Toronto 127 (OT)
Carter: 17-28 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, 9R, 6A, 39PTS

Here’s his stats when playing in Toronto since the trade, including playoffs:

April 15, 2005: New Jersey 101, Toronto 90
Carter: 15-26 FG, 3-8 3FG, 6-7 FT, 9R, 4A, 39PTS

Nov 11, 2005: New Jersey 102, Toronto 92
Carter: 9-17 FG, 2-7 3PT, 0-0 FT, 7R, 6A, 20 PTS

January 8, 2006: New Jersey 105, Toronto 104
Carter: 18-35 FG, 3-5 3FG, 3-5 FT, 10R, 3A, 42 PTS (including the three-pointer at the buzzer to win)

December 15, 2006: Toronto 90, NJ 78
Carter: 4-17 FG, 0-6 3PT, 4-8 FT, 6R, 2A, 12PTS

February 14, 2007: Toronto 120, NJ 109
Carter: 5-15 FG, 3-5 3PT, 4-7 FT, 6R, 10A, 17PTS

April 21, 2007: NJ 96, Toronto 91
Carter: 5-19 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-8 FT, 7R, 3A, 16PTS

April 24, 2007: Toronto 89, NJ 83
Carter: 8-24 FG, 1-7 3PT, 2-4 FT, 11R, 5A, 19PTS

May 1, 2007: Toronto 98, NJ 96
Carter: 10-22 FG, 4-7 3PT, 6-10 FT, 5R, 2A, 30PTS

Feb 13, 2008: Toronto 109, NJ 91
Carter: 5-15 FG, 1-2 3PT, 4-4 FT, 3R, 7A, 15PTS

April 11, 2008: Toronto 113, NJ 85
Carter: 9-15 FG, 1-5 3PT, 4-4 FT, 6R, 2A, 21PTS

As you can see, some real ups and downs. But, average it all out, and after 11 games in Toronto, we have:
FG: 105-233 (45%)
3FG: 22-59 (37%)
FT: 40-59 (68%) (5.4 FTA per game)
RPG: 7.8
APG: 5.7
PPG: 24.5

Now, take a look at his overall stats since he joined the Nets:
FG: 2642-5858 (45%)
3FG: 509-1387 (37%)
FT: 1670-2074 (81%) (6.8 FTA per game)
RPG: 5.9
APG: 4.7
PPG: 24.4

In other words… ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME. So there is absolutely zero evidence that booing makes him any better or worse. Basically, this is a non-argument.

What I find most interesting is that before Friday, since the last time he beat us at the buzzer, he’s actually been in a real funk at the ACC; here’s his stats from the past seven Nets games in Toronto before Friday, including the playoffs:

FG: 46-127 (36%)
3FG: 11-35 (31%)
FT: 29-45 (64%)
RPG: 6.3
APG: 4.4
PPG: 18.6

Those are significantly down, as you can see. But do I think the boos contributed to a bad stretch of games? Not at all. You can attribute that to the Raptors getting better as a team, and to New Jersey declining (note that the Raptors won 6 of those 7 games), and to Vince’s general indifference to playing hard every night.

Basically, what I’m saying is, I doubt the boos affect the guy at all, positively or negatively. We all saw Carter for long enough to know that sometimes, he just doesn’t bring it, and sometimes, he gets it going like no one else. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it - and it’s one of the main reasons we dislike the guy so much.

So don’t stop booing for Vince’s sake - I don’t imagine he cares at all. If you’re going to the game, and - like me - you enjoy having a villain to boo, then keep on booing. If you don’t enjoy it, then no one’s gonna force you! They’re your tickets, it’s your night out, enjoy it how you like.

Tags: New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter

Well, that’ll go down as one of the worst weekends for basketball fans in Toronto in recent memory. First, Vince eats us up like Hannibal Lecter (just call it The Silencing of the Fans) and then the Raptors didn’t bother to show up against the Celtics.While I’ve never really been a Sam Mitchell “supporter,” I’ve maintained over the years that having one coach, one voice, is better than a rotating door of coaches. Consistency is important. I hate these teams that fire coaches every 18 months.

That said, consistency has been the only thing Sam’s had going for him, and I think we’ve just about reached the tipping point. Before Sunday’s non-effort, the Raptors had blown 15+ point leads in three straight games (although they managed to escape Miami with the win). Add in the Celtics game where they were also up 17, and you have to ask yourself: why can’t this team keep a lead?

And when you come out clearly unprepared to play, what possible excuse is there? Who is to blame, except for the coach? Good teams get up when playing the champs, and good teams bounce back from tough losses.

These things didn’t happen. Yes, of course, some of it is on the players. But it starts with the coach. And when it’s a habit - remember, they had a rough loss to the Celtics two weeks ago and laid an egg - in the form of a 26-13 first quarter - against Philly next game - the coach has to take the heat for not breaking players of the habit. That’s his job.

