SB Nation - Antoine Wright

3 In The Key - Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. New Orleans

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

Chris Paul almost got a well deserved triple double. Heck, he almost finished with a 30 and 20 night against the Nuggets. Will CP3 get that elusive triple double against the Raptors today?

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In a rematch where Chris Paul will play the team that injured him, the Raptors will face one of the league's most dynamic point guards. Of course, Mo Pete will be the talk of the town as Vicious D takes a look at the Hornets.

This is all Morris Peterson's fault.

Well, not really, but let's look at how Mo Pete left.

Back in the wonderous 2006-2007 season, the Raptors decided to start benching Mo Pete after years of loyal service. The Raptors had a new guy in Jorge Garbajosa who was a tough Spaniard who wasn't going to take guff from anyone. He was going to be our defensive stopper who just played hard in every game and who could defend bigger people while using his crafty mind to take out the smaller small forwards in the league. Mo Pete was benched and his minutes severely reduced. When Garbajosa went down with his Raptors Career-ending injury, the team picked Joey Graham to start over Mo Pete.

Thus ended Mo Pete's career in Toronto.

Getting snubbed once for a veteran player like Garbajosa was nothing to be ashamed about, but getting snubbed for the likes of Joey Graham was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. Since then, we have been without any real stoppers at the small forward position in Toronto. And yes, that includes the recently end-of-bencher Antoine Wright.

But good news:

Mo Pete is back in Toronto.

With the Hornets.

Doing not much of anything.

As part of their 15 years anniversary, the Raptors will be celebrating Mo Pete's service to the Raptors and the Raptors' community. Without a doubt, Peterson was a man who just got to become Mr. Raptor by being a subtle part of some very good teams. He was the Ironman of the Raptors and gave us some very important years with some good defense, some better shooting, and some miraculous plays.

He'll be a Raptor whom I'll definitely stand up and applaud from my condo.

Up next though, the Raptors still have a game to play and against the New Orleans Hornets, they will have it out a lot tougher than the Nets. That's why today's game will be a much better measuring stick for this Raptors team:

1) Protect Your "Glass Jaw"
The Raptors are simply bad when they have to do anything tough, but more than that, it seems as though whenever teams start trading baskets with the Raptors, they will fold. In boxing, a glass jaw boxer is a guy with a weak chin who will go down for the count whenever their opposition tags them on the chin. With these Raptors, their "chin" seems to be their paint and the Raptors get hit there way too often. It all eventually changes the game to their opposition's favour. It happened in the Nets game, albeit only in the second half after they built a sizable lead, and it's happened in just about every game where they've been blown out. We're going to keep mentioning it until the Raptors change their ways, but the fact is, this team's best defensive unit is probably Jarrett Jack, Marco Belinelli, Sonny Weems, Chris Bosh, and Amir Johnson.

That's four bench players with Chris Bosh. With Chris Paul almost dropping a triple double the last game against the Nuggets, the Raptors have to keep protecting their paint otherwise this game will get ugly real quick.

2) Stick and Jab
The Raptors on the other hand, have to keep going inside against the Hornets. New Orleans just doesn't have a very strong front court despite having one of the most overrated centers in the league in Emeka Okafor. Chris Paul as well, has a propensity to being exposed by opposing point guards, so the Raptors should keep slashing and slashing in the paint like there's no tomorrow. Attacking them with two points here and there will keep New Orleans on their toes until you find yourself for open threes. Which leads us to...

3) Power Punches
The Raptors have not been shooting the 3-pointer very well lately. However, a lot of that has to do with who is taking those threes. DeMar DeRozan, Antoine Wright, and the recently cold Italian Duo are all people that should be careful about shooting too many threes. But if the Raptors start by hitting the Hornets with lots of jabs, they'll expose them for open looks on the perimeter. The Raptors are a team that needs those open looks and they'll have to stick them as it's a major part of what makes the Raptors a dangerous offensive team. It's how the Raptors pulled out a win in New Orleans earlier this year after all. However it's all got to start from the inside out. The best boxers establish themselves with their jab and then unleashes hooks and uppercuts when need be. The Raptors will need to do the same.

Orlando Magic 118, Toronto Raptors 99

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:09:03 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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The Orlando Magic used a team-wide hot shooting performance against the Toronto Raptors' perpetually porous defense to cruise to a 118-99 win Wednesday night. Rashard Lewis led all scorers with 21 points--including 5 three-pointers--while Matt Barnes scored 20 points on 10 shots off the bench. Dwight Howard approached a triple-double with 18 points, 14 boards, and 8 blocked shots before checking out as the game got out of hand. Orlando held Toronto's Chris Bosh to 20 points, while former Magic player Hedo Turkoglu chipped in 14 (on 2-of-9 shooting) and Jarrett Jack added 13.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Raptors	94	105.4	46.6%	18.0	22.7	10.7
Magic	87	134.9	66.7%	24.0	27.6	16.0
Green denotes a stat better than the team's season average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's season average.

The game transpired more or less like you might have figured it would based on these teams' reputations going in. The Raptors hung with the Magic early on, but the Magic created just enough separation with an 8-0 run late in the first quarter--fueled by a tough Vince Carter layup and back-to-back treys from Jason Williams--to take a 27-19 lead, and Toronto never really challenged after that. It wasn't always a question of effort, but rather ability; Orlando got whatever it wanted, the Raptors couldn't keep pace with the Magic's blistering shooting, and so it continued for the next 36 minutes. After a while, the Raptors appeared to just say, "screw it," and they mailed in the rest of the game. The way things went for the Magic, you can hardly blame them.

