… and it wasn’t even that close.

Sigh. Another disappointing, yet not at all surprising effort. Sigh again.

I guess getting solid effort from everyone involved would be too much to ask. How is it that Bargnani, who had the flu, was the team’s best player? He started out strong and slowed down (11 in the first, 10 the rest of the way), but I think you could expect that from a guy who’s sick. What you’d also expect is for everyone else to pick it up for him. But no one did, the Raps were outscored by 15 in the second and it was over.

Man, our defense stinks. How do you shoot 53%, have all five starters in double figures, and still lose - and not even be close?  Raps were outscored 92-74 through three quarters, and were still down 17 with 2:30 to go, which is when garbage time started. And how does Sam Dalembert - who, from published reports, Philly was about to throw in the doghouse, then padlock the doghouse shut for eternity - go for 19 and 13, with 3 blocks? The guy is a human foul machine with terrible footwork, yet he only had two PFs against us. Way to take it to him, guys! Argh.

Bright spots for the Raps, other than Bargnani’s hot start? Well, there were some transition opportunities, and Marion took advantage, scoring 18 on 7-12. Also questioned the team’s effort after the game, which is becoming a regular post-game staple. He’s definitely not wrong, but is anyone listening?

Hey, does anyone else think Marion is having a positive effect on Bargnani? I haven’t actually seen enough of the games (thanks, TSNFU!) but in the 10 since the trade, Bargnani’s averaging 21/6 on 51% shooting. Of course, they’re 2-8 in those games, but those are good numbers; he was averaging 16/6 on 38% shooting in the 10 pre-Marion games.

Of course, it’s just as likely that it’s plain old inconsistency that’s caused the spike. On the season, Bargnani’s still only averaging 16/5.4/44%. I guess I’ll take that, though I’ll note this: his per-36 stats are only marginally better than his rookie season - when the team was winning. Improvement? It’s a start, but I need more, especially in the W department.

Anyway, back to last night; it’s official, I am becoming a fan of Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Guy’s averaging 8 boards a night in 14 minutes! Of course, that’s in three losses, but still, I like the hustle. He pulled a post-game Marion himself, wondering about effort; not sure he’s in any place to do that, as the new guy who’s bounced around the league (and world) in the past year…

Still, the fact that the two newest guys are questioning other guys’ effort is pretty telling.

It’s not hard to guess who they’re talking about. I don’t know what is up with Chris Bosh this year. Only 4 rebounds, in 34 minutes? Really? Even last year when things weren’t going well I always thought he played hard. This year, he doesn’t seem to be into the games at all. And he’s clearly not stepping into the leadership role, otherwise guys wouldn’t be saying stuff like that.

It’s disappointing because I know Bosh is better than that. I know he’s got talent, and I know he’s got fire. Where is it? I want the Bosh from the past two years back! Where’s the guy that started the season out averaging 30 and 12, with 10 trips to the line a night? Bring him back!

Calderon is also bearing the brunt of a lot of frustration, and if I hear about that hamstring one more time, I’m sending him to Rocco Baldelli’s doctor. Seriously. I mean, we all knew he was a bad defender, but he’s been unbelievably awful this year; is that hamstring really to blame? And hey, what happened to the guy who would turn the corner off a screen every few times, to keep the D honest? I know he still shoots it well and I know he takes care of the ball - I love those traits about him. But we need more than that. We need a little fire, a little scrap, a little aggressiveness!

Still, I think the biggest disappointment has to be Jason Kapono. (Is that ’cause I said aloud, often, in the pre-season that he should be the starting 3, and he’s made me look like an ass? Absolutely. Nobody makes a fool of me!!)

Seriously, though, I always knew he was overpaid, but I had to assume a great pure shooter like that had a place on a team - especially a team of shooters like the Raps. And he seemed like he knew what he was doing out there, despite his physical limitations. Last year, I thought maybe Mitchell just didn’t know how to use him, and that with the tighter rotation (i.e., more minutes) and new big man (O’Neal), he’d find his niche.

That didn’t happen. Then Mitchell got axed and I thought, maybe Triano knows how to get him involved. Well, he had a couple good shooting nights in December, but has since regressed even more! Not only can’t Triano find a way to get him into the offense, the guy’s shooting is worse in all three categories than last year, despite averaging 6 more minutes!

If he was overpaid as a shooter - and now he can’t even do that - then he is utterly worthless. I mean, he does nothing else well. Nothing. I can’t believe we’re paying him $6 a year for the next two. How did BC not see that his success in 06-07 was purely due to Shaq and Wade drawing the defense all game long? I know that’s easy for me to say, and hindsight is 20/20, but as GM, isn’t it BC’s job to see these things?

Well, it’s officially the Raptors’ first sub-.500 season of BC’s Raptors career. I hope it hurts. It should. I hope it motivates him to clean house, to try extra hard this summer to turn it around.

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Jason Kapono, Jose Calderon, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors

So, the Raptors make their first trip ever to The Place That Isn’t Seattle tonight. Thankfully, it’s their only trip there this season. Unfortunately, they have to go back next year, and every other year from now on. Sigh.

There’s only one good thing about this team’s move from Seattle to The Place That Isn’t Seattle; the time zone. That means instead of watching a Raptors game at 10:00, we get to watch it at 8:00.

Or rather, we could… IF THE GAME WAS TELEVISED IN TORONTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dammit.

You may have noticed my question in Doug Smith’s blog mailbag today, about the playoffs and TSN2; if the Raps make it, the games could very well be aired on TSN2. Is that a joke or what?

At this point I have obvious doubts about the Raptors making the playoffs, but if they do, I’d really like to be able to see them. If only those greedy bastards at TSN and Rogers would kiss and make up or those fucking morons at MLSE would step in and fix this… but the fact that it hasn’t happened by now leads me to believe it won’t be fixed, ever. I can’t even believe we’re still talking about this… how could MLSE have allowed this to happen? It blows my mind.

As for the game, well, The “Thunder” isn’t (aren’t? What a ridiculous name) very good. They’re 2-24 and have lost 8 in a row. Yikes.

But, you may recall, this team is basically the same one that beat us - and scored 123 points on us - last season. And their strong points - Sophomores Kevin Durant and Jeff Green - play the swingman spots that we can’t defend to save our lives. And we’re not exactly coming on strong, having lost 8 of 10 ourselves!

Still, you gotta believe that if the Raps can beat anyone, it’s the “Thunder.” Right? I mean, we can beat them, right? Hoo boy.

What I’d most like to see is a good game from Chris Bosh. He needs it, and we need to see it from him. I don’t necessarily need to see a 39 point, 16 rebound night. Just a solid 24 on 8-13 shooting - no three-pointers - and 8-10 from the free throw line, with 11 boards would be nice. Something to remind us that he’s an all-star level player. Because he hasn’t been playing like it lately. Come on, Chris, we know you have it in you. Bring it tonight, my friend.

I’d also like to see Kapono get back on track. He was rock solid his first two games as a starter, and disappointing the past three. He didn’t even take a triple last game, and I thought we’d worked through that phase where he thought he was allergic to the three-point line. I’d like to see him get back on track.

As for the other struggling Raptor… well, I don’t really know what to say about Andrea Bargnani. Hey, I remember he had a four-point play against the Sonics two seasons ago. Maybe he can get something like that today and that’ll be the slump buster. He’s missing three-quarters of his shots these days, and most aren’t even close… he really needs to get something going on offense. I still like his defense and shot-blocking, but his rebounding isn’t good enough for us to play 4 on 5 with him on offense.

Well, I believe that, even with their struggles, the Raptors can take this one. I’d like it to be a blowout like last Friday’s game in Jersey, but I suspect it won’t be. Raptors by 8.

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Jason Kapono, Toronto Raptors

Well, the pre-season is all but over, just a couple practices to go before the real games start, one week from today.I can’t wait!

I’d feel better knowing whether or not I’m going to be able to see all the games this year, but, hey, making the game accessible to fans isn’t important, is it? I’m still pointing these two middle fingers at you, Rogers, MLSE and TSN. See them? Good.

Anyway, I have a few thoughts about the state of the team as the exhibition season closes down. First of all, I’m very concerned about the, ahem, shortness of the bench. There’s Bargnani. There’s the remains of the Kapono-Moon-Graham triangle. And there’s Humphries. Not game-breakers but serviceable backups.

Then… there’s Will Solomon and Roko Ukic, neither of whom has exactly stood out in the preseason. Both have shown some questionable decision making and a tendency to succumb to full-court pressure. And we’ve got Hassan Adams, who can play D but can barely throw the rock in the ocean. Then there’s… hmm. Well, I guess that’s it.

Wait… that’s it!? Yikes, that is a short, and not exactly stacked, bench. Nathan Jawai is still out indefinitely with his heart problem (and he’s still too raw to contribute anyway), and Jamal Sampson, signed as practice fodder, is also hurt.

Is Calderon prepared to play 40 a night? He might have to.

Doesn’t having only four bigs worry anyone? O’Neal and Bosh have both had their injury problems - heck, last night O’Neal missed the second half with a back problem. Can you imagine having to start Hump and Bargnani, with no one to back them up? What if there’s foul trouble? Just look at last night… there was no interior defense to speak of.

I don’t know that I agree with this whole streamlined roster thing. The thinking behind it is, taking away some options should help Sam settle on consistent minutes for his guys, especially at the wing. I get the concept, but then why bring in Hassan Adams at the wing?? And Solomon? You know Sam’ll just be tempted to put them in as soon as Moon or Graham make a mistake. If you were gonna do that, why not ditch Joey, forget Adams and Solomon, and keep Delfino? Or instead of Adams, why not sign a big to shore up the foul trouble/injury defense - and to hack Dwight Howard every time they play the Magic, as they SHOULD have done last year?

Hey, I hope O’Neal and Bosh play 36 a night for all 82, obviously - but O’Neal couldn’t even make it through the pre-season. This short roster really could bite them in the ass. We all know how the “it was a disappointing season, but we had so many injuries” excuse goes - not far. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for health!

Meanwhile, the starting SF spot… I thought I was done with this, but then Moon decided to play like crap the rest of the exhibition schedule, and then Joey Graham came from out of nowhere to being this close to nabbing the spot. I think it’s safe to say that, if Joey Graham is looking like your best option, the 3-spot is going to be a HUGE problem this year!!

Come ON. Look, I can buy the argument for starting Moon over Kapono. But Joey?? Oh, man…

I’ve talked about this before, but I like Joey. He’s the guy I wanted at that spot in that draft, I was glad they took him instead of Gerald Green and Danny Granger. But that was then! Three years have proven that Joey just doesn’t get it (and also, that Danny Granger would have been absolutely perfect for this team. Alas). Joey’s an amazing athlete and a skilled basketball player, but the guy just doesn’t make the right decisions on the court. I wish he would get it, I have always wanted him to succeed, but after all this time, my hopes have been dashed completely.

I still think Kapono is the best option there.

Anyway, while I don’t deny the talent on this Raptors team, the pre-season showing has left me concerned about the make-up of the roster. It’s short and doesn’t seem to have the right personnel to fill the right holes. I’m trying not to make too much of what I’ve seen so far - after all, pre-season is pre-season - but it has to be a concern.

Tags: Jason Kapono, Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto Raptors

So, it’s 2-0! Yes! Awesome! Sigh.

Exhibition games are so meaningless. You can’t take anything good or bad from them, really. They’re essentially practice, just practice against other teams.

So I really can’t say anything about what we’ve seen so far. I’m disappointed that Moon is starting and Kapono is coming off the bench - I still believe Kapono is the better option. But again, pre-season is about working out the kinks and seeing what works and what doesn’t. By the end of camp, maybe I will see that Moon is the right starter, or Mitchell will see that Kapono is the right starter.

Early indications are Moon has been a disappointment… he’s out of shape and showed up late and hasn’t contributed much of anything in the two games. But, I have to defend the guy a little bit - and condemn the modern media for always being so quick to judge.

Even though I’d rather have Kapono start, it’s too early to make a blanket declaration that Moon doesn’t have what it takes. So, he’s struggled. But it’s two useless games and a week and a half of practice. Some out there are declaring Moon is resting on his laurels, that now that he’s made it to the bigs he thinks he doesn’t have to work anymore. I don’t buy it - yet. Give him a little time, give the coaches a little time to work with him. It’s disappointing, sure, but it’s not time to panic yet. Mitchell’s plan was to start Moon. Can you be sure that after two exhibition games that that plan isn’t going to work?

If he hasn’t picked up the slack by preseason game #5, maybe you start Kapono and see if that gets Moon’s attention. If he’s still coasting and out of sync by game #8, then there’s obviously a problem, but for now, give the kid a break.

(And my belief that Kapono should start is not slamming Moon, and I will not be happy if Kapono starts because Moon is struggling. I want Kapono to start because in my opinion, his offensive skills are better used in that starting line up and Moon’s defensive skills are better used in the second unit. But no matter who starts or sits, I want them both in shape, playing well, and in sync with their teammates!)

Anyway, you know what, I’m going to lay off the starting SF spot for now. I’m making myself tired with this debate.

Back to the meaningless games… well, I guess the one good thing you can take out of it, is that victories, no matter how small, always build confidence. Even if it’s just a little bit. You know the Raps players, coaches and management have to be happy that Bosh and O’Neal are playing well together, that Bargnani has played well, that Calderon has been solid.

But, the real thing is still three weeks away and there’s a lot of work to be done in the meantime.

Tags: Jamario Moon, Jason Kapono, Toronto Raptors

I don’t think I need to make my opinion of who the Raptors starters should be any clearer. But now word out of camp is that not only will Jamario Moon (most likely) be the starter at the three, but that Jason Kapono may start ahead of Anthony Parker at the two.Um… what?

Kapono has a hard enough time guarding threes, and most twos are even faster. And Parker is - not that this is saying that much, but it’s true - the best perimeter defender on the team! I don’t see how this helps, at all. In this order, these are your best options:

Parker and Kapono: Decent defense/offense combined with great offense.
Parker and Moon: Decent defense/offense combined with good defense.
Kapono and Moon: Great offense combined with good defense.

Let’s delve a little further into what I said the other day. With Moon out there, you’re basically playing four on five on offense. Yes, some teams get away with that… when you’ve got a Ben Wallace or Dennis Rodman out there. They make up for their lack of scoring skill not just with their defensive presence, but they manage to contribute on the offensive end by setting screens, fighting for rebounds and loose balls, and getting second-chance opportunties with offensive boards. Moon doesn’t do those things; he floats around the perimeter and launches threes. At a .328 clip If you’re going to have someone doing that… why not make it the best three-point shooter in the league, who makes half of his attempts!?

I know it seems like I’m attacking Jamario, and I’m not. He is an above-average defender, he’s a fantastic athlete and he may have worked harder than anyone on the team to get to where he is. But until he learns to stop settling for jump shots and use that long stride and amazing leaping ability to get into the paint and draw fouls, he’s hurting the team on offense.

The value that Moon brings to the defensive end is far outweighed by the value Kapono would bring to the offensive end.

I also don’t buy into the “Kapono brings offense off the bench” argument. Kapono doesn’t create or generate offense - he feeds off of other players, specifically, low-post players and slashers kicking the ball out. (If Moon would drive, this might work, but alas…)

I’d rather have Moon coming off the bench to be a defensive stopper when an opposing player starts getting hot.

Sigh. Well, all I can do is hope that Sam Mitchell was just BS’ing the media when he said that, or that - like the out-of-left-field comment that Bryan Colangelo made about playing Andrea Bargnani at the three! - it was just an abstract thought, training camp speculation, nothing more.

(I also admit that I might be completely off-base and maybe the mix of Jamario defense and Kapono offense is the way to go - I don’t think so, but that’s why they play the games. And if that does turn out to be the case, I will happily admit that I was wrong!)

Tags: Jamario Moon, Jason Kapono, Toronto Raptors