Obviously, I don’t expect Sam to be fired; we all know MLSE doesn’t want to eat his salary, there’s not a whole heck of a lot of candidates and I don’t see any of the assistants really creating any real change (though I’d love to see Jay Triano get a head coaching trial).

And I don’t think Bryan Colangelo is exempt from blame either. This is the roster he created, and it is far to thin to realistically compete. I know hindsight is 20/20 but how did he, or anyone, expect this team to be competitive with only a 12 man roster? It seems like everyone - myself included - looked at the good things O’Neal and Bosh could do, assumed Moon and Kapono would be better, and that the team would stay healthy. But I have an excuse - I have the eternal fan optimism in me; Colangelo should have been preparing for the worst, that there would be injuries, that one player or more would regress, that the chemistry wouldn’t be there… whatever. That’s his job.

But he clearly didn’t prepare for any eventuality other than “we’ll be healthy and everyone will be as good or better than last year and our new guys will be able to contribute right away.” Now reality has set in: Rarely do teams stay completely healthy, the swingmen are worse than last year, and a roster that includes no backup centre (behind an injury-prone starter) and a pair of unproven PGs is not a real contender. And a 12-man roster, obviously, cannot compete in the trade market, and the team won’t go over the tax to sign anyone (even if there were help available) so there is no method of improving mid-season.

I still like the O’Neal trade, but it really needed to come with the caveat that BC could go over the tax level to sign some veteran backup centre - like a PJ Brown type - to come in and play 12 minutes a game and give JO some rest. Or, it should have been Parker or Kapono in the trade instead of Nesterovic, or maybe included Rasho and one of them, and brought Jeff Foster back… something, anything to shore up the depth.

And I’d rather have a journeyman NBA retread like Darrell Armstrong or Damon Stoudamire - hell, even Darrick Martin! - playing backup PG than a guy who washed out of the league six years ago.

And frankly, I’d rather have Carlos Delfino than anyone else the Raps have at SF or SG.

But, like I say, I’m not a GM and hindsight means squat. This is the team we have and we’re stuck with it.

Unfortunately, they’re in a big hole right now. With three-game and six-game road trips in December, it was imperative that this team get off to a good start in November. When you consider the early schedule and the upgraded expectations, the Raptors SHOULD have been 10-5 heading into this three game trip, the five losses coming to Boston, Detroit, Boston, Orlando and split with Philly. (I say this because those four teams are better than us and Philly’s about even.)

But the losses to Atlanta and New Jersey should not have happened, and we should have been looking at the next two home games from an 8-5 record and a nice dose of confidence.

Instead confidence is eroding, the team is last in the division (the only team below .500), 10th in the conference, two key players are fighting injuries, the superstar is frustrated, and the team’s play has steadily deteriorated. The way they’re playing, I have absolutely zero confidence this team can beat Charlotte or Atlanta at home before heading west to take on the Lakers, Jazz and Nuggets.

Add it up, and we’re looking at coming back from out west on a 7-game losing streak with all hope of the playoffs - let alone a first-round victory - long gone.

There. I said it: I believe the Raptors are in danger of missing the playoffs.

I’ve hit the panic button. And I’m serious. It’s not just “I’m upset coming off a loss.” I’m looking at the way this team is playing - worse every game - and the upcoming road games, and I’m seriously concerned that this roster, with this coach and a GM’s hands tied by the luxury tax, not to mention the injuries, will not be able to right this ship in time.

I’m not saying they can’t turn it around; of course they can, and they might even start tomorrow night! That’s the great thing about sports. Maybe they can’t make a trade, but sometimes, the motivation comes from within. One game, heck, one play can restore confidence and change everything. You never know.

But I just haven’t seen the evidence that this team of players, with this coach, can do that.

And, you can’t keep saying “it’s only 13 games.” They were very important games, and frankly, the Raptors have not had a “good” all around performance since the first week. Heck, they’re 16-28 since February!

Not only that, but do you realize that in his four-plus years here, the Raptors have had exactly three five-game winning streaks under Sam Mitchell? That’s 340 games! Even bad teams go on runs sometimes, but the Raptors - a supposedly good team - just don’t do that.

Do you really think this is a team capable of winning 5 or 6 in a row, or going on a 12 of 15 run? They need a win streak to get back in the race, but I don’t see any evidence to suggest that they can do it. (And don’t say “they did it in 06-07″; yes, they climbed out of that 2-8 hole, but the competition in the East that year, was, um, not exactly world-class. It’s a lot better now. And part of the reason the Raps were so good was with their depth - they were able to withstand injuries to Parker, Bosh, Garbo and Bargnani. They can’t do that now.)

Obviously, I want them to prove me wrong, and I hope and pray they start tomorrow. They gotta turn it around and win these next two and hopefully one of the road games. If they come back from out west 9-9, some confidence will be restored and they may be set up to get some wins before going back on the road at Christmas.

Otherwise it’ll be 6-12 and only the delusional will be saying “it’s only been 18 games.”

Tags: Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors