Me ha pasado todo el verano comentando cómo los Timberwolves y David Kahn estaban renovando todo su equipo hasta extremos casi ridículos, y agarrándome a la presencia de Kevin Love y Al Jefferson como único aliciente para ver un partido de los Wolves. Pero parece que ni esa excusa nos va a quedar en este principio de temporada…

Sí, David Kahn ha remozado casi toda la plantilla estos últimos meses, respetando únicamente a su joven pareja interior, formada por Kevin Love y Al Jefferson, una de las más prometedoras de la liga. Pero está claro que los Timberwolves están opositando seriamente para entrar en ese grupo de equipos cenizos y gafes en el que se encuentran entre otros los Clippers y los Grizzlies. Todo empezó la semana pasada, cuando Love, uno de los mejores rookies del año pasado y que había empezado la pretemporada como un tiro, se rompía la mano izquierda en un partido frente a los Chicago Bulls. El joven jugador pasó por el quirófano ayer martes, y se espera que se pierda entre seis y ocho semanas, o lo que es lo mismo, unos 20 partidos de regular season, que se dice pronto.

En un principio, los Wolves, con Kurt Rambis a la cabeza, intentaron quitarle hierro a la sensible baja de Love, sosteniendo que suponía una oportunidad para otros jóvenes jugadores del equipo. Dijo Rambis, elocuente: “Por supuesto que es una oportunidad. Toda mi carrera se basó en el hecho de que Mitch Kupchak se rompiera la rodilla. ¿Por qué no iba a ser una oportunidad?” (Yo mismo respondo a Rambis: Porque las alternativas a Love se llaman Oleksey Pecherov y Ryan Hollins…).

Pero las malas noticias no habían terminado aún para los Wolves. Unos días después de que Love se rompiera la mano, su compañero en la pintura, Al Jefferson, empezaba a sentir molestias por una tendinitis en el tendón de Aquiles. La cosa, si habláramos de cualquier otro jugador, no sería muy preocupante. Pero hablamos de Jefferson, el hombre que sólo ha jugado 82 partidos en una de sus cinco temporadas como profesional, y que en las otras cuatro se ha perdido un promedio de 20 partidos. Así que, como mínimo, hay inquietud. Y Rambis ya no se muestra tan jacarandoso.

Ayer, en el primer partido sin sus dos referencias principales, el bueno de Kurt tuvo que sacar un quinteto inicial de circunstancias frente a los Nuggets, que se dieron un pequeño festín ante un equipo casi de risa, con Ryan Gomes de “4” titular con su 1,99 de estatura, y con Pecherov de center. El ucraniano firmó un triste 1/9 en casi 20 minutos de juego, acompañado de 5 faltas, y su suplente, Hollins, lo hizo un poquito mejor, con 8 puntos. Los Timberwolves perdieron 129-100.

Ante la situación, la oficina de David Kahn se ha puesto a trabajar de inmediato para conseguir algún refuerzo interior que mejore la situación actual. Por desgracia, parece que a nadie le sobran hombres altos de calidad, o por lo menos Kahn no ha sabido encontrarlos, porque lo mejor que ha conseguido ha sido Nathan Jawai, el australiano de los Mavericks, que viajará a Minnesota a cambio de una segunda ronda del draft de 2012. Recordemos que Jawai ha jugado 6 partidos como profesional, en los que ha promediado 3 minutos y 0,3 puntos. Los Mavs sólo lo habían utilizado durante 7 minutos esta pretemporada, en los que el muchacho consiguió 2 en todo: puntos, rebotes, faltas y pérdidas. Así que vamos a ser generosos y decir que, por ahora, Jawai es una incógnita (“Proyecto Jawai” lo llaman algunos), aunque no sé qué va a aportar a los Wolves.

En fin, así de mal están las cosas en Minnesota. Si yo fuera Rambis, y a la vista del juego interior que tiene ahora mismo, le pondría muchas velas a Santa Rita para que lo de Jefferson sea poca cosa y vuelva lo antes posible, porque si el equipo empieza así la temporada puede convertirse de inmediato en la cenicienta oficial del campeonato. O eso, o que él, Bill Laimbeer y Reggie Theus se enfunden la camiseta de los Wolves y salgan a jugar, que igual lo hacían mejor que los Percherov y compañía…

In exciting news for Australian fans of the NBA, big Nathan Jawai has been traded today to the Minnesota Timberwolves – joining his third team prior to starting his second season of NBA basketball.

Originally drafted by the Raptors in 2008, Jawai was traded in the offseason to Dallas as part of the Shawn Marion sign and trade bonanza.

Jawai’s move to the Timberwolves is timely for the Aussie seven footer. With a bevy of injuries plaguing Minnesota’s young front court, Jawai is well and truly in the frame for a starters role or big minutes off the bench. With Kevin Love down until at least early December and Al Jefferson looking like his ACL injury is wreacking havoc on the rest of his body, this is one of the better spots for the young centre to find himself in.

With Pecherov and Hollis potentially still in front of Jawai, we look forward to seeing this positional battle playing out – and hopefully seeing big Nate staking his claim to becoming yet another elite Australian big man.

Posted by: James

Now that’s been an off season!

And it may not be over, but really just how many more magic tricks can Colangelo have up his sleeve.

The Raptors have added 9 new faces to the roster since the end of last season, not including the 3 new faces from mid-season last year.  It’s time we had a proper introduction to the group.

We can throw in Matt Carroll at the end, just in case Colangelo convinces Dallas that Marcus Banks fills their need for a third string point guard, the same way Matt Carroll could fill the Raptors need for a third string small forward.  Not exactly earth shattering but might just happen.

As the Raptors sit today, the depth chart looks something like this:

Point Guard: Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack, Quincy Douby, Marcus Banks.

Shooting Guard:  Demar DeRozan, Marco Belinelli, Sonny Weems

Small Forward:  Hedo Turkoglu, Antoine Wright

Power Forward:  Chris Bosh, Reggie Evans, Amir Johnson

Center:  Andrea Bargnani, Rasho Nesterovic, Patrick O’Bryant

When introducing the Raptors, it would be nice to have some perspective as to how they compare to other players in the NBA at their position.

To help this along, here are some baseline stats to keep in mind.

Real average measurements by position estimated from information provided by Draft Express. (when entering the draft)

Point Guards average: 6’2” tall in shoes; weigh 184lbs; standing reach 8’.

Shooting Guards average: 6”4” tall in shoes; weigh 202lbs; standing reach 8’5”.

Small Forwards average: 6’8” tall in shoes; weigh 213lbs, standing reach 8’8”.

Power Forwards average: 6’9” tall in shoes; weigh 235lbs; standing reach 8’11”.

Centers average: 6’11” tall in shoes; weigh 251lbs; standing reach 9’2’.

Shoes on average add 1” to height and measurements should consider the shoes worn on pre-draft measurement day as they can range from 0.5” to over 1.5” in extreme cases.

The NBA provides statistics on players by position for each year.  Last year, the median stats by position were:

Guards:  7.8 ppg;  2.2 rpg;  2.1apg

Forwards:  7.4 ppg;  4.1 rpg;  0.9 apg

Centers:  4.7 ppg;  3.9 rpg;  0.6 apg

The median stats are not a target or a goal but merely the statistics that half of the players at that position achieved or bettered.  Of course, having a personal stat below that number means more than half the players at your position had a better statistical performance than you did.  The NBA does not break guards and forwards into PG/SG and SF/PF.

Following are the new player’s measurements and stats and including some less objective commentary.  So who are these new Raptors?

Reggie Evans

First acquisition this off season.  Projected backup power forward.

Evans was acquired from Philadelphia in the trade for Kapono.

Height 6’8.5” in shoes, 250lbs, standing reach 8’11.5”.

Evans fits the mould of the typical power forward, albeit a little heavier and stronger than average.

Last year his stats averaged 3.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg in 14 minutes and while his historic numbers have been better with more time (5.2 & 7.6 in 23 minutes the previous season), Reggie has stats more like a center than a power forward.

Evans is best suited as a role player with a defensive focus.  A solid veteran, tough and gritty, and an excellent rebounder.

Offensive game is best described as having hands of stone.

Reggie fits the role the Raptors have for him perfectly.

Demar DeRozan

Drafted 9^th in the 2009 NBA draft by Toronto.  Projected starting shooting guard.

Height 6’6.5” in shoes, 211lbs, standing reach 8’6.5”.

DeRozan’s measurements put him squarely in the middle between SG and SF.

As a rookie, coming into the league after only one year at USC, there are no NBA stats for DeRozan as yet.

College Stats: 13.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, averaging 52% shooting.

NBA Summer League Stats: 17 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, averaging 49% shooting.

Coming into the NBA, DeRozan is considered to have a very high ceiling.  Excellent athlete, good lateral quickness, good size and strength, rebounds well, strong mid-range game, and an excellent finisher.

Many are already pegging Demar DeRozan as the next Vincent Carter.

Remembering that he is only a rookie, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Hedo Turkoglu

A free agent acquired from Orlando in a complicated 4 team trade this summer.

Projected starting small forward.

Height* 6’8’ to 6’10”,  220lbs.

Hedo looks like an average power forward when one sees him on the floor, so 6’9” looks to be a reasonable estimate of his true height.   This makes Hedo a big small forward.

*Draft Express lists Turkoglu at 6’8” however prior to 2000, accurate and complete measurements are not always available.  NBA & ESPN lists Turkoglu at 6’10”.

Last year his stats averaged 16.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 4.9 apg in 37 minutes.  A career 38.5% 3-point shooter who attempts about 5 per game.

Third in team scoring for Orlando in both the regular season and the playoffs.  Hedo is a legitimate top 25 scoring forward.

Hedo is a good ball handler, excellent shooter from range, and runs the pick and roll especially well.  Wants the ball in crunch time and can either facilitate the big play or take the shot himself.

Fitting in perfectly to the Raptors style of offense, Hedo looks to be the missing offensive weapon from previous seasons.

Antoine Wright

Acquired in the trade that brought Turkoglu to Toronto.

Wright is the projected backup small forward.

Height 6’6” in shoes, 203lbs, standing reach 8’8.5”.

Antoine’s measurements put him in between SG and SF, but his standing reach suggests he can play taller than his height.  Also, ESPN suggests his weight is up to 215lbs.

Last season in Dallas, Antoine averaged 7.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, and 1.2 apg in 24 minutes.

Not known for his offensive game, Antoine comes close in scoring and boards to the league’s median guard, but his assists are closer to half the median player’s.

Wright was drafted as a defensive player and has stayed in the league as a defensive specialist.  Able to effectively guard wing players with good lateral movement and decent size.  We’ll just have to excuse that non-foul call against Carmelo that “cost Dallas the series” versus Denver last year.

Reports have stated that the Dallas coaching staff thought a lot of Antoine Wright’s contributions to their team last season.

Wright should fit in well as an effective backup to Hedo Turkoglu or to cover tougher defensive assignments at shooting guard while the young guys develop.

Jarrett Jack

A free agent acquired from Indiana. Jack is the projected backup point guard.

Height 6’3.5” in shoes, 198lbs, standing reach 8’4”.

Jack is a big point guard with shooting guard size and reach.  That’s a good thing too because Colangelo has indicated Jack will see time at the backup SG spot as well.

Last season in Indiana, Jack averaged a career best 13.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, and 4.1 apg in 33 minutes.

By the end of last season, Jack had taken the starting point guard duties away from the veteran TJ Ford. And by a measure of points, rebounds, and assists, Jack would have been the NBA’s 21^st best point guard last season.

Jack was not considered good point guard material early in his career. But his strong pick and roll game, ability to force his way to the hoop, above average defence and rebounding make Jack the ideal backup guard for Toronto.

Marco Belinelli

Acquired in trade from Golden State. Marco is the projected backup shooting guard.

Height 6’5”, 200lbs.  (Pre-draft camp measurements unavailable)

Marcp Belinelli is the prototypical size for a NBA shooting guard.

Last season he averaged 8.9 ppg, 1.7rpg, 2.1 apg in 21 minutes over 42 games.  Averaging nearly 40% on his 3 three-pointers, Marco did manage to provide slightly better than median stats for a guard in limited minutes.

Belinelli had what looked to be an excellent season going in Golden State before he was injured and couldn’t find his way back through the maze of wing players Golden State has amassed.

Known for his sweet shooting stroke, Belinelli has been highly coveted by Colangelo.  Scouting European based talent is something the Raptors are known for.  This year, we’ll get to see what Colangelo and staff were so excited about.

Rasho Nesterovic

The Return.

After only one season away tolling for Indiana, Rasho returns to his familiar role of backingup/mentoring Andrea Bargnani at center.

Height 7’, 255lbs.

Rasho is a legitimate 7’ center who uses his size to effectively clog the lane.

Last year was typical for Rasho, 6.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, and 1.6 apg in 17 minutes.  At this stage of his career Rasho is the idea backup and will provide better than median stats for his position.

Nesterovic is an above average defender who can block shots and provide an effective mid-range game.  Don’t expect anything explosive, expect a dependable, effective veteran presence while he’s on the floor.

Amir Johnson

Acquired from Milwaukee in trade.  (Milwaukee acquired Johnson in trade earlier this off season from Detroit.)

Projected to fight it out for backup power forward minutes with veteran Reggie Evans.

Height 6’10”, 204lbs.  Rumoured to be still growing.

Has the height but is decidedly underweight for power forward or center.

Last season, 3.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 1 block in 15 minutes.

Amir’s offensive game is still considered very raw and his basketball IQ should be considered a work in progress.  However, over the past 2 seasons, Amir has shown the potential to be an explosive defender with the ability to affect a game with his rebounding effort and blocks.

If Amir can show progress in his game, it is possible he will displace Evans as the primary backup power forward.

The Rest of the New and Not So New are:

Sonny Weems

Acquired in trade with Johnson.

A 6’6”, 203lb shooting guard who barely played last season with Denver.  A 2^nd round pick last year, Toronto is his 3^rd team.

Rumoured he may be released.  Weems would provide a “project” wing player to use in practice and see if he develops.  A minimum salary player who comes off the books at the end of the season anyway.

Patrick O’Bryant

Acquired near the end of last season in trade.

A legitimate 7’ center who has intrigued GMs since he was drafted in 2006.  O’Bryant’s contract expires at the end of this season.

Another “project” player, Colangelo seems to think O’Bryant has potential.

Career numbers of 2.1 ppg and 1.5 rpg suggest that if Patrick doesn’t figure it out this year, he won’t get another chance.

Quincy Douby

Acquired as a 10 day trial player towards the end of last season.

Drafted in 2006, the 6’3”, 175lb Douby never made it past his rookie contract before being released.  Considered a shooting guard, the Raptors have converted him to the point.

Based on his play towards the end of last season and during Vegas summer league play last month, Douby beat out Roko Ukic for the 3^rd string point guard duties.

Douby finished 2009 with 4.4 ppg, 1 rpg, and 1.7 apg in 10 minutes.

Marcus Banks

Acquired with Shawn Marion last season, Banks, a point guard, is not expected to play for Toronto this year.

For the moment, Banks highest and best use is the proposed trade with Dallas for Matt Carroll.

Matt Carroll at 6’6”, 212lbs would provide Toronto with a needed 3^rd string small forward.  As Carroll is an effective scorer and 40% 3-point shooter, he would provide a nice compliment to Wright for the SF backup spot.

We’ll see in the coming weeks if Banks is still with the team, or not.

The remaining 3 players on the Toronto roster are Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, and Chris Bosh.  But everyone already knows the guys who’ve been around for at least 3 seasons!

Please say your goodbyes to:

Shawn Marion, we hardly knew ya.

Joey Graham, we’ll miss you.

Pops Mensa-Bonsu, glad someone signed you, it was fun.

Kris Humphries, it was a nice run.

Nathan Jawai, we never really got to know you.

Roko Ukic, best of luck in Milwaukee.

Jake Voskul, bye.

Jason Kapono, we will miss cheering for you during all-star festivities.

Here’s hoping I didn’t actually forget about someone already.

Now that’s a lot of new faces to introduce at training camp!

Nathan Jawai must be accustomed to change.

Nathan Jawai.

As a teenager, he was plucked from serious obscurity — his hometown of Bamaga is closer to Papua New Guinea than any major Australian city, located at the remote northern tip of Australia, with a population in the low four-digits — and scored a spot at the Australian Institute of Sport, a government-funded, live-in training centre.

From there, just 19 years old, Jawai entered the National Basketball League as a teenage wrecking ball, all explosive dunks and big rebounds. He was named Rookie of the Year, putting up 17.2 points, 9.4 boards and 1.3 blocks. A big leap; from small-town kid to dominating grown professionals.

With his ridiculous size, soft (if sporadic) shooting touch, and beastly post moves, teams across the Atlantic were bound to pay attention. In Jawai, teams saw a larger Glen Davis, and a (much) smaller Shaquille O’Neal.  More than that, they saw upside and size. The classic project player.

And so it was that Nathan found himself in Toronto, across the other side of the world, the first Indigenous Australian to make it to the NBA, paving the way for Patty Mills, the electric point guard taken with the 55th pick in 2009 by the Trail Blazers.

Jawai’s rookie season didn’t go smoothly, a cardiac abnormality keeping him off the court until mid-January. Even when he was cleared for play, he donned a Raptors jersey and took to the court just six times. 

‘I didn’t have a good feeling at the Raptors,‘ Jawai says. The team was fine, the city great and he got along with teammates (‘we’d go out, have dinner’) but he was rarely utilised, spending 10 games with the Idaho Stampede in the D-League.

When he entered the Australian national league, he was effective immediately. He seemed to easily find confidence in his size, knowing he could bump defenders out of the way, or just jump over them. In the NBA, not so much. His size helps, and his strength is unquestionable. It’s just a matter of harnessing them.

Now, for his sophomore campaign, Nathan finds himself in Dallas, sent there as fodder in the complex four-team trade that landed Shawn Marion at the Mavericks, and Hedo Turkoglu at the Raptors.

Is it difficult adjusting to a new city, new teammates? ‘Yeah, because I haven’t been playing much,’ says Jawai. ‘This is just my 2nd year. It’s a new environment.‘

But, of course, he’d be accustomed to new environments; used to packing his bags and carving out an existence somewhere new and unseen. ‘I’ve got to take it as a positive. Deal with it. I’ve just to got to work hard, try to make it into the rotation at the Mavericks.‘

How likely is he to see minutes in the coming season? ‘I can’t say anything right now…I’ve only been [in Dallas] for a week.‘

With Drew Gooden recently signed, and Shawn Marion bound to spend a lot of time at the four-spot, Erick Dampier copping an injury or getting sent away in a trade –  opening up minutes at centre — looks like the fastest road to game time.

But Jawai isn’t concentrating on settling in at Dallas just yet. Not right now. He’s busy.

‘Just working with the national team,’ Jawai says of his off-season. That team recently beat Argentina for the first time in 20 years. Jawai was a key piece, contributing 22 points and 7 boards and — more importantly — keeping Luis Scola (2-8) well and truly in check. His goal with the Boomers for the World Championships in 2010, and the Olympics in 2012? ‘We’re going to work together as a team to try to get a medal.’

Easier said than done, with international competition fierce, and the Boomers so young, now building around Jawai and Patty Mills. But for a man so used to wrenching success out of change, nothing seems impossible.

Posted By: Anton

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When you call Nathan you don’t get a dialing tone, you get J. Holiday’s Bed.

Grizzlies get: Jerry Stackhouse, cash, and a 2nd round draft pick from Dallas
By participating in this trade they got to get rid of a player they didn’t want in Greg Buckner and cash to cover Stackhouse’s buyout. This trade actually saved Memphis a lot of money. Buckner’s salary was more than Stackhouse’s buyout. And even they they got money to cover the buyout.
 
Orlando gets: Trade exception and cash
What they really get: A trade exception for Hedo Turkoglu’s salary. Look Orlando doesn’t need this trade exception, they said it themselves. If they really could have use this exception then they would have kept Hedo in the first place. So Orlando is the cash worth it to make a divisional competitor stronger than you think?

Toronto gets: Devean George, Antoine Wright, Hedo Turkoglu.
What they really get: everything they want. They get a midlevel exception now thanks to Orlando. (They don’t have to use their cap space on Turkoglu because they just traded Marion for him essentially in this deal.
For the good karma in giving Marion his money, they get to keep their midlevel exception.
They get rid of bad contracts and players they don’t want in Kris Humphries and Nathan Jawai.
Toronto thinks they are closer to the playoffs than Orlando thinks they are, and I think Toronto is right.
I don’t think that Turkoglu is worth Marion.

Dallas gets: Shawn Marion, Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai and Greg Buckner
What they really get: A lot for not that much. Stackhouse was the most valuable player in the trade. Wright is worth more than you might think.

This trade involving Shawn Marion going to the Dallas Mavericks has been in the works for about a week or so, but know it is official and it took four teams to get the deal done.

Hedo Turkoglu had already agreed to sign with the Toronto Raptors last week after rejecting the Portland Trailblazers, but he had yet to actually put the pen to the the paper. In fact, the reason Shawn Marion will be playing with the Mavs next season is because the Raptors were able to steal Turkoglu from the Portland Trailblazers.

Obviously the two key components to this trade are Hedo Turkoglu and Shawn Marion, but this trade does involving four teams (Memphis Grizzles, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks) and seven players.

Here is how it shapes up:

Memphis Grizzles will get:

Jerry Stackhouse, future second round draft pick and cash

Dallas Mavericks will get:

Shawn Marion, Greg Buckner, Kris Humphries and Nathan Jawai

Toronto Raptors will get:

Hedo Turkoglu, Devean George and Antonie Wright

The Dallas Mavericks are trying to make something happen as they see their window closing quickly with the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets all being elite teams in the league.

Shawn Marion will be a welcome addition to the Dallas Mavericks and it will make them a better team, but it won’t turn them into a championship contender like the Lakers, Nuggets or the Spurs. The same goes for the Raptors in my opinion as I think they are still one great player away from contending in the East, but the addition of Turkoglu will definitely improve their chances of contending in the Eastern Conference.

There are two things on my mind, both of which are interconnected and astounding.

1. I am a coward. 

Twenty minutes ago I was waiting in front of an elevator outside of Whole Foods in Yorkville.  When the doors opened, Jermaine O’Neal walked out.  For starters, he is an enormous human being.  (Groundbreaking, I realize.)  In each ear, he was sporting a diamond earring that makes my wife’s wedding ring look like something you’d find on the outskirts of Batavia, New York.

In the four seconds that passed between the doors pulling back and him walking past me my cerebrum organized a phalanx of questions:

• Does he want to be a podcast guest?
• Is he limping?
• How much money is he carrying in his wallet?
• Is my outstretched hand bigger or smaller than his forehead?
• Does he realize how wildly overpriced Whole Foods is?
• What’s it like to be freakishly tall?
• Why isn’t he watching the Superbowl with his teammates?

Naturally, I asked none of these questions.  I just stared at him like Raymond Babbitt boring a hole through a roulette wheel.  What a loser.  (Me, not Jermaine.)  In an ideal world I would have introduced myself, and, having read my site on regular basis, he would have kicked me in the head.  Alas.

2. From 12:00 to 2:20 today I worked harder than the Toronto Raptors.

That isn’t meant to be funny.  The Boston Marathon is less than three months away which means I’m in Week 2 of training.  Sunday’s are the long / slow runs.  Mine was on a treadmill with the Raptors game 11 inches from my face.

Who do you think worked harder?  Let’s break it down:

Toronto Raptors:

Coasted through a game against a superior opponent; effectively ended the Chris Bosh vs. Dwight Howard and Jose Calderon vs. Jameer Nelson (!) debates; shafted paying customers by accidentally starting their Superbowl party at halftime (there is no other explanation for the first 9 minutes of the third quarter aside from a inebriated team and coaching staff) waived the white flag with six minutes left in the game; didn’t run a play for Jawai.

Stephen Amell:

Ran 26 kilometeres; pooped mid-run; remained hydrated and fueled with power-gels and water; negative-splitted the entire way.

That’s an Amell victory, readers.

Let’s shelf the whole “if you look at the Raptors schedule it might just allow them to sneak into the 8th spot” argument.  From this point forward, a game is only “winnable” because the games aren’t pre-determined.

Nice effort today.  You dickheads.*

* – This statement is only valid in print.  If we meet in person, I will do everything short of covering my genitals with my tail.  Good evening.

A great human, a great baller.

Nathan Jawai, a Sport Count favourite, made his NBA debut today:

Former Cairns Taipans player Nathan Jawai has become the first Indigenous Australian to play in the NBA.

The 22-year-old rookie played just over three minutes but did not take a shot for the Toronto Raptors in their 19-point loss to Detroit.

Sure, it wasn’t a particularly electrifying night out for Nathan, with a turnover his only contribution to the stat sheet. But we’re brimming with faith that this is just the beginning for ‘Baby Shaq’. (For the record, he’s not a fan of that nickname, saying ‘I really don’t like that nickname at all. He’s one of the best players in the league. I am not as big as him; I’m only six-foot-nine [...] The only reason people called me that was that I could dunk the ball really easy’).

Jawai was an absolute monster in Australia (the National Basketball League) in ‘07-08, averaging 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and a block in his debut season. Let’s hope that one day he’ll be posting similar numbers in Toronto.

Here are some Summer League highlights from the big man, including a few monster swats:

Posted By: Anton

I was aboard an aircraft during the Raptor game yesterday.  Let’s throw down with some thoughts – courtesy of Raptors Game In An Hour – before we rip into what they’re saying.

• Glad to see somebody talked to Jamario Moon about his headband.  Either that or he got a threatening letter from a Barista who thought Jamario was infringing on his style.
• For the life of me I cannot understand why Roko Ukic doesn’t play on a regular basis.
• Saw Rashad Evans at the airport yesterday.  If I gave him a cheap shot in the genitals the ensuing confrontation would be frighteningly similar to what would have happened if Shaquille O’Neal fought Jerry Voksuhl yesterday.
• My wife’s take on my mustache: “If you want me to look at your face when we speak, you should shave it.”
• 71 first half points.  35.5 per quarter.  Just shy of 3 points per minute.  When stuff like that happens against a Mike D’Antoni team you just have to shrug your shoulders and regroup.  Oh, oops.  Nevermind.
• Do you ever wonder what type of player Vince Carter would have been if the Raptors had ever forced him to play hurt?  Like, what if the Raptors told Vince that “jumper’s knee” wasn’t a real condition and demanded that he suit up?  I’m fascinated by this question and until recently it was unanswerable, for obvious reasons.  Now?  We know.  Well done, Jamario Moon.
• Bargnani is showing signs of life.
• How are we supposed to take Leo Rautins seriously when he’s talking about Jay Triano’s coaching ability?  Don’t they hate one another?  If Silda Spitzer wrote an Op-Ed piece for the New York Times titled: I’ve never been more in love with Eliot, it would be more convincing than Leo praising Jay.
• Anthony Parker just threw a no-look pass to Chuck Humphries who threw down a nice reverse layup.  I’m so confused.
• It might not be a good sign that watching Chris Bosh run up the floor made me think of Greg Oden.  We’re positive that Bosh doesn’t have a Dominican birth certificate right?
• For the life of me I cannot understand why Roko Ukic doesn’t play on a regular basis. That stretch in the second quarter when Will Solomon was playing?  None of us will ever get that time back.
• It’s official: Matt Devlin sulks when things don’t go the Raptors way.
• The fans at the ACC were terrific yesterday.
• Matt Devlin, aka M-Killa had the call of the day yesterday after a Jamario Moon dunk in traffic: “Jamario MOOOOOON!  WHEREYABEEN?!?!”
• Tough sequence to finish the game.  Good look for Parker from deep.  Decent lay-up attempt for Parker on the next possession.  Nice tip-in attempt for Bosh.  You know what?  We’re going for ice cream kids!  You tried your hardest.

Here’s what they’re saying:

According to Dino Blogger the Marion for O’Neal swap is on ice for the time being.  According to Searching For ‘93, Marion’s inevitable refusal to report to Toronto and his ignorant comments about this city will ignite a poo-storm of self-loathing and roughly 300,000 to 800,000 capital letters on RapsForum.

From Doug Smith:

I’m hearing whispers that Nathan Jawai may be on his way to the D League soon to get some game work in. I’m not sure how much it will improve him – the D League is much more a guard and wing league than it is a big man’s proving ground – but it will help his conditioning.

Full disclosure: I really like Doug’s blog.  He’s a better writer than I am for a number of reasons.  One of those reasons: Tips on Nathan Jawai is the material Doug has to work with and he makes it fly.

I cannot wait for a biography on Rahm Emanuel.  This has nothing to do with basketball.  Rahm had me when I saw him standing next to the podium at Obama’s first press conference as President-Elect.  He looked like an elephant staring at a hunter whose tranquilizer gun just failed to fire.  “I’m going to eat you, you poacher motherfucker, and there is nothing you can do about it.” Pardon my language.

Feschuk’s got it.

John Ibbitson has the best column on US Politics going right now.  I could stay informed on all things political just by reading his pieces.  Please don’t read this blog, John.  It’ll make you dumber and that’s a luxury I can’t afford.

Bruce Arthur reveals that Nash did his post-game scrum with a Molson Canadian on the ready.  See, that is what I want out of a columnist / beat reporter.  You’re fortunate enough to be in the Raptors locker room.  Give us, the common folk, one tidbit per article.  We don’t ask for much.

Back this afternoon with a Live Blog!

While going over the box scores from the previous ten Raptor games I started to make the same face every Matrix fan made when Keanu Reeves meets the architect.  Meaning, I was going to lose myself in minutia when the basic facts were as follows:

• The team went 5-5.
• There wasn’t a spectacular victory or terrible loss in the bunch.
• Trading for Jermaine O’Neal was a slightly worse idea than allowing Andy Rooney to be filmed in high-definition.
• All signs point to Jose Calderon being more effective at 25 – 30 minutes a game.
• Nothing has changed.

For me, there’s a bigger issue: I find the current incarnation of the Raptors dreadfully uninteresting.  60 Minutes did a neat piece last night on how the Mercantile Exchange and various investment banks artificially raised the price of oil last year when, in actuality, supply was out pacing demand.  Reminds me of the Raptors.  Without a rabid, passionate, quasi-bias fan-base this is probably the second most boring team in the NBA.  The Sacramento Kings are, unquestionably, the runaway winners in this category.

Let’s look at the roster:

• Arianna Bargnani: David Letterman’s new speciality is passively destroying the vapid stars of reality television.  The evidence is substantial.  And hilarious.  Right around the midway point of every interview you can see the interviewee realizing they have one more asshole than they did at the beginning of the day.  It’s a singular facial expression.  Bargnani makes it when he plays defense.  Not a good sign.
• Chris Bosh: Fantastic player.  Jermaine O’Neal is in his way.  Unless Bosh has a seventh gear we’ve pretty much seen his offensive peak.  I can’t shake the feeling that if Bosh played with somebody like Brandon Roy (shit) he’d be a monster.  Seriously.  Shit.
• Jose Calderon: I like Jose Calderon.  But I refuse to take any player seriously when he hasn’t been a starter for a full season and was recently torched by Jameer Nelson in a playoff series.  Seems fair to me.  Jose needs to play for Mike D’Antoni.  It’s his destiny.
• Joey Graham: What a superb player.  How is this guy in the NBA?  Now here’s a wingman you could build a run and gun offense around.  Um, did Joey know there was a game last night?  Joey’s going to cash in this summer.  Joey better enjoy manual labor.  (People are going to be able to purchase functioning livers at pharmacies before Joey Graham is consistent.)
• Kris Humphries: At $3.2 million per year, grossly overpaid.  Also, inexorably tied to Rafael Araujo.  Does everyone remember that draft?  I listened to Chuck Swirsky the next day when I was driving to the cottage.  Poor Chuck nearly had a stroke trying to throw a positive spin on it.  Sweet, sweet memories.
• Nathan Jawai: ?
• Jason Kapono: If I was an NBA referee I’d call a technical foul everytime Matt Devlin said the words: “J-Killa”.  Kapono needs to play 12 – 15 minutes a game for a good team.  He’s a gunner off the bench.  And you know what?  There isn’t anything wrong with that.  When Colangelo signed him, I was in agreement.  But I don’t think anyone can deny that – at best – Kapono is a complimentary piece.  If an NBA team is a meal, Kapono is the salt and pepper.  If you’re putting salt and pepper on Southern Style Mac & Cheese with Corn Flakes and BBQ Sauce (God Bless The Beaconsfield) all the better.  If you’re putting it on a sandwich with undercooked chicken that’ll eventually give you the poops it’s sort of redundant, isn’t it?
• Jamario Moon: There is a place in the NBA for a 6′8 small forward with profound athleticism and workable fundamentals.  So naturally, there should be red flags when a player with those characteristics floats around in basketball purgatory until age 27.  Moreover, when a player is at the precipice of securing financial stability for his family – forever – and he can’t get his shit together, the dude just doesn’t get it. That is the most gentle way I can intimate that Jamario Moon is a few sandwiches short of a picnic.
• Jermaine O’Neal: $21,372,000.  Don’t stare at that number for too long.  Unless of course, you want to start making the Sgt. Slaughter face.

• Anthony Parker: Good player.  (Unless, he’s your third best player.)
• Will Solomon: I’d like to congratulate Will on the successful debut of his faux-hawk.  Adding anything else would be forced.
• Roko Ukic: If Roko is not playing a minimum of 15 minutes a game there is no reason for him being here.  True story.
• Jake Voskuhl: Jake’s from Tulsa, Oklahoma?  That’s the upset of the morning.

Overall, life is pretty simple.  You should eat when you’re hungry; drink enough water to pee on a regular basis; divert your gaze from women that breastfeed in public; and always remember the classic lesson of occam’s razor: All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best.

The Raptors are a mis-mash.  And their 16-22 record fits them perfectly.  Boring.

In contrast to what you might read elsewhere on the net,

e.g. Raptors Rebounding Woes Continue

in the NBA, the inability to REBOUND the basketball on a consistent basis, as a TEAM, is not a “Concentration” issue; nor is it an issue of “failing to get into [opponents'] bodies”.

At this level of competition …

A team’s ability to REBOUND successfully is a “Personnel” issue. Period.

Relative to the position they are playing:

“++” Rebounders are major contributers;
“+” Rebounders are positive contributers;
“0″ Rebounders are neither positive nor negative contributers; and,
“-” Rebounders are negative contributers.

When you look at the Raptors’ roster, this is what you see:

PG /Calderon 0
OG/Kapono -
SF/Moon +
PF/Bosh +
C/O’Neal 0
———————
PG/Ukic 0
OG/Parker 0
SF/Graham +
PF/Humpries +
C/Bargnani -
———————
PG/Solomon 0
OG/Adams 0
PF/Jawai 0
C/Voskuhl -

A good Rebounding team in the NBA needs to have at least three [3] “+” Rebounders on the court at all times.

With their current roster, the Raptors do not fit into this category … plain and simple … because:

1. Specifically, given the “+” Rebounders they DO have on this team, the Raptors are choosing to play the WRONG players in combination with one another, so far this season;

and,

2. In general, there are NOT ENOUGH “+” Rebounders on the Raptors’ roster in the first place.

Until the Raptors fix THIS issue they will not be able to solve their Rebounding problem.

Raptors fans …

So you’re scared and you’re thinking
That maybe we ain’t that young anymore
Show a little faith there’s magic in the night
You ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright
Oh and that’s alright with me …

Going into tonight’s game, which of these two player rosters would you prefer, if you were a working GM in the NBA?

Oklahoma Thunder Active Roster
No.	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt	DOB	Exp	College
4	Collison, Nick	FC	6-9	255	10/26/80	5	Kansas
35	Durant, Kevin	GF	6-9	215	9/29/88	1	Texas
22	Green, Jeff	F	6-9	235	8/8/86	1	Georgetown
51	Hill, Steven	FC	7-0	245	11/14/85	R	Arkansas
34	Mason, Desmond	GF	6-5	222	10/11/77	8	Oklahoma State
27	Petro, Johan	C	7-0	247	1/27/86	3	None
18	Sene, Mouhamed	C	6-11	230	5/12/86	2	None
7	Smith, Joe	PF	6-10	225	7/26/75	13	Maryland
31	Swift, Robert	C	7-1	270	12/3/85	4	None
25	Watson, Earl	PG	6-1	185	6/12/79	7	UCLA
5	Weaver, Kyle	G	6-6	201	2/18/86	R	Washington State
0	Westbrook, Russell	PG	6-3	190	11/12/88	R	UCLA
3	White, D.J.	PF	6-9	251	8/31/86	R	Indiana
54	Wilcox, Chris	FC	6-10	235	9/3/82	6	Maryland
21	Wilkins, Damien	GF	6-6	225	1/11/80	4	Georgia

  – Player injured

——————————————-

One is $12.7 million over the Salary Cap; the other is $1.1 million under the Cap.

One has an average age of 24.7; the other an average age of 26.6.

One has 2 No. 1 [overall] NBA Draft Picks on it; the other has 1.

Both are led by first-time, interim head coaches.

Objectively speaking, when you’re hard-pressed to distinguish between the authentic talent levels of two teams in the NBA with respective W-L records as far apart as these … i.e. Toronto is 10-15, .400; Oklahoma is 2-24, .077 … it does not portend well for the squad with the higher win percentage, if it’s also playing away from home.

As the first game in a 6-stop Western road trip, this is now a crucial get for the Raptors. 

* Win tonight … and the up-coming match-ups against the Clippers, Kings and the Warriors will not look nearly so daunting.

