Finally, it’s official (well, almost, pending league approval): Jermaine O’Neal is off to Miami, Shawn Marion is headed to the T-Dot. We’re also getting Marcus Banks and losing Jamario Moon.

This was surely the most anti-climactic trade in recent memory. I can’t remember a trade ever taking this long to happen. Unfortunately, too much time has passed - when this was first reported in mid-January, the Raptors still had a shot at climbing back into the race. Now? Way, way too late. 27 games left, and how many will it take the new team to gel? And how badly is Bosh hurt, and will Jose ever get healthy? Nah, it’s too late. You’d need to add Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan to this team to help it make the playoffs.

As for next year, well… it remains to be seen what Colangelo will do in the summer, but he now has a lot more options. Instead being ~$10 over the salary cap, the team will now be about ~$10 under the cap (even with Marcus Banks). That not only means they have more cap space for free agent signings (welcome back, Mr. Delfino) but also, and perhaps more importantly, they are free to make trades that don’t require the “salaries must match between 20%” rule. Again, we’ll have to wait and see what’s out there, what’s available, etc., but I have regained some trust in Colangelo. Yes, this season was a waste, but he’s realized his mistake and no goes from weak bargaining position to a strong one next summer.

Will he get enough talent to make a deep playoff run, the only thing that will keep Bosh around past next summer? That is the question. Here’s the list of free agents for next year but as I said, keep in mind the key may be the trades BC is now able to pull off.

As for Miami, well, good thing Pat Riley isn’t actually coaching or he might have Jamario whacked after the 19th time he shoots a three with 18 seconds on the shot clock, which should be sometime next week. But O’Neal, well, he’s a Riley type player through and through. If he can stay healthy, he might help vault Miami into fourth place in the east and make them a tough out in the playoffs - but as Toronto fans now know, that if is a big one.

Overall, the O’Neal era in Toronto can only be classified as a disappointment. He played well - not great, but OK - when he was in there and in the groove. The problem, obviously, was that he missed too many games, and with each block of games (including the very start of the season) he needed to work his way back into shape. If he was making 8 million a year, that kind of production would be OK, but, unfortunately, you need to get a little more from the guy taking up a third of your salary obligations. The Raptors will miss his intensity, but again, for a guy that only played in a third of your games, that’s not enough.

And I still don’t understand why he couldn’t sit on the damn bench for games! I’m sorry, I know this shouldn’t bother me, but it does. I see Bosh out there every game, even on the road, why the hell wasn’t O’Neal there? Now that he’s gone, will the real story finally come out?

In any event, it’s onward and upward. The Raptors have a much improved (on paper) starting lineup for the next 27 games and a much improved salary cap situation for the summer. I won’t call the trade a blockbuster win or anything, but I’d say the Raptors are in a better place today than they were yesterday.

Tags: Jamario Moon, Jermaine O'Neal, Miami Heat, Shawn Marion, Toronto Raptors

Raps win! Unbelievable.

No posts for the last few days, because frankly, those were some unbelievable awful basketball games. And not just because the Raps lost. 70 points against Memphis? Ugh.

But, they managed to “gut out” a win against the Jefferson-less T-Wolves last night in what was actually a pretty entertaining game. Both teams made runs, the Raps just made the final one and that’s the key. Gotta say, I really liked they way they went inside down the stretch. Yeah, it helps that JO was being guarded by a rook (Kevin Love) so he could take advantage, but hey. At least they recognized and took advantage, something this team rarely does.

You know what else I saw there which I never see and it drives me crazy? A re-post! Seriously. This is a basic basketball play that I never, ever see the Raptors do. They throw the ball into the post, a soft double comes, JO/AB kicks the ball out, the defense relaxes. That’s the best time to get the ball right back to the post-player, because the defense is moving away. But the Raptors just don’t do that. Ever. I’m not saying it should be done every time, but you HAVE to do it sometimes to keep the defense honest. The Raps don’t. And it exposes them, because opposing teams know they’re not serious about getting the ball into the paint.

Anyway, I saw this happen twice in the fourth quarter and I was stunned. Finally! JO ended up with 22, and 10 of them came in the final four minutes.

As for the rest, well, the Raps got contributions from the 3-spot, and that’s the key. Another solid outing from Joey Graham, being his aggressive self; so nice to see him create opportunities for himself like that. Jamario had a solid game; even though he took a couple questionable Js, they dropped, and he was active on the boards. And Kapono had good shooting night, even threw in a four-point play, and you know what? I don’t think he traveled once. Amazingly enough.

Bargnani has started to cool off a bit of late, his shooting isn’t quite as hot and he’s making a few too many TOs. But still, if this is the production we can expect - 18 points, 6 boards, and a block - I can live with that. Heck, I’d be happy with 15/6 but I would like him to get that FG percentage back up a little (only 35% in the past six).

So, one more game tonight, against the Spurs, before the break. It really is a shame Chris Bosh is out, because if the Raptors were ever gonna beat the Spurs, tonight would be the night. They played last night and this is their fifth straight road game. They’ve got to be feeling tired. But without CB4? Forget about it. I actually think Andrea and JO will keep Duncan in check, but look for Manu and Tony Parker to completely shred our perimeter “defense.” I expect them each to drop 30. Actually this might be a total Spurs blowout so they may not play long enough to score that many. Sigh. Spurs by 19. Gonna be ugly to watch… oh, wait. It’s on TSN2 so no one will be watching. Nice job there, MLSE.

Sigh.

So, last game before the break. Raps clearly need the time off, as they’ve clearly been frustrated with each other lately. And maybe CB will heal up, maybe Jose can finally get to 100 per cent, and maybe they’ll actually start winning a few games! Gotta wonder though if JO and CB will be able to keep their hearts in it, now that the playoffs are out of the picture. You’d hope they both have enough pride to, you’d hope they continue to go out there and earn their big paycheques. To me, this is where Chris can really show some of those leadership abilities. Yes, the cause is hopeless and everyone knows it. But if you can inspire your teammates to keep playing hard - and it starts with leading by example - then maybe you will finally start to silence some of those “not a franchise player” critics.

Tags: Chris Bosh, Jermaine O'Neal, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, 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, another in a series of very entertaining games for the Raptors. Funny, though, how quickly things change.

By taking a very good team - Boston - down to the wire and overtime a week ago - on the heels of winning four of their previous six - I thought maybe - just maybe - the Raptors were about to turn a corner. Yes, it was another loss, but it was a tough loss against a good team and if they could use the experience as fuel going forward, you’d be able to look at that loss as a turning point.

But my worst fears were realized; the Raptors, mentally weak all year, were that again in their response to that loss. They came out flat against Chicago, and while they evened that one up before halftime, they couldn’t hang on, and lost. Ended up being a very enjoyable back-and-forth game, featuring a career performance from Andrea Bargnani and a stellar showing from Derrick Rose in his first game against Toronto, but in the end, another loss.

They came out even flatter against Indiana, and were down 24 points after three quarters. Once again they fought back, staging a furious fourth quarter rally, but fell short. The game looked to be one of the worst of the year through three, but that fourth quarter was, frankly, riveting.

Seeing as how that was the halfway point of the season and the Raptors were nine games under .500, I declared that moment the final death knell of the Raptors playoff hopes. All I could really hope for now were more entertaining games like the past three.

Sunday, the Raptors and Suns did not disappoint. Nobody played a lick of defense, which is frustrating for basketball purists, but man, was it fun to watch. Every Raptor starter had at least 15 points, Joey Graham had a career day and Anthony Parker made a very successful debut as a point guard. But Steve Nash was masterful, getting all of his Suns teammates involved and taking over down the stretch.

A week ago I’d say, “hey, this team is close, they were short-handed and took the Suns to the final seconds!” Of course, I’d also be right pissed that they let one get away.

But at this point, there’s just not enough time left in the season for it to matter, so I didn’t get too high or too low about yesterday’s game - and it was kind of liberating. I wasn’t thinking about their record or what this does to their playoff chances. I was focused only on the game, and it was fun. All that matters to me is that the Raptors play hard every game; if they do that, if they give a good effort and the games are close, I can still enjoy watching the team on a game-to-game basis, even if the season as a whole is a colossal disappointment.

Anyway. Fun game, and as always, if you’re gonna lose, Steve Nash is a guy you don’t mind losing to. As usual, he was fantastic to watch and humble in victory, even apologizing to his friend Jay Triano for the loss. You gotta love Steve Nash.