Okay, well, you can, to an extent, but I think you see my point. Things came entirely too easily for Orlando. The misses came on well-executed plays, open, and in rhythm, at least until garbage time, when Marcin Gortat started launching just any old thing he wanted. And by "old thing," I mean "15-footer early in the shot clock."

Howard missed 1 shot all game, and it was an off-balance tip-in attempt. Barnes shot 7-of-10, and one of those misses came on an inexplicably blown dunk with nobody around. Several of J.J. Redick's shots rattled around and out... and on it goes. Nary a blemish for Orlando offensively, at least not when the game really mattered. Turnovers were a bit of an issue, with Anthony Johnson--who scored a lively 13 points off the bench--twice losing the ball off his knee on his way to the hoop. and with the odd push-off against Howard or Redick. Overall, though, what is your chief complaint if you're the Magic? Maybe it's that Mickael Pietrus struggled in his 17 minutes, shooting 1-of-5 with 2 turnovers as he tried to battle through illness. Maybe it's that the Raptors came up with 6 steals, despite being the league's worst turnover-forcing unit. Maybe it's that Bosh scored 20 in 30 minutes, on 7-of-11 shooting. Still, his touches were few and far between, as the Magic dared Jack (13 points on 15 shots) and Andrea Bargnani (12 points on 12 shots) to beat them. A sound strategy, which they executed.

That sentence more or less summarizes the Magic's night. They had a game plan on both ends, they put it in motion, and they prevailed with ease. Really, I'm more impressed with the Magic's defense of the Raptors than I am with their offensive assault against them. A team as gifted as Orlando should light up the scoreboard against a sieve like Toronto. But the Raptors had the league's 4th-most efficient offense coming in, and Orlando shut it down. Howard's rejections helped, sure--and some of them could have been fouls or goaltends, if we're honest, but not nearly enough to swing momentum in Toronto's favor--but rarely did the Magic get burned on that end. So Antoine Wright peels himself off the end of the bench and scores 7 straight points late in the 4th: who cares? Two contested looks in the lane and a three-pointer for a career 29.3% long-distance shooter. You're happy giving those looks up.

Finally, how about Brandon Bass tonight? Coach Stan Van Gundy dusted off Orlando's sparingly used free-agent signee, who played both power forward and center, and he responded. 5 points, 1 rebound, 3 blocks (?!), and the usual energy and aggression in just over 9 minutes for Bass, who's probably a rotation player on just about every other NBA team. I see no reason or him to take minutes from three-point ace Ryan Anderson on a regular basis, but it's always good to know that your 11th man can come in immediately and make an impact.

Sorry if I seem more peppy than usual, but again, there's very little wrong with the way the Magic played tonight. A solid win against a worthy offensive foe, and a chance to rest up on the first night of a back-to-back set. Orlando jets to Miami to play the Heat--themselves fresh off a win against Toronto--tomorrow night.

Raptors Rapid Recap - Toronto 110 - Chicago 78

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:38:32 -0000

-The big question going into tonight's match against the Bulls was if the zeal from last night's OT win over the Wiz would carry over. Considering the 32 point win, you could say that it did just a little bit.

-The Raptors came out guns blazing out scoring the Bulls 37 to 16 in the first quarter and never looked back. Chris Bosh led the way with 25 points and 12 rebounds in only 22 minutes of play but he had help from all angles tonight. Five players in double figures, including much-needed games from Antoine Wright (10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) and Marco Belinelli (15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.)

-Toronto completely outplayed Chicago shooting 48 per cent from the field and outrebounding the Bulls, a ridiculous 53 to 32. It was great to see the Dinos so relentless in the latter department, especially on the offensive end, and their 18 offensive boards sunk Chicago's spirirts.

-On the other side of the ball, it didn't help that the Bulls ace rebounder Joakim Noah was tossed in the second half with his second technical foul and so after that, the slaughter was on. Chicago though was horrid offensively all night, shooting only 39 per cent and really didn't show a sign of life after the first few minutes of this one.

-It was about as complete a game as you could ask for from Toronto, which makes two straight A+ efforts since Jay Triano had a little chat with his club. The lone concern was that Jose Calderon left the game with a strained hip flexor in the second half. Sounds like only a minor tweak though and with a few days off, he should be good to go Tuesday.

-A great time to get these two wins as Toronto faces Minnesota and Milwaukee next, two more quite winnable games which could ensure a nice pre-Christmas run considering the Nets are looming as well.

3 In The Key - Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Indiana

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:32:05 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Can the Raps slow down Danny Granger and the fast-paced Indiana attack tonight?

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RaptorsHQ makes its monthly media appearance at the Air Canada Center, this time to see Jarrett Jack's former club, the Indiana Pacers come for a visit.

When we started looking at the November schedule, tonight's game against the Indiana Pacers seemed to jump out a bit.

Why?

Well for starters, there weren't a lot of home games to choose from of course.

More importantly though, considering the tough schedule the Dinos had been involved with early on, this match seemed to mark the first of a somewhat easier stretch for Toronto.

Of course in the NBA, "easier" is a relative term.

The Knicks can get thumped one night, then take the Celtics to overtime another.

But on paper, the Raps' next bunch doesn't have the same "oh no" factor as did their previous Western Conference road trip, or even games against the likes of Orlando. Yes, they still need to close out the month against Phoenix and Boston, but apart from those two, things finally start to ease up a bit.

And talk about perfect timing.

The Raps come in a banged up bunch, already minus Reggie Evans of course, but with a gaggle of swingmen suddenly suffering from various issues. Antoine Wright, Hedo Turkoglu and Marco Belinelli have each missed time recently, and now, Amir Johnson has a tweaked knee as well.

Yesterday's reports out of practice however made it sound like Belinelli was going to be good to go, with Wright and Johnson likely as well provided no flare-ups occured overnight. It would be great to have a full staff on board for an important one tonight vs. Indiana.

The Pacers come in with a 5 and 6 record, having lost three in a row. Among those losses, some disappointing ones to New York and Charlotte. Danny Granger has been his usual phenomenal self, but he's struggled to get consistent help from teammates, especially with Troy Murphy being on the DL. Toronto will have to lock in on Granger tonight, the Pacers' main weapon, and that kicks off the first of our three keys:

1) Keep Granger in check.

Longtime readers know my affinity for Granger. He was my favourite college player in 2005 and I prayed that the Raps would grab him with their top pick. We all know how that story turned out and now he's one of the most lethal all-around players in the league. On the season, he's averaging 24 points, nearly 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He's Indiana's unquestioned stud, and a player that can easily heat up and drop 50 on you if you're not careful.

This evening then I'm hoping that Toronto limit his opportunities. While the Pacers under coach Jim O'Brien have traditionally seemed like an "all-offense/no-defense" group, this year the inverse is true. The Pacers rank 24th in offensive efficiency and 11th in defensive efficiency. Put it this way, this club struggles to score if Granger is kept under control.

Easier said than done obviously but as a first key tonight, I'll be looking to see the Raps get the ball out of Danny's hands so as to force the likes of TJ Ford and Brandon Rush into scorers.

2) Rebound the ball.

This is an area Toronto has struggled with all year but so have their foes tonight. Indiana and Toronto are neck-and-neck in terms of many of the rebounding stats (including rebounding rate) so whoever does a better job cleaning the glass should be able to tip the ball in their favour. While the Pacers likely won't have Murphy or the services of the tenacious Jeff Foster, both Roy Hibbert and rookie Tyler Hansbrough do a great job getting second chance opportunities for their club and wingmen like Granger and Dahntay Jones can cause dificulties as well.

3) Transition Defence.

The Raptors' defence has of course been much-maligned so far this year so perhaps having "defence" as a third key is again no surprise. However with an Indiana team that loves to get up and down the floor (they play at the league's second-fastest pace behind only Golden State), I'm really going to be honed in tonight on Toronto's ability to stop Indiana from getting easy looks in transition. I felt that against the Magic on Sunday, the Raps did a better job defending the paint and the perimeter, but far too often still were getting either beat down the floor, or were unable to slow down the charging Magic attack.

The Pacers have the ability to blow things wide open early based on this style so Toronto's back-court, Jose Calderon in particular, need to ensure that they lock things down as best as they can. As well, this point links to the previous one as if Toronto can't control the boards, this will likely lead to quick outlets by Indiana's "bigs," leading to quick transition points.

This one isn't quite a must-win game, but I think it's safe to say that should Toronto lose, this is one the club could look back on come April and having some serious regrets about not getting. I actually think a healthy Pacers' club makes the playoffs this year so again, it's quite likely that this is one of those teams the Raps will be competing with for playoff seeding.

Tonight's match could therefore go a long way in deciding future outcomes.

As well, Howland and I have media access to tonight's game so we'll be live-blogging from the ACC. Be sure to send us any questions you'd like us to ask the Raps post-game, and we'll have a full recap along with game photos tomorrow morning.

IC Cold Links: Jack Greets Pacers, Foster Hopes To Fix Defense

Tom Lewis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:37:42 -0000

The Toronto Raptors made Jarrett Jack an offer he couldn't refuse this past summer, and when the Pacers were unwilling to match, Jack had to leave Indiana.

It was really tough to see a Jack go since he was a guy who bought into what the Pacers were doing and spilled his guts everyday on the court. But in hindsight, the move has been beneficial to both sides. Jack earned a real nice contract, especially considering the relatively little amount of cash NBA owners were throwing around last summer.

As for the Pacers, the spent half the money to sign Dahntay Jones and Jones has produced every bit as much, if not more than Jack did last year. The one thing Jack brought last year was, well, himself. He played all 82 games and though his production wasn't always consistent, the effort and intensity was. Hopefully, Dahntay keeps up his current pace for the rest of the season.

After the jump, a few links of interest including stories on Jack greeting the Pacers upon their arrival at the Air Canada Centre yesterday as well as more on Jim O'Brien's lineup change.

Pacers still reeling from loss at Charlotte
Mike Wells reports on Jim O'Brien's disdain for the defensive deficiencies in Charlotte prompting the Pacers' coach to try a different lineup. "We can't play Roy much unless they play Amir Johnsonor (Rasho) Nesterovic," O'Brien said. "We'll start Jeff at center because we're quicker and able to guard their pick-and-rolls."
NBA Toronto: Jack hopes his struggles are over
Mike Ganter has a cool story about Jarrett Jack greeting the Pacers after wrapping up his workout yesterday.
Nothing doin' for Nets - Vecsey
Peter Vecsey slips in a shot at Jim O'Brien's job security after the recent losses to the Knicks and Bobcats.
Jack trying to earn his keep
Michael Grange reports on Jarrett Jack trying to play up to his contract for the Raptors.
Raptors’ Jack wants to prove he deserved big contract
Eric Koreen reports on Jack greeting the Pacers and working his way into a groove for the Raps.
Showtime for Raptors' Calderon
Doug Smith reports on Raptors' PG, Jose Calderon developing a connection with rookie DeMar DeRozan and Sonny Weems. Calderon seems to scald the Pacers at least once a season, hopefully that won't be tonight.
Belinelli, Wright to return for Raptors; Evans still a mystery
Marco Belinelli and Antoine Wright will be available for the Raptors off the bench tonight.

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - Shattered Game-Plan

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:05:17 -0000

by Darren Calabrese - AP

DeRozan meets one of his childhood heroes up close and personal. It would be one of many common looks for DeRozan for the afternoon. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darren Calabrese)

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The Raptors hung with the Magic for the majority of the the game, but just couldn't close the gap between the two teams talent-wise or on the scoreboard. With players like Marco Belinelli banged up, the Raptors were particular short at the wing positions. Vicious D takes a look at a loss that many probably expected...

I was waiting for it.

Jay Triano cracked a clipboard over his leg in the fourth quarter after yet another blown defensive assignment and no movement on the offense.

While some may be of the opinion that a 104-96 loss to the Magic is nothing to sneeze at, I'm very disappointed in the Raptors today, and quite possibly Jay Triano is too. It shouldn't be that surprising that the Raptors scored under 100 points for this game as they were without Marco Belinelli thanks to a pulled groin.

However, there are some things that we should all acknowledge about this team. Here's just a few of them, but the Raptors are continually making the same mistakes over and over again with no change in sight and it is driving.me.up.the.wall.

Jarrett Jack can score from the corners shooting 3s, he can drive to the basket for a layup. He should not ever take a 3-pointer from any other position and he should definitely not take a single shot off the bounce. If he hasn't figured it out, someone better sit him down.
Jose Calderon should not ever be guarding his man for shot. He should always be setting up to guard his man for dribble penetration. We see the blow-bys and it's because he stays close to his man and bites on every move back and forth that the Raptors end up with a point guard near the basket.
The Raptors should not be afraid of using their energy bench players down the stretch. If the starters insist on taking lazy jumpers and sitting back on defense, then Triano should play the players who will be aggressive. For this game, it happened because some players were in foul trouble, but Toronto has to use players that have gotten them back into games. It sends a message to the team.

At the end of the day, yes the more talented and deeper team won this game.

Nonetheless, the Raptors could have had this one and it's a repetition of errors that has cost them yet another W. Oh yeah and the refs once again didn't do the Raptors any favours either with momentum-changing blown calls down the stretch, but there is little that can be done about that.

The game started off well enough with the Raptors attacking Dwight Howard and getting two quick fouls on him. Toronto though, refused to continue to try and attack Howard and rack up more fouls on him. Bosh stayed to the outside in the 2nd quarter allowing Howard to conserve his fouls. And although Dwight picked up four personal foulss by the third quarter, the Rap just couldn't manage to take advantage. The team simply shied away from attacking the paint at the end of the game and therefore wasted a big opportunity to take out a big part of Orlando's game.

DeMar DeRozan also didn't do himself any favours with his horrible pick-and-roll work for the afternoon. He had the tough assignment of guarding Vince Carter, but if the Dinos are going to continue insisting on starting the rookie, I'm not going to pull many punches. Granted, part of his horrible game has to be shared with the Raptors' big man he was working with. Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani would often end up sticking to Dwight Howard on the pick rather than following Carter down or hedging to slow down Carter. DeRozan would then get hung up on the top of the screen, giving Carter little resistance to the basket or to pull up for an open jumper. In the second half Toronto started to do the switch, but only when Sonny Weems was on the floor. And just to illustrate that it wasn't all DeRozan, there was a particular play early in the 4th where Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack were defending the pick and roll and ended up bumping each other, leaving Marcin Gortat with a wide open look in the paint and an easy basket.

Speaking of Jack, while I'd love to hate on the Jack and Calderon combination as is en vogue right now, Triano was left with little choice. Weems and DeRozan showed some questionable shot selection and their defense... well, I've covered that already. With both Marco Belinelli and Antoine Wright out with injuries, I'm going to give the Raptors a pass on the Jack and Calderon experiment for yesterday. However, it's something that this team has to stay away from once they're back to full strength.

Raptors with a fairly good afternoon?

Bargnani's work was pretty good despite being sick. The Italian fouled out of the game but he did try to post up several Magic players, grabbed some good rebounds, and did what he could despite feeling under the weather. Sonny Weems gave us another great dunk in the first half, but insisted on shooting from the outside for the majority of the game, only managing to make a few of these. We just did not see much of the aggressive Weems, especially with regards to dribble penetration and being active in the passing lanes.

No, the player of the game had to be Amir Johnson.

Asked to take on the role of being the Raptors' energy "big" off the bench, Johnson has quickly become one of the more aggressive Raptors night in and night out. His continued work on both ends of the floor as far as being an energetic presence on the interior has been a wonderful discovery. He was everywhere on the court; taking position away from Howard, drawing fouls on bigs, and even making the correct decision to come down into the paint from the perimeter to assist Weems with defensive mismatches on switches. Here's hoping that his banged leg at the end of the game was only a minor thing as it was tough watching him gingerly running down the floor towards the end of the game.

It's been argued that the Dinos will need to hang their hat on defense night in and night out to win games, and that even a MEDIUM level of D will go a long ways for this club. Defense is where Toronto has had the most trouble this year and Jack Armstrong has repeatedly called for the Raptors to pay more attention to it. It's been nearly a month of basketball now, and the conclusions have been there for all to see. Our starting and finishing units have a propensity to rely on jump shots down the stretch which has also led to a certain laziness on the defensive end. It is possible to win games like this, but even a small change of Marco Belinelli into the lineup has changed the make up of the unit at times. As Charles Oakley had pointed out on a broadcast several weeks ago, the Raptors have a good collection of players, but the balance is off because some of the Raptors most aggressive defenders are in the second unit and the Raps softest personnel are in the starting unit. It is a fairly big indictment against the starting and finishing units that Belinelli, a player not known for his defense, has been the most aggressive player on both ends of the floor at the end of games.

The question is, will one change be enough?

On a Raptors team that has had a month of good grace from me, I'm still not sure if this unit will be able to gut out those wins and not merely rely on the jump shots falling. More concerning is whether this group has the aggression and communication required to close out games with something more than a token defense.

If they don't, I'm bracing myself for many more broken clipboards this season...

Orlando Magic News for November 19th: Stan Van Gundy Will No Longer Accentuate the Negative, and More

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:21:35 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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Orlando Magic: Stan Van Gundy vows to limit negativity after private meeting with C Dwight Howard
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has the surprising news that Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has, after meeting with franchise center and team co-captain Dwight Howard, vowed to be less negative. He believes adjusting his attitude will have a positive effect on the team's energy and mood.

"I think, as a team, there was a lot of negativity and it's not like Stan's a negative guy," Howard said before the Magic left for Boston to face the Celtics on Friday night. "But it's like there's always some clashes and focusing so much on our mistakes. Instead of bringing each other down, we have to pull each other up.

"That's the only thing I wanted from coach."

This news is not inconsequential. Van Gundy's earned the nickname "Stan Van Grumpy" for his wild gesticulations and expressiveness on the sidelines. This development is one to keep an eye on going forward.

Click through to read the whole piece, which includes great quotes from Van Gundy himself. He may cut back on the negativity, but I hope he doesn't cut back on the humor.
Antonio Daniels could be in the mix if Orlando Magic decide to sign another point guard
As an example, here's some of Van Gundy's wit:

Coach Stan Van Gundy, tongue planted firmly in cheek, on all teams reporting their players undergo "successful" surgery: "Grant Hill had five successful surgeries. Somehow he could never play after them, but they were called a success. They're all called successes and that means the guy lived through it, which is a success, I guess."
Changing of the Guard
Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus attributes some of the Magic's defensive struggles to Howard and Jameer Nelson. However, he believes Howard will foul less frequently as the season progresses, which will have a positive effect on the team's defense as a while.

The league's best defensive team a year ago has struggled at times this season. Orlando has been playing some makeshift lineups with Rashard Lewis suspended until Monday and a variety of players hobbled. Still, the poor start has been a cause for alarm for the Magic, with Stan Van Gundy criticizing the defensive efforts of Jameer Nelson and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. Before Nelson was sidelined by a torn meniscus, Orlando was 4.6 points worse per 100 possessions on defense with him on the floor. Oddly, while the sample size is small, no other full-time starter has been a net minus defensively. As for Howard, his blocked-shot rate is down from last year's 5.9 percent to 4.4 percent, more in line with his career numbers. Equally troubling is that Howard's foul rate is up from 4.2 percent of possessions last year to 6.0 percent this season. Howard is too good not to improve on that, which will help the Magic's defense as a whole.
Mentoring the young guys
On his official blog, Howard writes about how he tries to help young players in the same way Tony Battie, Grant Hill, and Rasheed Wallace did when he was new to the league.
Where might Monta Ellis end up? Let’s scour the field: Philly, Miami, Memphis
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News considers potential trade partners for the Golden State Warriors, as shooting guard Monta Ellis has requested to be dealt. He says the Magic might be interested, but ultimately leaves them off the final list of six suitors.
Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings is taking the league by storm
Although this link isn't directly related to today's Magic, I thought it was pertinent. Bucks coach Scott Skiles, a former Magic point guard, explains what makes the electrifying rookie Brandon Jennings so lethal. His quote reminded me a bit of Jameer Nelson.

"He's one of those guys who has vision and can score without dominating the ball. It's easy to say I want a point guard to run my club and all that, but in the NBA a point guard has got to score some points for you, and he can do both," coach Scott Skiles said before Milwaukee's 99-85 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday night, in which Jennings scored 19 points.
UPDATE: NBA.com: League's best one-on-one defenders get plenty of help
John Schuhmann of NBA.com found that the New Jersey Nets have done the best job of defending L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant in recent years, in no small part due to current Magic guard Vince Carter's efforts. (HT: ben_gleicher)

The Lakers won five of the six games the two teams played in the last three years, but in none of the six did Bryant shoot better than 33 percent from the field.

Vince Carter was the primary defender on Bryant in those games (something to keep in mind when the Magic and Lakers meet again), but fellow ex-Nets Richard Jefferson, Jason Kidd and Antoine Wright also took their turns. As a team, the Nets did a great job of keeping Bryant out of the paint and forcing him to shoot jumpers. And when he did, they borrowed a page from [Shane] Battier's book and got a hand in his face almost every time.

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - A Reoccurring Theme

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:44:48 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

All Triano could do was gaze in horror at the scoreboard in the fourth quarter of last night's affair.

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Toronto came out flat last night against the Utah Jazz and as Franchise notes in his recap, he's seen this movie a few times too many already this season...

8 and 4.

Should that be the Toronto Raptors' record right now?

With last night's 104 to 91 loss to the Utah Jazz, Toronto fell to 5 and 7 this young season, however as a fan, it's hard not to look back at a number of games already and say "what if?"

For instance, shouldn't the loss to Memphis been avoidable?

What about the letdown against an under-manned Spurs team?

And maybe the Phoenix loss was one you'd place in the "anyone's game" column and therefore not a "shouldahadit," but last night's loss to the Jazz was one in my books that definitely should not have ended with the L.

For those who missed it, Toronto again took nearly an entire first half to get into game-mode, and then even though they managed to nearly pull even with Utah after being down by as many as 18, they ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.

However I don't think you can hang this one simply on "running out of gas," or "being tired on a back-to-back, and the final game of a Western conference road swing." Pure and simple, players aren't playing up to par on offense, and this team still is borderline atrocious defensively. Last night the Dinos had no answer for the small-ball back-court of Deron Williams and rookie Eric Maynor and while these two caused havoc for Toronto defensively, at the other end, the Raps didn't exactly do themselves any favours in terms of their own shot selection and strategy.

No need for panic, I was after all expecting a 5 and 13 start, but we're 12 games in, and it's time for some call-outs and early observations.

1) The Jarrett Jack signing isn't looking so hot.

Here are the facts. Jack is shooting 36 per cent from the field so far this season, 32 per cent from long-range, averaging less than 7 points, and most telling, went into last night's game with an almost even assist to turnover ratio.

I'm pretty sure that's not what fans or management expected when they invested their mid-level exception in him this past summer.

So, as one poster put it last night in our live game-chat, "is Jack the new Fred Jones?"

It's only 12 games in so again, I'm not ready to jump ship yet, but it's certainly a concern. Outside of his statistical follies, he just hasn't looked like the aggressive defender I expected, nor has he attacked the rim with even the same zeal as he did in pre-season.

And worst of all in my books? His ball-handling and decision making. I threw this out there during the game-blog last night and I will again; it scares me to say this but I felt more comfortable with Roko Ukic handling the ball last year than I do with Jack.

2) Bosh needs more help.

Bosh is putting up MVP-type numbers so far this season. Last night he dropped 32 points and 17 rebounds on the Jazz, but didn't get much help outside of Marco Belinelli in terms of offence.

While Hedo Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani at times have given him a boost on O, both of them, along with Jose Calderon have hardly been consistent. If this team is going to struggle as much as it has on D, then it needs a full spread of offense each and every night. This is particularly true if the team wants to keep trotting out DeMar DeRozan as a starter. I like that they're trying to ensure minutes for his development, but he's really not a factor the majority of the time on O. This is backed up by 82games.com which lists Toronto's best starting line-up in terms of percentage of time on the court ahead on the scoreboard (80%) as the Calderon-Belinelli-Turkoglu-Bosh-Bargs combination.

TSN.ca's Tim Chisholm noted this on Twitter last night and I completely agree; if this team wants to keep Bosh around, the players BC has brought in or held onto as starters need to start playing like ones each and every night.

3) The defense needs to improve.

I don't think anyone expected this club to be a lock-down type. However this is getting a bit ridiculous. Toronto now is allowing opponents on average to score almost 108 points per game this season, and is last in the league in terms of defensive efficiency. They're actually last by a good shot too, a full 3 points per game worse than both Memphis and Golden State.

Yes the Dinos rank atop the league in offensive efficiency, but considering their record, it speaks volumes as to how woeful their defense is.

4) Shot selection and offensive strategy need work.

Additionally, the team's offense is still far too reliant on hitting jump shots and 3-pointers. When things go cold, the club isn't attacking the rim, and of course defensively they aren't able to keep things close. This means that quarters like last night's fourth occur, something that's extremely frustrating to watch as a fan. No one goes to the basket yet the jump shots keep going up, and without a solid defensive scheme, the other team takes advantage and blows the game wide open.

It happened against Denver the previous night. It happened early against the Clippers, and Bulls, late against the Spurs, and for stretches against the Suns and Pistons. Last night the Dinos were 5 for 19 in the fourth and if you look back at the type of shots taken, you'll see that Toronto just kept jacking them up, attempting only four foul shots.

I understand that this team's strength is in shooting the J, but if they're not going down, TO desperately needs a plan B.

5) Where would this team be without Amir Johnson and Marco Belinelli?

I cringe to think of what would have happened had the Raps' front office not figured out that sign-and-trade option enabling them to grab Hedo AND the likes of Antoine Wright, Amir Johnson, Marco Belinelli and Sonny Weems.

Remember, BC wanted to sign Hedo outright regardless!

Johnson and Belinelli in particular have been huge for this club so far with Belinelli playing a mini-Ben Gordon role and Johnson giving Toronto a much-needed boost of defense, rebounding and shot-blocking off the pine. Wright has also been a nice piece and even Sonny Weems has looked good in limited minutes. The bench is making up for some of the starters' flaws at the moment and as mentioned earlier, this needs to be corrected.

After this weekend's matches against Miami and Orlando at home, the schedule eases up a bit so we may get a more true indication of this team's abilities during that time. The club still is a long way from gelling, especially at the defensive end of the court, but there have been some positives to take from most games.

The team desperately needs to build on those over the next while to avoid falling too far behind in the standings so early in the season.

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - 75% of the Way There?

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:06:27 -0000

More photos » by Colin Braley - AP

Deron Williams and the Jazz have felt plenty of pain of late...

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After a loss to a more-talented Denver team last night, the Raptors prepare to take on the Utah Jazz tonight in a back-to-back. The HQ looks at last night's loss and discusses the keys to rebounding tonight with a W...

With the Raptors facing another tough test tonight against the Utah Jazz, I thought it would be apt to post a recap/preview combo a bit later today than usual.

After all, there's not a lot to discuss regarding last night's loss.

The Raptors hung tight with Denver for three quarters, even leading the game for most of the first half. Then in Part II of the affair, Toronto started to run out of gas on offence, and us fans all know that when that happens, the defense usually isn't good enough to keep things close.

This is especially the case when playing against a team as talented as the Denver Nuggets, a squad I described in my preview yesterday as being maybe the most balanced in the league.

You could see that balance last night too. If Melo wasn't attacking from inside and out, Denver was pounding the ball down low to Nene, or getting half-court heaves from JR Smith. Throw in some clutch 3's by Arron Afflalo, D in the post by Kenyon Martin, shot blocking by The Birdman, and of course, heady play at the point by Chauncey Billups, and they're a pretty intimidating group.

Toronto was simply out-classed talent-wise in the end, especially with Hedo Turkoglu sitting this one out, and kudos to Jay Triano for realizing this with lots of time left in the fourth quarter; with about six minutes left Raptors' fans were treated to the Patrick O'Bryant show.

Even the newest old Raptor got some minutes. (Although strangely, Marcus Banks did not - how much does Triano have to hate Banks for O'Bryant to play and not Banks???)

Yes, Pops Mensah-Bonsu is back with the Dinos as he was snatched off of waivers yesterday, and even in limited time late in the game, showed the same qualities that made him a desperately needed commodity last season. The kid simply brings it every night, and is a tenacious rebounder and defender. I mean, how many players get signed into the season, then in garbage time take a painful charge in a blowout?

That's Pops.

However as much as I like Pops, I've been pulling for Toronto to take a flyer on him since he left George Washington, I'm not quite sure I like the fit this time around. When Reggie Evans returns it gives the team seven big men for two positions; meanwhile, the wing positions, the 3 in particular, looks quite shallow. I love Sonny Weems but he's not quite big enough to guard the Carmelos and Kobes of the league. Outside of Hedo Turkoglu, Antoine Wright is the only player with the size for the 3.

Can Mensah-Bonsu play the 3?

Perhaps defensively, and maybe that's what BC and co envision with this signing.

However last season I remember him being much more effective at the 4 and if that's the case, I think he's going to have a tough time finding minutes unless Evans ends up being out for a very long time.

Is there anything else to break down from last night's loss?

Not really in my book, although I do want to touch on Toronto's play in the first half. Even minus Hedo, that was the best the team looked in my eyes (especially the first quarter) all season at both ends of the court. The club seemed very prepared and while they had no answer for Anthony, they didn't come unglued at the seams when he was putting on a clinic. Toronto played to its strengths and did a nice job keeping the rest of Denver in check.

Well, except for JR Smith.

But how exactly do you guard a player like that when he's taking shots from five feet behind the 3-point line and has the athleticism to get to the rim at will?

It's very difficult; he's like Ben Gordon on Red Bull and HGH.

Overall though, I've seen some nice stretches from the Dinos over the past week, even in losses and I'd actually say that last night's game was an analogy for how this team looks to me at present; three quarters of the way there.

When the defense is at least somewhat locked-in and the gang-rebounding is in effect, TO's offence is powerful enough to beat most teams in this league. The chemistry is coming (Jose looks like his old self again) and outside of Jarrett Jack, the players seem to be settling into their roles; DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Marco Belinelli in particular.

The light seemed to come on for DeMar in particular last night, and I'm hoping to see a continuation of this tonight against the Jazz.

Incidentally he helps lead off our first key:

1) Supporting Cast Play.

The Jazz are banged up. They're already short on the bench minus CJ Miles and Kyle Korver, and while Deron Williams appears to be playing tonight, he's missed the past few games to take care of some personal issues. Add these to the fact that Utah comes in with a disappointing 4 and 6 record and this is a great chance for Toronto to grab a win in a notoriously tough arena.

However to do it, they're going to need more than just the usual suspects.

As previously mentioned, players like Johnson, Belinelli, DeRozan, and even Sonny Weems have been providing solid minutes lately and I'm expecting that to continue tonight. Utah doesn't take a night off under Jerry Sloan and on the second night of a back-to-back, it's even more imperative that these types bring their respective fortes.

If they can do that I believe it seriously tips the scales in the Raptors' favour.

2) Bosh and Bargnani.

While the referees were hardly doing these two any favours last night, both weren't nearly aggressive enough offensively last night, something that they'll have to remedy this evening. The two have tough match-ups (Bargs looking at himself in the mirror in a sense if he's guarding Okur) but Toronto will need to lean a bit more on their scoring if they want to achieve victory and keep pace with what's become a high-scoring Utah team.

3) Pride.

One thing that irritated me last night, even in garbage time, was JR Smith's showboating. Toronto was already down big, and Smith bowing to the crowd and performing other theatrics was hardly endearing to me, and probably many others. In fact I was hoping that Pops would catch him with a good clothesline the next time down the court.

Point being, this team has had a rep of being "soft" for years now. Some of Toronto's additions this past off-season are trying to change that, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Contrast that with the Jazz who for decades under Sloan have held a "non-crème-puff" status and who generally fight and claw on each possession.

Therefore I'm wondering if tonight's game may end up being decided by simply "who wants this more."

Toronto and Utah believe it or not are actually quite similar statistically (great in terms of offensive efficiency, bad to terrible in terms of defensive ability) so this isn't a game where the Raps can just rely on streaky shooting. The Dinos need to come out hungry from the tip in order to grab an important W and I'll be looking for this all night.

No weak "second night playing in a row, Western conference road trip, blah, blah, blah" excuses.

If the Raptors want to be considered one of the better clubs in the league this season, they need to start winning these "gut it out" type of games.

3 In the Key - Toronto Raptors Game-Day Preview vs. Denver

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:42:14 -0000

More photos » by Garrett Ellwood - NBAE/Getty Images

The Raptors face the tough task of stopping Carmelo Anthony and the high-scoring Denver Nuggets this evening.

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RaptorsHQ sets up tonight's match, a tough one on the road against the well-balanced Denver Nuggets...

I'm a big believer in "balance = success" in the NBA.

To me the best teams in the league have that perfect mix of O and D, and a variation of players who perform all types of functions on the court; from scoring to getting loose balls.

When the Denver Nuggets acquired Chauncey Billups last season from the Detroit Pistons, I felt that they cemented a fairly balanced group; one capable of scoring with the Lakers of the league, yet being able to bang with the Celtics as well.

And, while the team didn't make the NBA Finals, it did make it to the Western Conference's Big Dance before bowing out to the eventual NBA Champs, the Lakers.

This year, Denver already has raced out to a Northwest Division-leading 7 and 3 record, and that's in the absence of some key pieces. The team looks just as strong as last year, if not stronger in some ways, and it's that balance that leads the charge. Check the resume:

-Pass-first point guard who anchors the team's D? Check - see Mr. Billups.

-Scoring wing who creates mismatches on offense? Check - see Mr. Anthony.

-New-school athletic big-man? Check - see Mr. Nene.

-Rugged rebounder and defender who does the dirty work? Check - see Mr. Martin.

-Wing who can create his own shot and hit clutch baskets? Check - see Earl...er...Mr. JR Smith.

Add in a bench that features a shot-blocker (Chris Andersen), a hustle and garbage man (Renaldo Balkman), a shut-down defender (Arron Afflalo - who actually starts at the moment with JR Smith coming off the bench), a seasoned playoff-tested back-up point guard (Anthony Carter) and a lightning quick sparkplug (Ty Lawson) and you've got a pretty solid group.

And that's not even counting Joey Graham!

The point here is that this Nuggets team in my eyes is one of the most deadly in the league, showcasing a unique blend of depth, athletic ability, defensive feistiness, and offensive effeciency. And the stats bear this out.

Denver is fifth in the league in offensive efficiency, sixth in "true-shooting percentage," and yet despite playing at the league's fifth-fastest pace, have one of the top point differentials in the league, scoring on average 106 points and limiting opponents to 100.

No, the Nuggets haven't quite hit the same defensive stride as last season, but it's still early and coach George Karl is still tweaking the roster with players returning from injury and suspension.

To me, tonight's game will be Toronto toughest of the year, and for them to get the W, they need to excel in three areas:

1) Rebounding.

We've been through the Raps' rebounding issues all season and sans Reggie Evans, it's hard to say that things will change in this fashion overnight.

However interestingly enough, the Nuggets statistically rank right alongside Toronto in this department, despite the likes of Nene, Martin and Andersen.

The Nuggets like to score so it's imperative that the Dinos not allow second-chance looks tonight. I'm hoping to see solid close-outs, and in particular, bodies on the Denver wings who have the athletic ability to cause havoc on the glass.

2) The Small Forward Match-Up.

There's another 2003 draft class alumnist besides Chris Bosh who's making an early-season MVP-type run; Carmelo Anthony. Melo is averaging a shade under 30 points a game, shooting nearly 45 per cent from the field, 36 per cent from long-range, and over 85 per cent from the line. Oh, and toss in 6 rebounds and and nearly 3 assists a game on top of that.

Not too shabby.

It sounds like Hedo Turkoglu, despite continuing hip issues, will play, so it will be up to him to contain Anthony. I'm not expecting a shut-down performance here, but Toronto can't let Melo go off thus opening things up for the rest of Denver's explosive offense. With Antoine Wright a question mark again, the onus will really by on Turk to keep Melo somewhat in check, and it will be interesting to see who else Jay Triano rolls out in a stopper role, and what the Raps' defensive plan for Anthony will be should Wright be unable to go.

Additionally, while Melo has been playing at an all-world level, he and his teammates at times still fall victim to what a scout last night described to me as a "type F personality," that is to say they can become easily frustrated and allow their emotions to get the best of them, especially in tight games. Hedo might not be an all-defensive team member, but he's got that bit of Vlade Divac in him that hopefully he uses to give Anthony a rough go tonight.

And hopefully his Raptor' teammates follow suit.

3) Bench Play.

With JR Smith back from suspension, and Ty Lawson making NBA GM's regret passing on him already, the Nuggets feature some very explosive offensive options off the pine. The challenge for Toronto tonight much like against Phoenix on Sunday, will be to match Denver's subs' energy level when they enter the game to ensure this one stays close. Players like Amir Johnson and Marco Belinelli will likely be counted on again to give the club a shot in the arm, and whichever team's bench does a better job dictating tempo and intensity, could end up being the deciding factor in a W or an L.

And after all, the last thing Raptors' fans want to see is a replay of this, only with Lawson finishing on top of two Dinos en route to a blowout Toronto loss.