* Lose tonight … and the Dinos will be staring straight into the abyss of a calamitous 10-game losing streak:

Sun Dec 14 vs New Orleans/15-7, .682 - LOSS
Mon Dec 15 vs New Jersey/12-12, .500 - LOSS
Wed Dec 17 vs Dallas/14-10, .583 - LOSS
Fr Dec 19 at Oklahoma City/2-24, 0.77 - ?
Sat Dec 20 at San Antonio/15-10, .600 – ? [L]
Mon Dec 22 at LA Clippers/7-18, .280 - ?
Fri Dec 26 at Sacramento/7-19, .269 - ?
Sat Dec 27 at Portland/17-10, .630 - ? [L]
Mon Dec 29 at Golden State/7-19, .269 - ?
Wed Dec 31 vs Denver/17-8, .680 - ? [L]

from which they might not be able recover this season.

On the road, in the NBA, is where a team – especially one that’s struggling – finds out exactly what it’s made of … and, whether it should either:

A. Sit tight, [and] take hold

or

B. Trade in these wings on some wheels.

Key early season games for the Raptors
Key early season games for the Raptors: Part II

Come Jan 01 2009, the Raptors will have their answer.

————–

“The door’s open but the ride it ain’t free.”
- Thunder Road [Bruce Springstein]

Regular readers of this space already know that the Raptors should not have:

* Traded Rasho Nesterovic [PF/C], TJ Ford [PG], Maceo Baston [PF] and the 2008 No. 17 [overall] Draft Pick to the Pacers in exchange for Jermaine O’Neal [PF/C] and the 2008 No. 41 [overall] Draft Pick;

* Bought out the contract of Jorge Garbajosa [PF/SF/C];

* Failed to re-sign Carlos Delfino [SF/OG/PG];

* Signed Roko Ukic, as their back-up PG;

* Signed Will Solomon, as their insurance 3rd-string PG; and,

* Signed Hassan Adams, as their reserve Wing Player;

as it put their team in a highly vulnerable situation for this season, whereby, they:

* Are Over the Salary Cap;

* Are only $1,100 below the Luxury Tax Threshold; and,

* Only have a 13-man roster, in a league with a 15-player limit.

——————————————

What even these regular readers might not realize, however, is THIS CORNER’S:

* Antipathy towards the countless Woulda, Shoulda,  Coulda’s that are articulated by others, for the most, in hindsight only, after-the-fact;

* Focus on:

• Learning … from What’s Happened Before;
• Awareness & Appreciation for the Here & Now; and,
• Providing a Legitimate Prescription for Future Success, Short and Long Term.

In this regard, here is some of what’s appeared in this space, about the Raptors’ situation, this season, once their present roster was finalized this summer, given the strengths and weaknesses of the 13 players on their team.

* Raptors’ line-up … tough enough [or not] [Sep 08]
* Toronto Raptors’ Best 5-Man Unit [Sep 11]
* First good news out of Raptors’ camp [Oct 01]
* Second good news out of Raptors’ camp [Oct 02]

——————————————-

Now …

* After losing to the Lakers, in Los Angeles
* Getting embarassed by the Nuggets, in Denver
* Firing their head coach, Sam Mitchell
* Losing miserably to the Jazz, in Utah
* Getting nipped at the wire by the Blazers, at home, and
* Getting hammered by the Cavaliers, in Cleveland

Here’s what the Raptors’ rotation was last night:

Which, in turn, reveals the following things:

1. Calderon, Kapono & Moon … can, ideed, be a Solid Threesome for this team, with JC as the Facilitator, JK as the Designated Shooter & JM as the Designated Defender/Rebounder.

2. Calderon, Moon & Graham … can, indeed, be a solid Closing Group that makes the Raptors into a ”bigger” Rebounding and Defensive team, especially, in combination with O’Neal/Bargnani [at #4/PF] and Bosh [at #5/C].

3. When the Raptors do NOT make the mistake of playing Anthony Parker + Jason Kapono together with Jose Calderon … and, especially, in conjunction with Andrea Bargani … then, they can, indeed, be an effective team, in terms of Rebounding, Team Defense & Shared Team Offense.

4. When the Raptors do NOT use Bargnani at the #3/SF position … or, at least, use him there as little as possible … then, they can, indeed, be something other than an atrocious defensive team, especially in transition.

——————————————–

Once Kris Humphries and Anthony Parker return to good health, if the Raptors use them in the proper way …

i.e. with Parker as their back-up #1-2/PG-OG and Humphries as their Starting #4/PF …

within the parameters of what’s written here … re: #1, #2, #3 and #4, above, and the suggested rotations … there is every reason to believe that this team should be able to qualify for the Eastern Conference Playoffs this season.

———————–

The answer to the riddle is always to be found in the original source material.

The Raptors main problem this season is not going to be solved by the unjustifiable firing of Sam Mitchell.

FINAL SCORE: Raptors 97, Balzers 98
Game Info

48 Rebounds for the Blazers … with 18 of those coming at the Offensive end.

31 Rebounds for the Raptors …  with only 4 Offensive Recaptures.

That is everything you really truly need to know about the way in which this game was lost, from the home team’s perspective.

Adding Jermaine O’Neal [and Nathan Jawai, C, out indefinitely with a heart condition] this summer, at a salary of $21 Million/per, was the wrong move for this team to make. Period.

Until the Raptors address the glaring deficiencies they have in their current roster, which include …

* No credible back-up PG [outside of Anthony Parker, who they refuse to play at this spot]

* No credible back-up C [outside of Jermaine O'Neal, of course, who they refuse to play at that spot ... because of the $$$ they are paying him; and, possibly, Andrea Bargnani, who they also refuse to play at that spot ... because he is the former No. 1 Selection from the 2006 NBA Draft]

* No credible back-up OG [outside of Jamario Moon, who they refuse to play at that spot ... despite the fact he has improved his shooting noticably this season: [i] FGM-A/% = 42-90/46.7%; [ii] 3FGM-A/% = 12-33/36.4; [iii] LS-FGM-A/% 14-21/66.7% [LS = from outside the lane on the Left-hand side of the floor]; and, [iv] LS-3FGM-A/% = 6-9/66.7%]

related to the domino effect of that transaction, they are going to lose a slew of games like this, this season.

===============================

re: the Raptors’ Defense and Rebounding on the Blazers’ final two possessions

2nd Last Possession

* Parker did a solid job on Brandon Roy
* Chris Bosh did a solid job coming to help, providing a shot-blocking presence [he may have actually blocked the shot] in arears of AP [which was a necessary rotation given the move which Roy attempted to make]
* O’Neal did a solid job “Middling” LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, i.e. the two players he was responsible for defending in that specific situation
* Unfortunately the ball was tipped and ended up deflecting to Oden
* O’Neal recovered well and challenged the shot by Oden, forcing a miss
* Because of their initial defense on the drive by Roy, neither Parker nor Bosh were able to establish solid inside position, vs Roy & Aldridge, respectively, and the ball was tipped out to Fernadez on the perimeter [Joey Graham was in the key attempting to rebound as well]

Last Possession

* The error Jose Calderon made was not forcing Blake to penetrate inside the arc for the pull-up J … but, given the time & score and the way he contested that Final shot, the inidividual D he played was acceptable.

Steve Blake hit a tough shot, off the bounce [with the benefit of an offensive foul that wasn’t called, to give the Blazers the lead; but, the Raptors still had more than enough time left to win the game.

————

Unfortunately, the Raptors then ran an in-bounds play poorly and lost the game instead; something which happens every day/night, in the NBA.

Time to move on … because they are going to have their hands full in Cleveland.

FINAL SCORE: Raptors 93, Nuggets 132
Game Info

Jeez-louise … that one was ugly.

Three points to make.

1. The person responsible for the Raptors’ current situation is not Sam Mitchell, the team’s head coach … it is Bryan Colangelo, the team’s President/GM, who has made the decisions which have led this franchise dangerously close to “Treadmill Status” [right now], something that was relatively easy to see as a likely predicament for this group of players since this past summer, at least, for those who have not been drinking of the Kool-Aid from MLSE.

It’s not necessary to re-hash that long list again, is it?

[Let's hope not. ]

The 2nd-3rd week of December is approaching quickly, and the FACT IS … the man has a history of changing head coaches during this first part of the regular season, if/when there’s a need for a scapegoat to be found to explain the sorry plight of a team which he has been responsible for constructing in the first place.

Will he do it again this year?

Hmmm …

For the sake of the Raptors’ long term goal, which should be trying to eventually bring a NBA Championship to the City of Toronto, let’s hope not.

2. That said …

There are some individuals in this world who are positive thinkers … despite what certain others might have to say about them and their ideas, which can sometimes be complex and difficult to understand, especially at first glance … and incapable of ever accepting a No-win Situation, for what it appears to be, on the surface. These individuals, IN FACT, are properly characterized as out-of-the-box-thinkers who have learned the lessons well of Sun Tzu, and knowing both themselves and their opponent, at all times, are able to “Make chicken out of chicken salad”, on a regular basis, because it’s who they happen to be and what they happen to do in this world. Different strokes for different folks.

Finding THE WAY OUT for this year’s team is akin to the classic “trap scenario” involved with the single room, two doors [one which leads to eventual escape and salvation; the other which leads to death and damnation], two gate-keepers, one who always tells the truth and the other who always tells a lie; and, the single question which you, as the solo game player, must be able to ask correctly, of either gate-keeper, in order to choose the one RIGHT door, without knowing in advance which keeper is the truth-teller and which is the falsemaster.

i.e. All the pieces to the puzzle have been laid out in front of you already; what you have to do is decipher them correctly. Once the answer to the riddle has been told to you, it makes perfect sense. It is not earth-shaking, in any sense. It is simple “common” sense; which really isn’t common at all, at least, not until everyone IN FACT has it “in common” with each other, which unfortunately not all do in this topsy turvy world. Still, if you think it through carefully, there is nothing preventing you, or anyone else for that matter, from arriving at THE correct answer for yourself. One of the keys? “See” and “listen” very carefully, as “Looking” and “Hearing” alone, won’t get you very far. The answer to the riddle is always to be found in the original source material. Sorta like THE pudding and THE eating.

When a team’s roster of players looks like this:

Calderon, Parker, Bargnani, Bosh, O’Neal
Ukic, Kapono, Moon, Graham, Humphries
Solomon, Adams, Jawai

a coach who is incapable of negotiating his way through the labyrinth correctly SHOULD NOT be held accountable for failing to be an out-of-the-box-thinker, in the first place …

as the simple FACT IS … relatively speaking, few men/women are, including the President/GM responsible for the operation of the Toronto Raptors.

3. There are some NBA observers who actually do know what they’re talking about when it comes to understanding, both, the League, in general, and the Raptors, specifically. If you wish to disregard what they have to say, on a regular basis, that’s your decision to make.

Complex, out-of-the-box-thinking is not everyone’s preferred method of operation.

[Part One] When the Raptors trade away three of their most marketable assets in a single transaction …

* TJ Ford [back-up PG]
* Rasho Nesterovic [back-up C]
* No. 17 [overall] Draft Pick/2008

in return for an oft-injured player with a $21 million/yr price-tag …

* Jermaine O’Neal

and a 2008 No. 41 [overall] Draft Pick, with an existing heart condition …

* Nathan Jawai

and, then …

[Part Two] Orchestrate a non-essential contract buyout for a player like Jorge Garbajosa, who was their starting PF/SF during the bulk of their wins in the 2006-2007 season, when they won the Atlantic Division and finished 47-35

and, then …

[Part Three] Make the decision not to sign a reliable, veteran PG, as one of their 15 Players Alottment, for the 2008-2009 season … because they are $1,100 under the League’s Luxury Tax Threshold at-present, with only 13 players under contract, and would like to remain in this position, as long as they can also field a ‘competitive’ team, in the NBA,  

it can create all sorts of interesting and unexpected deficiencies/vacancies in their everyday 12-man line-up …

———————————

The Raptors need a shooting guard. Now.
The average PER of the opponents shooting guards is 19.9. The Raptors’ shooting guard PER is 11.0. There are only two teams who are at that much of a deficit at any position: The Washingto Wizards, who are down 11.2 at point guard and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are down 9.0 at centre. Combined they are 2-23 and have fired two coaches. Oh, one other team is worse off, sorry. That’s San Antonio, who are down 12.4 at small forward, thanks to injuries, and they’re a potential Finals team struggling to stay in the playoff race out west.

———————————

the Domino Effect of which can lead to a rampant mis-diagnosis of what actually ails their team, treating only the symptoms … which are readily visible … but not the ILLNESS itself.

Yes, overall PER at the #2 position is down for the Raptors, thus far, this season … but, according to this corner of the internet, THIS is NOT the PRIMARY CAUSE of the Raptors current set of problems.

Q1. What is?
A1. Part One, Part Two and Part Three … in combination with one another.

When this corner of the sports blogosphere told you earlier this fall/summer that the Raptors trade for Jermaine O’Neal was not going to be enough, by itself, to fundamentally improve Toronto’s Rebounding Deficiency from the last few seasons there were boatloads of delusional fans some who did not want to believe this specific assessment of this team, in advance of actually seeing real live NBA games this season with their own two eyes.

—————–

How could the acquisition of a former 6-time NBA All-Star …

in exchange for a smallish, erractic [but talented] Point Guard [i.e. TJ Ford], an over-the-hill, lumbering, strictly speaking part-time Center [i.e. Rasho Nesterovic], the 15th player from their roster last season [i.e. Maceo Baston], and a flip-flop of the No. 17 [overall] and No. 41 Draft Picks from the 2008 NBA Draft, who turned out to be Roy Hibbert [C] and Nathan Jawai [C], respectively …

possibly NOT improve the Raptors decidely mediocre rebounding numbers from the last few years in any significant way, shape or form?

—————–

Well … as of Thursday, November 6, 2008 the Basketball Acumen of this specific correspondent seems to be as sharp [and accurate] as ever:

[Statistics from NBA.com]

When a certain NBA observer tells you something about ‘How the Game actually Works in this League’, in advance … it might well be in your best interests to believe what this person has to say, even though you are not able to fully comprehend it, at that point in time.

—————–

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

The sort of quotes which make a keen NBA Observer scratch his head and say, “Hmmmmmmm.”

——————————————-

Star dimming, O’Neal sees brighter days in Toronto

1. re: Jermaine O’Neal’s physical condition

O’Neal admits as much, directing most of the blame at his left knee. He had surgery to repair a cartilage tear the summer before last season, and was on the floor for opening night. By mid-January, however, O’Neal felt like he was playing on one leg. Tired of crunching Advil – “12 a day,” he claims – he sought the advice of a couple specialists and shut down for the next 2½ months. He returned for the final two weeks, and the Pacers finished one win shy of claiming the Eastern Conference’s last playoff berth.

Because neither O’Neal nor the Pacers wanted to further diminish his trade value, “we didn’t really want to speak much about my injuries,” he said. “Whenever it got to the point where I had to sit out, we just had to call it something else. But over the last 2½ years, that knee was the issue.”

i.e. O’Neal had surgery on his injured left knee 2 summers ago, not this past season or during this current off-season.

2. Jermaine O’Neal’s mind-set

There were other issues, not all of them external.

“Mentally, I was just worn out,” he said. “When you get to that point, you just kind of lose that fire.”

3. re: probability & what to worry about

“Bryan Colangelo isn’t dumb; he didn’t trade for an injured player,” said one Eastern Conference scout. “Jermaine will probably dedicate himself this season. He quit on Indiana. I guess if there’s anything to worry about, it’s that he could always do the same in Toronto.”

——————————————-

Based on the following observations:

* Jermaine O’Neal is not coming back from an injury he sustained this past season
* Once a NBA player ‘loses his fire’, rarely does he ever get it back
* Jermaine O’Neal is perceived to have ‘quit’ on the Indiana Pacers

it is simply not a given that the Raptors are actually going to get their money’s worth this season, and next, from the trade which brought them Jermaine O’Neal and cost them TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston & the No. 17 Selection [overall] from the 2008 NBA Draft, which the Pacers used to choose Roy Hibbert [C, Georgetown], in exchange for the #41 Pick, Nathan Jawai [C/PF, Australia] who is still inactive at this point with a suspected heart condition.

[Note 1: O'Neal missed his first 'in-game' action with the Raptors this season, on Tuesday, sitting out the 2nd Half of their exhibition loss vs the Nuggets, due to a 'sore right leg'.]

As the NBA’s pre-season continues to move forward, it becomes increasingly interesting to evaluate some of the Draft Night transactions which involved young men who had yet to play a single game in the NBA and were deemed by certain GM’s to be valuable building blocks for their respective franchises, or not.

Such is the case for Roy Hibbert [C, 7-2, 278, 2008 NBA Draft, No. 17 (overall) Selection].

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Hibbert shows he can score
Hibbert, the No. 17 pick in last summer’s draft, had his best offensive game of the preseason, scoring 17 points against the Grizzlies on Monday.

“We really like Roy,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “He works his heart out. He knows how to put the ball in the basket around the basket. We couldn’t be happier with Roy right now.”

Hibbert came out of Georgetown labeled as being primarily a defensive player. Hibbert will help the Pacers defensively — he had three blocked shots against the Grizzlies — but he’ll also offer more. He had nine rebounds in 23 minutes.

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Time will tell just how effective Roy Hibbert is eventually going to be, in the NBA … but if this corner’s assessment proves to be correct, he is destined to have a long and productive career, as a ‘Robert Parrish-esque’ player, i.e. no fuss-no muss, consistent on both ends of the floor, plays within himself at all times, Rock Solid Big … following in the grand tradition of Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutumbo, Alonzo Mourning and [to a far lesser extent] Othella Harrington.

Of further intrigue, at least, to this corner, is the fact that he was acquired on Draft Night by a GM like Larry Legend [of all people ], as part of the Pacers’ trade with the Raptors … i.e. Jermaine O’Neal + the 2008 NBA Draft No. 41 (overall) Selection [Nathan Jawai], in exchange for TJ Ford [PG] + Rasho Nesterovic [PF/C] + Maceo Baston [PF].

5 years from today … it is going to be very interesting to assess where the Raptors have gone, in the interim, with the front-court players they have right now … i.e. Chris Bosh, O’Neal, Andrea Bargnani, Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai & Jamal Sampson … in comparison with the Pacers [i.e. Rasho Nesterovic, Jeff Foster, Troy Murphy, Austin Croshere, Josh McRoberts, Maceo Baston & Roy Hibbert].

It says here … that Larry Bird has his Center for the next 10-15 years, and the Pacers are but one or two more moves away from returning to the EC playoffs on a consistent basis.

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UPDATE:
* A 2nd set of solid numbers for Roy Hibbert
Box Score: Pacers 100, Mavericks 93 [Wed Oct 15 2008].

Since the Jermaine O’Neal trade was first announced, this corner has said repeatedly that this move alone was NOT going to solve the Raptors’ REBOUNDING problem … which occurs when they play against a high calibre opponent with as much or more ‘athleticism’ at the 5 positions on the floor, in comparison with Toronto’s line-up.

When this current collection of Raptors matches-up with a team like this current group of 76ers … what you’re going to get, more often than not, is a ‘Board Deficit’ like you saw in yesterday’s encounter:

Box Score: Philadelphia 85, Toronto 79

There are specific ways to effectively address a team’s REBOUNDING problem … when it’s the type of problem the Raptors have had for the last two years … but, one of them is NOT:

* To trade your team’s 2nd best Rebounder [who is also your best Low Post Defender, i.e. Nesterovic]
* To include a flip-flop of 1st & 2nd Round Draft Picks [which turns out to be ... THEY get Roy Hibbert; YOU get Nathan Jawai!!!]
* To include your back-up PG in the deal [Ford]
* To include a throw-away Big from the end of the bench [Baston]
* Plus, decide to let another throw-away Big from the end of the bench to walk for nothing [Brezec]
* Plus, decide to let a useful player like Carlos Delfino walk away for nothing
* Plus, decide to let a VERY useful player like Jorge Garbajosa do the same

… in exchange for adding:

* Either inexperienced and/or marginal players like Jawai, Roko Ukic, Hassan Adams, and Will Solomon
* Plus, a veteran player like Jermaine O’Neal, who is returning from a series of leg injuries.

That ^^^, right there, is like making a 7 for 4 deal, where …

Toronto Loses: Nesterovic + Ford + Hibbert + Baston + Brezec + Delfino + Garbajosa

and

Toronto Adds: O’Neal + Jawai + Adams + Solomon

[strictly speaking Ukic cannot be included amongst the additions since his rights already belonged to the Raptors]

in which 5 of the 6 players who you know already can play effectively in the NBA, in some capacity, are going the other way … while you are getting ‘the best player’, overall … but, who you can only HOPE is going to regain his effectiveness coming off his most recent injury.

THAT ^^^, right there, is a BAD TRADE.

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By trying to make a ‘blockbuster’ trade this summer … instead of simply moving TJ Ford for a back-up, serviceable, Wing player like Rodney Carney … and promoting Calderon to the starter’s position … and, THEN, holding onto Nesterovic, Delfino & Garbajosa, until further notice … what the Raptors have done now is, in fact, ROLL THE DICE big time that they do not pick up any sort of serious injury to Bosh, O’Neal or Calderon, and can survive these next two years with their current line-up intact, while not dropping down into the #9-12 spots in the EC, where they would be a DEFINITE ‘treadmill’ team … i.e not good enough to make the playoffs and not bad enough to get a high NBA DRAFT Lottery Pick anytime soon … waiting for the 2010-2011 season when they will once again have some wiggle room under the Salary Cap/Luxury Tax Threshold to add/subtract players to/from their roster.

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Which, in turn … given the Raptors’ current player roster … is part of the reason they SHOULD think long and hard, right now, about:

* Removing Anthony Parker from their starting line-up
* Shifting Jamario Moon to the #2-spot
* Inserting Joey Graham into the starting line-up
* Using AP as the primary back-up PG/OG, coming off the bench
* Removing Jermaine O’Neal from the starting line-up
* Inserting Kris Humphries into the starting line-up, as the partner for CB4
* Using O’Neal [PF] and Bargnani [C] together, as the Bigs with their 2nd Unit
* Using Jason Kapono for instant offense off the bench, as a spot player on the Wing with either the 1st or 2nd Units, at a later point in the game when the situation dictates
* Using a system of higly structured set plays which would allow limited offensive players like Graham, Moon, Humphries, and Bargnani to function at their maximum level of efficiency by only shooting ‘designated’ shots …

and, thereby, create a better balanced rotation for this Raptors’ team, which accounts for and integrates the areas of Rebounding, Defense and Team Offense.

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Then, again … this corner could always be proven wrong about this … over the course of time.