On to the other big news of the day, Jermaine O’Neal sitting out to “rest his knee” - or because a trade is imminent. (Either way, shockingly, he did not appear on the bench with his teammates. Sigh.)

Now, multiple newspaper stories - not just Web rumours - have “confirmed” that a trade with Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks is “in the works” and “imminent.” Marion also sat out last night, adding fuel to the fire.

I’m never one to believe anything until it’s official, so I’m not holding my breath, but this one has been rumoured for a while.

If it happens, it appears to be beneficial to both teams, at least on paper; the Heat are need of a big man, the Raptors are in need of a small forward. Unfortunately, it’s too little too late for the Raptors, who are chasing a playoff dream. Marion definitely helps the perimeter D and rebounding, but not enough to help them go on the seven or eight game winning streak they need.

Miami is sixth in the conference right now, and shoring up their front line should, at the least, keep them in the race, if not vault them ahead of Detroit and Atlanta.

Financially, well it looks to help Miami more than Toronto since O’Neal’s contract expires in the key summer of 2010, whereas Marion’s is off the books this year. Can Toronto sign anyone of value this summer? Will they have anything left to sign Chris Bosh? Or does this mean Bosh is headed to Miami in 2010?

League offices are likely closed for Martin Luther King day, so chances are the earliest this could happen is tomorrow. That means the most interesting thing going in to today’s Raptors game in Atlanta will be whether or not O’Neal plays. According to Doug Smith he’s with the team; but is that just ‘cause Miami’s a much closer flight from Atlanta than it is from Toronto? Will O’Neal sit again (and not appear on the bench), or will he get 15 minutes to show Miami and Pat Riley that he can play?

All very intriguing, and all the action comes your way today at 2:00!

Tags: Jermaine O'Neal, Phoenix Suns, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, 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

Tonight the Raptors take their first trip to Indiana to take on TJ Ford and the Pacers. As I indicated the last time these two met, it’s pretty clear to say the trade has been a bit of a wash; neither team is better than they were before the trade. You could argue that, although the Pacers have the worse record, the Raptors had the higher expectations and thus appear to be worse… but either way, both teams have struggled.

Not that I’m saying the new players are to blame. It’s not O’Neal’s fault that the Raptors don’t have a wing player and it’s not TJ’s fault the Pacers can’t defend the paint. But both players have missed time due to injuries (big surprise) and probably haven’t had the impact their teams hoped they would.

But all that aside, these are a couple of teams that need to go on winning streaks, starting now, if they have any dream of getting back into the playoff race. The Raptors remain 3 full games back of Philly - who has won five straight - for the oh-so-coveted eighth playoff spot, and Indy is a game-and-a-half behind the Raps.

Suffice to say, these teams are running out of time.

Injury-wise, Toronto still doesn’t have Jose Calderon, and O’Neal, if he plays, is likely to come off the bench in limited minutes. Meanwhile, while Indiana finally appears to be healthy. Indiana got Mike Dunleavy back last week and he looks to be starting again; he’s averaged 15/5 since his return from a knee injury. TJ Ford is back after a back and a groin injury, and in a somewhat familiar turn of events… is no longer starting. Jarrett Jack has been getting the nod. How long will TJ sit still for this? Really, I wish I had been paying closer attention because I’d love to see if this plays out like it did last year with TJ and Jose.

With all their bodies, the Pacers are a fairly deep team and as we know, the Raps are thin when completely healthy. Give the Pacers a huge depth advantage here.

Up front, Bosh and Bargnani (and O’Neal, if he’s not too rusty) should still have an advantage over the Pacers front line. I love Rasho, obviously, but Troy Murphy is not a great defender and even though Jeff Foster always has great games against us, he shouldn’t be able to hang with our faster bigs. The key is gonna be for our guys to keep the Pacers off the glass. Murphy cleaned more glass than a maid in a house of mirrors last time these two teams played; we need to win that battle to stay in it.

I think Danny Granger had a terrible outing in the teams’ last meeting but I expect that to change tonight. His scoring is now over 26 a game. Who’s going to slow him down? No one but himself and the Raps can’t expect him to have another off day… but hoping he’ll toss up another dud is basically all we’ve got.

Frankly, I’m not looking forward to this game at all. I think the Pacers are gonna blow the Raptors away. Now that they’re healthy, their strengths - wing scoring from Granger and Dunleavy, scrappy rebounding from Murphy and Foster - are our exact weaknesses. We can’t guard the wing and we can’t rebound. That’s a regular disaster right there.

Pacers by 15.

Tags: Indiana Pacers, Jermaine O'Neal, TJ Ford, 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

That feels a little better, doesn’t it? I’d almost forgotten what it was like to see the Raptors win.

Now, obviously, you can’t put too much stock into beating the 7-win, last-place Pacers. But when you’re coming off five straight losses, any win will do and besides, beating the teams you’re “supposed to beat” is the first step to becoming a good team.

So I’d hardly call it a great win, but it’s a start.

Most important thing the Raptors did last night, in my mind, was hold the lead. We’ve seen them blow enough double-digit leads this year to never feel safe, but the Raptors actually won every quarter - first time all year they’ve done that. The Pacers made a few small runs but the Raptors never let anything get out of hand.

Coach Jay Triano - picking up his first win, congrats - has said that a defensive priority would be to pack in the middle, taking away drives and easy baskets and making opponents beat them from the outside. That strategy seemed to work last night; the Raptors tried to take away the paint any time Marquis Daniels and TJ Ford drove the lane, and the Pacers shooters couldn’t connect from long range on the kick-outs. Of course, the Pacers still scored 34 points in the paint, so there’s still some work to be done; and you can’t expect all teams to shoot as poorly from range as the Pacers did (7-25 from three). But, it appears there is a system in place, and it appears that the Raptors might be starting to “get it.” Let’s see if it carries over to the Jersey game…

Rebounding was again an issue last night; the Pacers pulled down 18 offensive boards, and outrebounded the Raps 52-47. Now, give that an asterisk because the Pacers only shot 35% and missed 62 shots - a lot more opportunities for offensive boards than the Raptors, who only missed 41 of their 81 shots. But Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster - as expected - were dominant on the glass, with a combined 32. The Raptors simply need to box out better. And that’s on everybody - I saw Bosh fail to box out, and I saw Ukic leak out too soon. Top to bottom, every single player on this team needs to improve their rebounding efforts. As they’ve proven already this season - all too often - you won’t get many wins if you don’t hit the glass.

While Murphy and Foster were bringing their usual scrappiness, I have to say, I was particularly unimpressed with Danny Granger last night. This is a guy I thought was making “the leap” this year. I thought he had taken his game to the next level with a nice mix of inside and outside stuff. But he started out settling for long jumpers, and when they weren’t dropping… he continued settling for long jumpers. I thought he’d mix it up, find another way to get into the groove, but he didn’t look at all interested in the game. In fact, he looked like Bosh has looked for the past two weeks - disinterested and unmotivated. If he’d bother to read a scouting report, he’d know Jamario Moon jumps on every head fake he sees, but only once did I see him use one. He still led the Pacers with 22, but he was only 9-25 from the field - and 3-11 from downtown - and had just two foul shots, and no assists or steals. Just an energy-less performance.

As for Bosh, well, he coasted a bit last night as he’s been doing, but I’m pretty sure I also saw some pick and rolls with him and Jose, where he got the ball at the elbow, face-up - that’s where I like to see him get it. I also saw a number of times where he fought for good post position but the Raptors didn’t get him the ball. Is it just me, or is this team terrible at making entry passes to the post? Still, when he did have the ball, Bosh had some drives and some jumpers (most straight-up, not fadeaways), and thankfully, no three-point attempts. All in all, a decent game, and hopefully, one that gets him back on track.

Now, obviously, the big story last night - aside from the win - was actual, real, tangible wing play. Don’t laugh, I’m serious! The Raptors got production from the 2 and 3 spots!

Moon started in place of Bargnani - I for one didn’t see that coming - and he played his best game of the season. 17 points on 7-12 shooting, with 8 rebounds and that monster put-back dunk that was probably a goaltend. I can’t believe how high Moon was on that play. Meanwhile, although Granger coasted most of the game, Moon deserves a little credit for Granger’s 9-25 - he was getting a hand up and not making the shots easy ones.

Now, it wasn’t all great; while Moon had a couple of drives, I did feel like he settled for too many jumpers on the night. For once they were going in but until he starts hitting the 15-20 footer consistently, I’ll be cringing every time he rises up.

Kapono, meanwhile, started for an injured Anthony Parker, and played HIS best game of the season. 11-16, 3-7 from downtown, and he really mixed it up with some runners and floaters. He also pulled down eight rebounds! Yes, Marquis Daniels beat him to the rack on several occasions (finishing with 21) but Kapono was… adequate on defense. Hey, as long as he’s outscoring his counterpart, he’s doing his job!

Finally, our man Joey Graham proved yet again who is the superior Graham, with 12 points and a number of aggressive drives to the hoop. Stephen, meanwhile, didn’t score and picked up two offensive fouls in 8 minutes of play. I’d like to see Joey get more rebounds - only 2 in 25 minutes - but he played smart, under control, aggressive ball, which is exactly what we need from him.

Finally, we come to the men of the hour, Jose Calderon and TJ Ford. Ford was a non-factor; really, there just isn’t much to say. 2-8, 4 points, 4 assists. Calderon wasn’t at his best either, but he was solid - 11 points, 14 assists, and the dagger three to seal the victory.

As for the other tradees, Jermaine O’Neal and Rasho Nesterovic, Jermaine had a quiet 10-9 while Rasho had an even quieter goose egg (with 3 boards).

On the night it looks like the Raptors won the trade but really, none of the four was a big factor in the outcome. It was mainly decided by the wings. Graham, Kapono and Moon finished 22-35 for 55 points, while Granger, Daniels and Brandon Rush combined were 19-50 for 49. It’s been a long, long time since our wings outplayed anyone else’s. Lots of room for improvement, but good job, fellas.

Of course, not every Raptor got lifted by the good vibes. Andrea Bargnani had possibly his worst game of the season, notching a big fat zero in the points column. Four shots, four rebounds, four fouls, three turnovers. Looked completely lost on offense, like he had no idea where to go or what to do. Some of it’s on the coaches, no doubt; please, somebody, define this kid’s role and find some way for him to contribute! I note that he didn’t get much an opportunity to showcase his improved D last night, as he was playing against Rasho and Foster who don’t look to score much. But four fouls and four boards indicate he wasn’t exactly at the top of his game. Just really, really, disappointed in him the past couple of weeks. I really thought his improved play earlier in the year meant he was going to start finally reaching that elusive potential. Well, shame on me for believing. He fooled us all again.

Thankfully, the Raps didn’t need him last night. But overall they do need him. If he keeps having games like that, the Raptors aren’t going to win many.

So, anyway, not a great win, but a win nonetheless. The Raptors needed it. Is it the start of something special? Has “The Turnaround” begun? We’ll find out on Friday. A road win - they haven’t had a quality road win since… well, I guess maybe since the very first game of the year, at Philly? They’ve also beaten Charlotte on the road, but it’s Charlotte, and Miami, but they came thisclose to blowing that one.

Anyway, a road win in Jersey - a measure of revenge - would go a long way to restoring a little more of my faith in this team.

Tags: Chris Bosh, Indiana Pacers, Jermaine O'Neal, TJ Ford, Toronto Raptors

TJ Ford, Jermaine O’Neal, big trade, first game, Ford-Jose, blah blah blah. We know all about that and I blogged about the reception I expect TJ will get before (a likely mixture of boos and cheers, when it should be, in my opinion, all cheers) and while it makes for nice drama, it doesn’t matter one damn bit tonight.

If both teams were playing well and in the thick of it, I’d love the added drama. But both teams need a win in a big way so I really don’t give a crap about the rest. Winning is all that matters.

And besides, we all know the real matchup we want to see is Stephen Graham vs. Joey Graham!!

Seriously, looking at these two teams, you have to think that realistically the Pacers are actually better on paper than the Raptors. They’ve got a good point guard (obviously), but also a solid back-up in Jarrett Jack. There’s Danny Granger, who’s blossoming into an all-star. They’ve got Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster, who are pests around the glass (and Murphy can shoot, too). They’ve got our old friend Rasho Nesterovic, still solid in the middle, with 10 points and 5.4 boards in 25 minutes. Somehow, Marquis Daniels has resurrected his career, to the tune of 16 points and 6 boards a game as the starting 2-guard. And, they’re still missing Mike Dunleavy with some kind of knee trouble.

In other words, they’ve surrounding their budding star, Granger - who is capable of creating his own shot - with actual NBA talent. Actual NBA talent that has beaten both the Lakers and Celtics, and took the Celts to overtime last game before losing on Sunday.

Meanwhile we’ve got three quality NBA players in Bosh, O’Neal, and Calderon, and they’re all struggling. None of them can create their own shot. And the rest of our roster is a mess. We’re on a five-game losing streak with a point differential of minus-20.

All right, all right, I’ll stop taking shots at the roster, it’s getting tired. It’s not good. We all know it.

No word yet on whether or not Jay Triano switches Bargnani out of the starting lineup; I wasn’t sure yesterday if this was the right move, but today - after watching Bargnani struggle to do anything productive even in garbage time - I’m pretty damn close to calling Joey Graham’s number. In fact I may have down so this morning but I was still kinda fuming from the game and not really in my right mind. Look at the numbers it seems clear that Joey’s earned it… But I still hesitate because we’ve all seen enough “bad Joey” to know this might be a huge mistake.

Still, anyone can see that Bargnani can’t guard threes. At least it’s Graham’s natural position. No one knows what the hell Bargnani is, but it’s becoming clear, it’s not a three.

And with Humphries still sidelined, doesn’t it make sense to keep Bargnani on the bench to back up JO and Bosh? I dunno… I fully understand the “play your best five guys” mindset… but it doesn’t appear to be working right now. How long do you stick with it?

Now, I know Triano is installing his new offense, and I like a lot of the movement that we see out of guys like Parker and Kapono. But you can’t forget the pick and roll. It shouldn’t be used every play, obviously, as it was earlier this year, but you can’t deny that Chris and Jose are effective out of it. So even though we need new things on offense, I’d still like to see those two in the pick and roll a few times a game. We need to get Chris going and the pick and roll is a way to do that. The play itself was never bad, but the amount we were using it was. So don’t throw the play away “just because.”

And when you consider that Murphy isn’t a great defender, Bosh should have an advantage there.

Rebounding continues to be an issue for the Raptors. I just don’t understand why they don’t box out. I know it’s “easy to say, harder to do” but come on… this is basic basketball, and you know, basic common sense - as Jack pointed out yesterday, a long shot from the left corner is likely going to bounce long right. So be prepared on that side! (Joey wasn’t in this case yesterday). And it’s not like we’re running a small lineup out there! Box out, for fuck’s sake.

I spoke earlier of “The Turnaround.” I’m capitalizing it now because it’s that important. We need something to swing our way, and we need it to last for a decent stretch, and we need it soon. Even a four wins/two losses stretch over the next six games would do, just to give the team - and its fans - some confidence.

If The Turnaround started against TJ and the Pacers, well, that would be just a little sweeter, wouldn’t it?

You know what, fuck the negativity. We may be down, but we’re not out, right? I still have faith in my team. Not much - I’m digging down low to get it - but it’s there. I believe in the Raptors. I believe they’ll come out fired up, because it’s the Pacers, and because they need a win and they know it. I believe they’re tired of losing. I believe they’re getting Triano’s system down and that it’s gonna start coming together.

I believe! The Turnaround starts tonight!

Raptors by 10.

Tags: Chris Bosh, Indiana Pacers, Jermaine O'Neal, Jose Calderon, TJ Ford, Toronto Raptors

Well, another disappointing loss. Orlando’s clearly a step ahead of the Raptors right now. They start real NBA starters at every spot, whereas the Raps have three starters and two bench players starting - and since Calderon is still out, it’s really just two starters and three bench players. You’re not gonna win against good teams with that lineup.

Look, I love Anthony Parker; he’s done so much for this team the past two years and he gives everything he has on defense. But offensively, he’s not an option. And Andrea Bargnani’s been an improvement over last year, and I love the defensive effort, but he’s still a year behind his curve. Neither would be starting on any playoff-calibre team, nor would anyone else on Toronto’s bench.

Clearly the biggest problem last night was Will Solomon. In a ghastly performance he turned the ball over 7 times, caused at least two more turnovers with bad decisions, shot 5-13 (0-5 from 3-point range) and had a mere 4 assists. You think he made up for it defensively? Jameer Nelson went for 22 on 10-15. So, I’d say it was an all-around awful showing.

In a final indignity, Solomon made one of the worst plays ever in a Raptors uniform. He peeled off a screen and went up to take a 15-footer, and Dwight Howard came out to challenge. Dwight Howard is a big guy, but Will Solomon is still a man, right? Well he didn’t act like it here, as he did everything but cry out for mommy at the sight of Howard. He decided that rather than get his shot blocked, it was better to bail out - in mid-air - twist his body around, and flip the ball straight up. Naturally an Orlando defender caught it and they scored on the ensuing fast break. Nice job, Will. We’ll make sure to get you some diapers the next time you face Howard.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I thought Orlando was the better team coming in and they deserved to win. But I didn’t think Orlando played anything close to its best game - the Raptors just made it awfully easy on them. 21 turnovers? And once again, Toronto got nothing - absolutely nothing - from the perimeter players. How does 14-44 shooting for 32 points from Bargnani, Parker, Kapono, Moon, Graham, Ukic and Solomon sound? Not good eh? What about a total of three trips to the foul line? How about a lousy 6 assists! What about 15 freaking turnovers? What’s that, a 2:5 assist to turnover ratio? I don’t have to mention that Jose Calderon’s is 5:1, do I?

Jermaine O’Neal was solid once again, with 16 points and 10 boards. More importantly, he held Howard in check as best he could, holding the big fella to 18 and 9 and giving him nothing easy (give credit to Howard for hitting 8-11 free throws). O’Neal did pick up fouls a little too quickly, and with Bargnani on Howard, it was dunk time - if O’Neal had stayed in the game, I bet Howard’s numbers would be even worse. Amazingly, Solomon is partly to blame for this - as Leo Rautins correctly pointed out - since O’Neal’s second foul (a moving screen offensive foul) was caused by Solomon not using O’Neal’s initial screen. So, foul #2, O’Neal sits, and Howard has a chance to get going.

Of course, the real story was once again #4. Check out the stat line on Mr. Chris Bosh: 40 points. 14-19 from the field. 12-16 from the line. 18 rebounds. 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. That deserves an “are you kidding me!?” from Chuck Swirsky. And once again, he mixed it up beautifully, using slashing drives, the jump shot, the head fake… he even led a fast break and turned it into a 3-point play! An amazing performance from an amazing young man. It’s shameful that the Raptors wasted it - every one of his teammates owes him an apology after that one.

Quick look at the season stats for Bosh after last night: 10 games, 26.6 points, 56% FG, 80% FT (10 trips to the line per game), 11 rebounds, 2 assists and just under one block per game. Incredible. So far, he’s exceeded every possible expectation that I had for him this season. I’m sure he’ll have his off days (like the Boston game) but you can’t say he didn’t come into this year ready to play. The field goal percentage is amazing, given how many of his shots are jump shots; he has an amazing touch for a big man. Of course, he’s also playing an astounding 42 minutes a night, but the Raptors wouldn’t even be 5-5 if he weren’t. I just hope he’s still on his feet come February.

All told, last night Bosh and O’Neal poured in 56 of the Raptors 90 points and hit 20-31 FG, 16-20 FT, and snared 28 boards. And once again, everyone else hung them out to dry. Even Bargnani, the “other big” who started at SF again, dropped a load in this one, with a 2-9, 5-point, 3-rebound night. These guys need help.

And yes, it may have been a different game had Calderon started. But you also gotta consider that Orlando was missing its starting 2-guard, Michael Pietrus, with an ankle sprain; he’s not the focal point of their team the way Calderon is ours, but he’s still averaging 14.5 points on 49.5% shooting (45% from three). JJ Redick filled in for him better than Solomon filled in for Jose, but the point is, every team has to deal with injuries; you can’t say “we woulda won if Jose wasn’t hurt!” The difference here is one team dealt with it better than the other.

Well, it’s 10 games into the season and that means it’s time to give up the “it’s early” and “the team is still jelling” arguments. Any good team has rounded into shape by now but the Raptors continue to be inconsistent, so it’s clear to me that that is exactly what this team is - an average, inconsistent, .500 ball club. At this point - unless we see a drastic turnaround from the wings or a trade of some kind - I see no reason to think they’ll do anything except wander into the playoffs in the 6-8 seed range with 40-42 wins and be knocked out in the first round. Again.

Tags: Chris Bosh, Jermaine O'Neal, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors