SB Nation - Rasho Nesterovic

Raptors Rapid Recap - Boston 116 - Toronto 103

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:20:04 -0000

-Not only was the D absent in this one, but so was the P; P as in Pride.

-Toronto allowed Boston to run all over them (litteraly as Paul Pierce dunked on and through Chris Bosh) en route to a 116 to 103 win.

-The Raptors' hot shooting kept them in this one early, in fact they lead by a point at halftime. However the third quarter was the team's undoing again and Boston cruised to the W the rest of the way.

-The Celtics had 6 players in double figures with Ray Allen leading the C's, dropping in 20. All 5 starters hit double digits on O however and Rajon Rondo was especially lethal dishing out 11 assists.

-For Toronto, Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Bosh did their best, both dropping in 20. But they got little help offensively from anyone but Jarrett Jack and Rasho Nesterovic.

-If you missed this one, you'll probably see the highlight (or lowlight) of Bosh getting viciously crammed on by Pierce and that really was the second-half in a nutshell. When Boston turned up the aggressiveness Toronto folded faster than a poker player holding a 7 and 3 off-suit and that was all she wrote. We'll nevertheless recap this sordid affair in the morning...

Raptors 123, Pacers 112: Late Comeback Falls Short As Pacers Drop Fourth Straight

spstevenson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:58:40 -0000

Maybe the game time on the Indiana Pacers schedule was wrong. Maybe a Toronto Raptors employee changed it from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. as a joke. Maybe the team thought that crossing borders meant they were entering a different zone.

Whatever the reason, the Pacers were not ready to play in the first half in Toronto Tuesday night. After digging a 21-point hole at halftime through terrible shooting and loosely-defined defense, the blue and gold, behind the charge of Danny Granger and T.J. Ford, mounted a spirited comeback that could not unfortunately undue the team's play in the first two stanzas. Toronto's timely daggers in the final five minutes kept Indiana at bay, resulting in a 123-112 loss that dropped the Pacers to a 5-7 record.

For the fourth straight game, all losses, the blue and gold's defensive presence was left in the hotel room. Indiana allowed Toronto to get off to a blistering start as their inside-outside penetration contributed to many of the 74 first-half points.

Unlike the previous disaster in Charlotte where Indiana never showed up to play, the Pacers at least felt inclined to make this game interesting with a bulldozing run in the third quarter as the Pacers cut the gap to eight, 100-92, to begin the fourth. Starter Troy Murphy drained two straight treys from downtown to make it 113-106 with 6:52 left in the game. But a four-point possession courtesy made by a Chris Bosh made and missed free throw, followed by a Jarrett Jack 3-ball on the rebound, put the game out of reach.

The game was another disappointing finish for Granger who put the burden on his shoulders during the second half to keep the Pacers within striking distance. The All-Star had a horrendous first half (3-for-12 shooting, three fouls) before finally entering "this game's on me" mode and unleashing 13 of his season-high 36 points in the third. Give Granger credit for not sulking on the bench and keeping his frustration internal. He took it out on the Raptors during that third quarter as he strutted around the court with a vengeance that's been non-existent for a week or two. He was driving, hitting from the outside and kicking it from mid-range. But, again, it was all too late.

The Pacers don't have time to sulk about this one as they turnaround to play the Clips at home on Wednesday. Reminder to all players: Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Other notes:

Former Pacers players just love playing against the blue and gold. Whether it's Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson or Jermaine O'Neal, former players always put up career nights when Indiana comes to town. Tonight was no exception. Jarrett Jack and Rasho Nesterovic, who both played for the Pacers last season, put up season high's tonight to combine for 30 points.
Rookie Tyler Hansbrough recovered after a couple of tough scoring outings by making 4-of-6 shots for 10 points and four rebounds. Hansbrough also had only one turnover, a TO that occured when his teammates left him in a one-on-one situation on the left side with Bosh. That's something that's happened several times in the past week where Hansbrough is expected to do something by his lonesome. He's just not ready for that yet. It resulted in a carry tonight.
Coach Jim O'Brien jumbled up the starting lineups tonight to match up better defensively with Toronto by inserting Jeff Foster for Roy Hibbert and Troy Murphy for Dahntay Jones. Although the defense continued to struggle, the Pacers bench did not keep pace in the early stages of either the 2nd or 4th quarters. The Pacers scored 70 combined points in the 1st and 3rd quarters, compared to 42 in the 2nd and 4th combined.
Although Jones did provide somewhat of a spark off the bench in the second half, I felt like the team was sorely missing his presence in the first half. It's hard for me to believe that starting Brandon Rush over Jones is the right idea. Jones and Granger seem to feed off each other on offense and defense, and keeping that pair away from each to start the game just did not work out well. I would love to see Jones get the starting nod again tomorrow against the Clippers.
Coming off of the bench, Hibbert only totaled 12 minutes, yet still put in eight points. Hibbert had several good moments early in the game when running through the lane and receiving lob passes over the small defenders for two easy buckets. But it wasn't enough to keep him on the floor.
Foster ended up with only four points and five fouls. By inserting Foster into the lineup, he was supposed to help alleviate the problem of defending the pick-and-roll, but Jose Caulderon ran pick-and-roll's with Bosh several times in the first quarter with much success.
Granger resorted to launching shots from the outside of the 3-point line tonight, but in an anomaly for this season, they actually went in. Granger tied a career-high for seven 3-pointers.
The Associated Press reported after the game that O'Brien said Mike Dunleavy could be ready to return "within days."

Poll

Who should be starting at shooting guard for the Pacers?

Brandon Rush

9 votes

Dahntay Jones

67 votes

Mike Dunleavy

32 votes

Other

4 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

Tip-In, Toronto Raptors' Post-Game Report: The First Step

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:06:58 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

It was great that the fans gave Anthony Parker a huge ovation to start the game, but even better that Chris Bosh and the Raptors welcomed the former Dino back by handing his club an L.

Browse more photos »

Although most probably guessed this would be an easy 0 and 1 start for the Raps, Toronto powered through Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 101 to 91 victory. Franchise gives his thoughts...

Don't ask me why, but I felt the need to start this recap with the following clip:

Weird Al Yankovic-Eat It (via WeirdAlTV)

Is it a message from the collective Raptorsnation to the rest of the league?

Probably.

How about a message from me to me, considering I picked the Cavaliers to dominate last night's match-up?

Most definitely.

Last night playing with a mix of controlled swagger and confidence, not seen by myself from a Raptors ballclub in over a season, Toronto took down the mighty Cavs early, and never really looked back.

On top of this, it's hardly like there was only one thing that Toronto did right. The reality is, the team gave the Cavs fits it many an area and offensively, looked a lot like the juggernaut many predicted. To use an old boxing expression, at times Cleveland looked like they had been hit so many times with the right jab that they were begging for a left!

-Toronto shot 45 per cent from the field while at the same time, limited the Cavs to 35.

-Toronto hit on nearly a third of their 3-point attempts (a huge improvement over pre-season.)

-Toronto got to the line an impressive 37 times, hitting on 28 of these attempts.

-And finally, Toronto turned the ball over only 13 times, looking much more like a well-oiled offensive machine then they did in pre-season.

Top these offensive stats off with the fact that the Dinos held their own on the glass, and did a nice job on the defensive end, and it's pretty hard to find much to complain about.

My one cautionary tale in fact might be for Cleveland fans.

This is two nights in a row that this club looked incredibly underwhelming, in particular when Lebron wasn't in the game, and sitting close to the Cavs' bench last night, I had to wonder if this club was even a top 3 seed in the East. There just isn't much besides King James on the roster, especially from an offensive standpoint, and I'm pretty confident the offensive issues the team experienced last year against Orlando in the playoffs will rear their ugly heads over and over. Mike Brown is a great defensive coach, but I felt he got out-schemed by Triano, who did an impecable job of doling out minutes and moving players in and out depending on the situation. To that end, he played 10 players, but gave two, Amir Johnson and Rasho Nesterovic, only short bursts based on game situations.

Sure, much like pre-season, it's only one game (after all, I probably wrote a similar recap to last year's opening night win over Golden State), however as mentioned, there was a lot to like from a Raptors' fan's perspective, a lot more than you saw most of last season.

And considering the tough schedule that remains, I think us fans will take this W and run with it...

...at least until tomorrow night in Memphis...

IC Cold Links: NBA Opening Night Is Here; Pacers Health Improves

Tom Lewis — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:38:46 -0000

The NBA is back!

In just a few short hours the NBA season will tip off in Cleveland where LeBron Jamesand the Cavs will host the reloaded Boston Celtics. Not a bad way to start things off. Other games tonight include Washington at Dallas, Houston at Portland and the L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers. Yep, that should get the hoop juices fully flowin'.

The Pacers are set to go to Atlanta for tomorrow night's opener against the Hawks. Mike Wells reports a mixed bag of injury news from practice yesterday. Danny Grangersat out with a bone bruise on his heel. No, it doesn't sound good but all involved insist the injury isn't serious and DG33 will be amped and ready to go tomoorrow.

Also, T.J. Ford, Travis Diener and Luther Head went at it for the full practice and are also set for the opener.

Jeff Foster will join the team in Atlanta but his availability is up in the air and considering he went to Boston for treatment it doesn't appear that he'll be available in to play in Atlanta and in fact, JOB is making that assumption while preparing for the opener.

After the jump, several more links of interest:

PACERS: Hibbert, Rush give cause for optimism
Bruno's latest report focuses on second-year players, Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush shouldering an important role on the team. Also, Tyler Hansbrough made it through day three of his half-court workouts continuing down the right path toward a full return.
Rest of NBA chasing Kobe and the Lakers
Jeff Rabjohns previews the NBA with a few points of local interest to keep an eye on throughout the season.
Two Hawks starters are on injury watch
Mike Bibby and Al Horfordboth nursed injuries at the end of Sunday's practice, leaving a gaping question mark in the middle and at the point for the Hawks. Sekou Smith has the details.
Pacers-Hawks Preview
Matt Beardmore previews the Pacers-Hawks opener set for Wednesday in Atlanta.
8p9s/Pacers Season Preview
Jared Wade offers up a thorough preview for the True Hoop Network.
The Summer Losses: Rasho Nesterovic
Jared Wade looks at the impact of not having Rasho Nesterovic on the roster this season.
Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin has broken kneecap, out weeks
Clippers rookie Blake Griffin has a broken kneecap and could miss six weeks. Of course he does. Clippers catch yet another bad break.

Former Pacers Already Making New Teams Happy

spstevenson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:16:42 -0000

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

Marquis Daniels is dominating some of the league's best players in his new green uni. Dominating may be the wrong word, but he's definitely doing something good to make Celtics fans happy.

Browse more photos »

Jarrett Jack and Marquis Daniels are making their marks early in their new digs in the NBA.

After both played well, particularly Jack, for the Pacers last season, it is not a surprise that both of them made solid impressions on fans, teammates and coaches during the preseason. They both did it with playing on-the-court as well as their demeanor off of it.

Celtics fans immediately enjoyed Daniels' quirky attitude that he displayed at his introductory press conference and continued during the eight games that he played in his new green and white uni off the bench for the aspiring leaders of the Eastern Conference. Jack, who came off the bench in each preseason contest, could find himself embroiled in another point guard controversy as he's outplayed starter Jose Caulderon and has been finishing games on the court rather than sitting on the bench.

Check out the jump for a look at the preseason stats of the players who left the blue and gold this offseason, compared to the newcomers playing in Indiana this year.

Preseason stats? Yeah, that's what it's come down today. Sometimes the preseason just reiterates what we already know. Danny Granger finished fifth in the league in scoring, Troy Murphy had the third-best rebounding average and T.J. Ford averaged a healthy four turnovers per contest. The same old stuff.

But, then again, some preseason stats throw everything off, such as Roy Hibbert's emergence as the team's second-leading scorer and the NBA's blocks per game leader. He was a beast. So will he be a beast in the regular season? Just keep praying that the answer is "yes" and we'll move on.

So below are the stats for players who left Indy and the players who came into the town. Maybe they mean something. Maybe they mean nothing. But here they are for you to decide. Anyways, it won't matter too much longer. The NBA starts on Tuesday! Time to celebrate.

Former Pacers averages:
Marquis Daniels (Celtics) -- 8 games played (2 starts), 19.9 minutes per game, 47.9% FG, 65% FT, 2.4 apg, 7.6 ppg.

Jarrett Jack (Raptors) -- 8 games played, 24.0 mpg, 37.9% FG, 6.7% 3ptFG, 80.0% FT, 4.0 apg, 7.9 ppg

Rasho Nesterovic (Raptors) -- 7 games played, 15.1 mpg, 35.7% FG, 3.4 rpg, 4.6 ppg

Stephen Graham (Bobcats) -- 8 games played, 18.6 mpg, 32.7% FG, 92.3% FT, 3.6 rpg, 7.6 ppg

Maceo Baston (Pistons, waived at end of preseason) -- 4 games played, 3.5 mpg, 0.5 ppg

New Pacers averages:
Earl Watson -- 6 games played (2 starts), 24.7 mpg, 43.3% FG, 53.3% FT, 4.3 apg, 5.8 ppg

Luther Head -- 3 games played, 26.0 mpg, 68.4% FG, 44.4% FT, 2.3 apg, 11.0 ppg

Dahntay Jones -- 7 games played, 23.9 mpg, 42.4% FG, 74.2% FT, 10.6 ppg

Solomon Jones -- 7 games played (3 starts), 20.0 mpg, 50.0% FG, 75.0% FT, 4.3 rpg, 1.57 bpg, 8.6 ppg

A.J. Price -- 6 games played, 19.3 mpg, 42.9% FG, 33.3% 3ptFG, 33.3% FT, 2.0 apg, 8.5 ppg

Geez, who knew that Solo Jones would be the best free-throw shooter out of the new crop. I'll just assume that's one of those "inaccurate" preseason stats.

2009-10 NBA Blog Previews: Indiana Pacers

Tom Lewis — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:16:23 -0000

Once again, Indy Cornrows is pleased to participate in the 2009-10 NBA blogger previews orgainzed by Jeff Clark at Celtics Blog.

Team Name: Indiana Pacers

Last Years Record: 36-46

Key Losses: Jarrett Jack, Marquis Daniels, Rasho Nesterovic

Key Additions: Tyler Hansbrough, Dahntay Jones, Earl Watson, Solomon Jones, Luther Head, A.J. Price

1.What significant moves were made during the offseason?

Get your programs, people.

After the 2007-08 season, the Indiana Pacers used the draft and a couple of trades to bring in seven new players and begin overhauling the roster in the post-Jermaine O'Neal contract era. Beggars can't be choosers, so the moves two summers ago were more about the players leaving the roster than the players joining the roster. But those moves made the salary cap more manageable and allowed Larry Bird and David Morway to make a few more moves this past summer to address the team's defensive deficiencies.

Since the salary cap remains an issue for at least two more years, the Pacers' decisions weren't solely based on basketball but more on the bottom line. The team let Marquis Daniels and his $7.5 million team option go and were unable to match Toronto's free agent offer for Jarrett Jack. The Pacers also preferred to use Rasho Nesterovic's expiring contract space instead of spending the money re-sign the veteran big man. Sparsely used free agents, Stephen Graham and Maceo Baston were also let go to find another team.

With six open slots on the roster, the Pacers went bargain shopping to fill specific needs without taking the team's cap number over the lowered luxury tax threshhold. To bolster the team's perimeter defense and backcourt options the Pacers signed Dahntay Jones to a four-year contract and agreed to a couple of one-year deals with Earl Watson and Luther Head. To fill a frontcourt need, center Solomon Jones signed a two-year free agent deal with the Pacers. Jones was seldom used in Atlanta but is a young player who has shown plenty of upside in early preseason action.

The Pacers used the draft to select Tyler Hansbrough fresh off a national championship at North Carolina. Hansbrough performed well in summer league games but a shin injury has kept him from testing his game against an NBA lineup. He is not expected to return to action until the end of October.

In the second round, the Pacers took UConn point guard, A.J. Price who had a successful college career but came out of the draft with questions about his shooting ability and athleticism. So far, he's shown plenty of NBA ability and looks real comfortable on the floor for a rookie. The Pacers don't expect much from Price this year and instead look to him as a point guard for the future, but he appears ready to go should the opportunity present itself in his rookie year.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

The Pacers biggest strenghts remain their ability to push the pace and score lots of points. Last season they beat every top team in the league thanks to their ability to run, knock down threes and score in bunches. When things are clicking the Pacers can wear down an opponent, any opponent, and give themselves a chance win.

Consistent offensive output from Danny Granger and Troy Murphy are the basis for any offensive success the Pacers achieve. When supplemented by some combination of T.J. Ford, Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert, the Pacers will have enough points to win any game this year. The more consistent production they can get from these three players the more W's they'll accrue. Hibbert's development is especially important since he's shown the ability to score in the low post if he can just avoid foul trouble and stay on the court long enough to get the requisite touches.

The Pacers depth could be a surprise strength this year if Mike Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough can return healthy and ready to play. With Earl Watson, Dhantay Jones and Jeff Foster in the mix, Jim O'Brien has ten players capable of contributing minutes with a variety of skill sets to allow the coach the flexibility to match up better with other teams. It also gives the Pacers a chance to keep fresh bodies on the floor to keep the pace fast and help wear down opposing lineups.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Defense and backcourt consistency are two weaknesses the Pacers hope to improve on this year. Earl Watson, Dahntay Jones and Solomon Jones have already shown they will bolster the defensive end which should show vast improvement from last year.

Still, mixing and matching all of the new faces and integrating them into a team defensive scheme could take some time to see positive results. Increased ball pressure is the goal, but until we see this team consistently prove they can make a positive impact at the defensive end it will remain a weakness. Foul and free throw attempt differentials were a glaring problem in losses last year and improving the defense is the only way to turn those numbers around.

As for the backcourt, T.J. Ford will begin the season running the team at point guard, with Earl Watson and Travis Diener coming off the bench. Watson has played some two guard in the preseason, ala Jarrett Jack which will likely happen during the season when JOB goes with a small lineup. These guys have to tighten up the decision-making and turnovers which may be wishful thinking.

Jim O'Brien prefers passing to dribbling which was a shock to Ford's system last year. He did finish last season well coming off the bench and appeared to be moving in the right direction. If he improves in one area let that be the blind pass for a turnover. Often times, Ford takes the ball in the lane knowing Murphy, Rush and/or Granger are set up behind the arc should the defense rotate to stop him. Unfortunately, he'll jump to turn around and kick the ball out, but if a defender has the shooter covered the ball goes the other way. Regardless of the team's desired pace, there are times Ford would be better served to slow down his game a notch to remain in control, not to mention in possession of the ball.

4. What are the goals for this team?

After back-to-back 36 win seasons, the Pacers are looking to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. That's the goal this team talks about at every opportunity and when you look at all of the close games the team dropped last year it doesn't take long to find a few more wins which would've put them in the playoffs.

Only problem is that there are several more teams in the mix in the Eastern Conference this year. Once you skim the cream off the top you could make the case that every team in the EC could make the playoffs if they stay healthy and play well. That alone exposes a mediocre middle of the conference, but the opportunity is there. Some teams don't necessarily have to stay healthy nor play exceedingly well, but the Pacers are one of the teams that will indeed need good health and must come together to play better than the sum of their parts in order to make the playoffs.

5. Can the Pacers stay healthy enough to give themselves a chance this year?

Mike Dunleavy hopes to return to the court after fixing a knee that kept him out for the bulk of last season. Just when he returns and how long before he's playing at full throttle remain up in the air. The season will play out quite differently if Dunleavy can play even 50 games.

Tyler Hansbrough isn't expected to have a big role on the team this year as he works his way through his rookie season, but he definitely needs to play. Considering a shin injury has him on the shelf until the season starts, it's reasonable to assume Hansbrough won't be playing much if at all over the first few weeks of the season.

These are two known injury issues that, if they improve, will be a boon for the Pacers. But there are always other injuries throughout a season and dealing with those injuries will make or break the Pacers this year. T.J. Ford is always considered an injury risk because of past neck issues. The neck wasn't a problem last year and he appears healthy and ready to roll this year, but with a slight build, taking his share of hits while racing into the lane keeps him on the injury watch list.

Finally, Danny Granger had a minor knee issue over the summer and missed a few games last year, so any game DG misses is tough for the Pacers to overcome. At full strength, this team has the right combinations to make a run at the playoffs, but the margin of error is slight so maintaining their health is critical. Hopefully, the team can avoid the "flu-like symptoms" that wiped out nearly everyone for a few games last season.

Predicted Record: Easy to speculate on a broad range for the Pacers' win total. If the team stays healthy and the defense improves even a little, a win total in the mid-40s is possible. On the other hand, if injuries and familiarity prove to be too much to overcome the wins could easily dip into the lower 30s. Taking these scenarios into account, I'll split the difference: 40-42

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Toronto Raptors: So International

R Dizzle — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:00:18 -0000

Man, if you thought Monta Ellis had rapping skills...guess what I just found.

That's right - your boy (not mine), Marco Bellineli just dropped a new hot single since his recent move to Toronto.

You think I'm joking? PEEP THIS!

Not only did we trade the Raptors a talented (term applied loosely) shooting guard for a big sack of Oreos (Devean George), we also gave them a budding rap artist.

No wonder y'all were so mad.

Additions

Marco Belinelli, Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, Reggie Evans, Antoine Wright, Rasho Nesterovic Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems and rookie DeMar DeRozan

CTRL+ALT+DELETE

Shawn Marion, Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono

Alright Raptors fans, face reality here - the chances of you guys keeping my man Chris Bosh at the end of the season are slim to none. ESPN and I seem to agree - he's bolting to NYC to join LeBron James and stack up rings for the next 5 years. Ideally the guy comes here to the Bay but I gotta keep it real - that ain't happening. But hey, I've got to admit the Raptors did a damn good job of trying to bring in key pieces around him in an attempt to convince him to stay.

Shawn Marion wasn't a great fit so letting him walk wasn't a huge deal. I believe his addition to the Mavs is pretty key, and his time in Toronto was done.

Anthony Parker? I mean he's alright, but easy to replace.

Jason Kapano? High volume shooter that can be found a dime a dozen. Traded him to the 76ers.

So who'd they add?

Hedo Turkoglu (pretty funny that I had to write about him eventually after having no desire to bring him up in the Trail Blazers post).

Oh Mr. Turkoglu - how shady were your ways.

Yes, I get it money is money and you'd love to play with a team that you'd feel comfortable with it.

BUT WHAT YOU DID TO PORTLAND WAS STRAIGHT SHADY. Essentially he had a deal hammered out with them, and pulled a trade from the Magic to get him into Toronto. Enough. That's that, he's there, and good luck to him.

The Raps must have some fascination with European players because their roster is beginning to look like the Dream of Team of Europe. Signing Andrea Bargnani to that extremely lucrative contract extension was far from financially intelligent (jae, you get to do the honors with ripping that apart gain), but it did ensure some long term talent after Chris Bosh departs.

The extension also probably played a role in bringing ex-Warrior Marco Belinelli over in a trade for nothing. Hey, Marco and Andrea are buddies - why wouldn't they want to play together? And yes, yes, we've over-analyzed that trade here at Golden State of Mind and even compared it to some furniture. But that's that.

Rookie DeMar DeRozan didn't have the greatest Summer League performance, but nor did our boy Stephen Curry. Too early to tell where he'll lie but he has some raw talent. Look for him in 2 years.

So where does that leave the Raptors?

R Dizzle's Prediction: 6th Seed of the Eastern Conference, First Round Exit, Chris Bosh Exit.

Enjoy CB4 while you can!

For more coverage on the Toronto Raptors, peep SB Nation brother RaptorsHQ.

2009-2010 Around the Association

Introduction
Atlanta Hawks: Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. The Hawks are for real.
Boston Celtics: Sheed in Green + Another Answer
Charlotte Bobcats: They Do Exist
Chicago Bulls: Ring Around the Rose-y
Cleveland Cavaliers: Now or Never
Dallas Mavericks: The Curse of the Dampier
Denver Nuggets: If it ain't broke...
Detroit Pistons: The Return of the Bay Boys
Houston Rockets: Yao-ch!, that's gotta hurt
Indiana Pacers: A One Man Show
Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors South No More
Los Angeles Lakers: Big Brother, Little Brother
Memphis Grizzlies: Going Back to Vancouver
Miami Heat: Need to get the point
Milwaukee Bucks: Saving a few buck$
Minnesota Timberwolves: Donde esta Senor Rubio?
New Jersey Nets: The Year of the Yi
New Orleans Hornets: Two first names, one great point guard
New York Knicks: Is it summatime yet?
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic: Are they Vinsane? You be the judge
Philadelphia 76ers: Are they (Elton) Brand New?
Phoenix Suns: Who knows?
Portland TrailBlazers: The Fire Keeps Burning
Sacramento Kings: It's all up from here
San Antonio Spurs: An Apple a Day...
Toronto Raptors: So International
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Rewind

Poll

Who do you think Chris Bosh will end up playing for in the 2010-2011 season?

Toronto Raptors

166 votes

New York Knicks

89 votes

Miami Heat

51 votes

Golden State Warriors

232 votes

Other (specify in comments)

12 votes

550 votes | Poll has closed

Raptorblogger Off-Season Round Table - Part I

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:49:34 -0000

More photos » by Chris Young - AP

Many of our panel members originally expected to see Shawn Marion's high-flying act back in Toronto this coming year, prior to Colangelo's unexpected complete overhaul.

Browse more photos »

As has become an annual off-season event, RaptorsHQ touches base with some of its favourite reporters from around the world-wide web on all things Raptors-related...

Each off-season, here at the HQ we like to get a good disussion going with some of our favourite Raptorbloggers and writers on the state of the team going into the new season.

This off-season promised to beget an even more interesting chat considering all the moves that have gone on these past few months.

To that end, we've put together a dynamite squad to touch on a few key questions concerning the Dynos; Chris O'Leary, contributor to Slam Magazine, TSN.ca's Tim Chisholm, Real GM's' Gagan Gandhi, and the Arsenalist from RaptorsRepublic.com.

Let's jump into it...

1) Going into this summer, what were your expectations in terms of personnel moves and how did you imagine Toronto's roster looking come September?

Chris O'Leary - Slam Magazine: My biggest concern going into the off-season was that BC would put too much stock in the finish that the Raps had. Winning a string of games when the damage is done and you're well on your way out of the playoff picture, in my mind, does very little to brighten such a bleak season.

Did I think the roster would look the way it does now? Definitely not. Change had to come, but it's impressive just how much of it Colangelo was able to muster up in a few months' time. There are lots of terrible teams in the NBA that could use an overhaul come April, but how often do you see this much turnover so quickly?

I expected the standard handful of new faces on the roster come the start of training camp. I didn't think Shawn Marion would be back and I thought that a sign and trade would result in a comparable talent coming in and filling that spot in the lineup. To be honest, when things wrapped up at the end of the season, I didn't see a lot of signs for improvement with the Raptors. I don't know if bringing in nine new faces will fix everything for the team, but at the very least it's a solid effort from Colangelo to take the team in a new direction.

Gagan Gandhi - Real GM: Although many consider Colangelo to be one who takes risks, I thought he would re-sign Shawn Marion and bring back pretty much the same team that won only 33 games last season. It looked like that was the case in the early part of the summer up until Hedo Turkoglu chose Toronto over Portland. I did expect the returns of Bargnani, Bosh and Calderon, although I did say that trade offers involving Bosh should be strongly considered. But, any trade involving Bosh went out the window after the acquisition of Hedo.

The signing of Jarrett Jack came as a shock, as did the trade involving Marco Belinelli. Like Chris said, no one is really sure if this will fix everything on the team, but it's a risk that had to be taken with such a prominent player being a free agent in a year's time. Did I expect minor changes to this team? Yes. Did I expect the Raptors to be one of the busiest teams of the summer and have one of the busiest summer's in franchise history? No.

Tim Chisholm - TSN.ca: I thought for sure that Marion was going to be back. He, Bargnani and Bosh had a skill set that really jived in terms of his ability to play defense at multiple positions and his instinct for rebounding. What I assumed was going to happen, though, was that those three, along with Calderon, would be retained while the support crew would be re-worked. Guys like Kapono, Humphries and Ukic were simply poor fits and moving them was going to be the mission of the summer (since Anthony Parker and Joey Graham were already free agents).

I hear Chris' concern that the team would have erred to put too much stock into a strong end to the season, but at the same time I think it would have been foolhardy to put no stock in it as well. The trick, in my eyes, was to find the balance of building on what worked while being honest about what didn't and actively removing it. The issues last season were bountiful, but I thought none were as responsible for the 33-win total as the depth that was sacrificed to get Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto. One injury was going to do severe damage to this team, and two was going to destroy the season, which is what happened. This summer, regardless of the decision made with Marion, this team was going to have cap space, a lottery pick and two salary-cap exceptions to play with - there were going to be different assets around the core guys (one couldn't say 'better' after the Kapono summer) to try and better balance the skills of the roster.

The only real shock, then, should be convoluted four-team trade that brought Hedo Turkoglu and Antoine Wright to Toronto without sacrificing an inordinate amount of assets. Beyond that, the use of the draft pick on DeRozen, the mid-level on Jack and the bi-annual on Rasho were just matters of sticking names into those slots, while trades jettisoning Kapono, Ukic, Humphries and Jawai (who became Devean George who became Marco Belinelli) brought back reasonable returns. The volume of changes takes a second to get used to, but broken down, only the Turkoglu trade and the details surrounding that really stand out as surprises for the summer.

The Arsenalist - RaptorsRepublic: Expectations? Not much. I was fearing Colangelo to build on the "success" we had playing pressure-free against the crappier teams down the stretch. I was expecting him to overpay Marion, which he actually tried doing, and then hope that with a healthy Calderon the results would be different. The off-season was defined by the trade conjured up by Steve Fruitman which nobody saw coming, how we managed
to turn practically nothing into Hedo Turkoglu, Rasho Nesterovic and Jarrett Jack will always be genius. Hedo turning his back on Portland was also a nice stroke of luck which can't be forgotten.

Dealing with the off-guard/point-forward was something we had to do if we expected to be taken seriously, last year's wing production was downright terrible and Parker's exit was inevitable. DeRozan was a no-brainer at #9 as he addresses our most dire physical need - athleticism. Throw in his mild scoring punch and we got something to
look forward to in the coming years. I felt that bringing in a rookie at a scoring position wasn't going to be enough and further moves needed to be made. Cue Belinelli who we got for free, I still don't think it's a potent punch at SG but hopefully Turkoglu can offset their lack of point production.

The dead-weight on the roster needed to be shed and I was hoping that we could shed three of Jason Kapono, Marcus Banks, Nathan Jawai and Patrick O'Bryant. We got Evans for Kapono who can actually contribute
and in the process make Pops redundant. The return of Rasho was somewhat expected but I felt he'd take a shot at bringing in Brian Skinner, someone I know he likes. In the end, it's 9 new players and 2 new assistant coaches.

Good luck Jay!

2) RaptorsHQ: So it sounds like many of you had low expectations regarding off-season changes initially. Now that the dust has settled, how do you feel about the moves? And do you think the changes are enough to first of all propel the Raptors back into the playoffs?

Tim Chisholm - TSN.ca: It's hard not to be at least cautiously optimistic about the moves. While the projected started five certainly has familiar issues (defense, rebounding), they have much more diversity offensively and the reserve crew can probably mitigate at least some of the issues at the other end and on the glass. The overall depth on this team is a huge gain since the one successful year this club had with Bosh was the one where the team had significant depth to play with. Having legit backups at point guard (Jarrett Jack) and centre (Rasho Nesterovic) especially impress given the alternatives the team had at those positions a year ago. While one has to see how long it takes all the new vets to mesh to truly gauge the success of the summer, one couldn't have asked much more of Bryan Colangelo coming off of last season's embarrassment.

The really encouraging element for me, though, is that the team has finally rededicated itself to developing some new, young players. Guys like Kris Humphries and Joey Graham hit their respective ceilings years ago, leaving Andrea Bargnani as the sole 'potential' player on the team. With Marco Belinelli, Amir Johnson and DeMar DeRozan now in the fold it looks like the team finally has some unfinished pieces to play with, the potential of whom could wind up playing a significant part of Bosh's decision to stay or go next summer. If the team succeeds this year AND has some promising pieces in the pipeline, it will be a hard combination to walk away from.

As for the Playoffs, this team should qualify, no doubt, but after last season it's a call I'm hesitant to make. One still needs to see Bargnani repeat his Jan-Apr performance for a whole season, and on a team with more weapons needing shots. One needs to see if Calderon can let go enough to allow the offense to run with a bit more flow and freedom. One needs to see if Bosh/Bargnani/Turkoglu can develop some meaningful chemistry to make them a fearsome threesome on the court, rather than just on paper. If things break for this team, they could compete for the four spot, but in all likelihood they're a 5-8 team that will see their seeding determined as much by those around them as they will by their own play. This has never been a club that was good at forcing their way in the door - they typically like someone to hold it open for them. So long as that is their personality, the Playoffs will never be a lock for the Raptors.

Chris O'Leary - Slam: The feeling going into this season reminds me a lot of the start of 2006-07. Colangelo had dealt for Ford, drafted Bargnani, had a glut of Euro-vets back in the lineup and there were a lot of questions over where the team would go. Like then, team chemistry is an issue again this year. With my Captain Obvious cape fully adjusted and flowing in the wind, I'll drop this gem: How long it takes this group to jell will be central to their success.

The ingredients seem to be there. The bench is stronger (and like Tim said, younger and more talented) than it has been in the last few seasons, Bargnani was producing by the end of last year, Calderon should be healthy and Bosh will be his monstrous self. DeMar DeRozan drips of promise like the stuff comes out of his showerhead and Hedo Turkoglu fits in on paper with the team, for better (strong outside game, team player) and worse (4.2 rebounds per game in your career when you're 6-10?). How long it takes for those ingredients to come together will determine where they finish in the East.

The Raptors should be able to make the playoffs this year. I still feel burned predicting them to do well last year, so I'm playing the role of Doubting Thomas until I see this team on the court. This time last year, I thought that the on-paper version of the Raptors could play with anyone in the league on any night. By April, I felt like I had my face rubbed in the remnants of Jermaine O'Neal's kneebrace with the Raps' 33–49 record.

Gagan Gandhi - Real GM: Their offense should be in the top half of the league as they’ve added good multi-position players in Turkoglu and Jack, both guys who can control the game with their play and really solidify the starting and bench units, respectively. Raptors fans should feel more comfortable in the final seconds of the shot clock knowing that the ball will potentially be in the hands of Turkoglu rather than Bosh. Calderon and Jack give the Raptors one of the best one-two punches at point guard in the league. Marco Belinelli will battle it out with DeMar DeRozan for minutes in the starting unit, and Belinelli better give it his all because DeRozan reminds more people of Andre Iguodala than Joey Graham.

Once again their defense going into the season is one of the bigger question marks. They will rely heavily on Bargnani’s continued progress and an injury-free season from Calderon. Defense is what Antoine Wright will most likely be utilized for; he’ll be this season’s Anthony Parker. The additions of Nesterovic and Evans can also not be understated, one of last season's achilles heel was the depth of the rotation and it's good to know that Jay Triano will have at least 5 viable options off the bench every night.

You never know how a team that has had as many changes as the Raptors have had will gel off the court, but the few players who are returning from last season all seem to be character guys. So, at least, the locker room should be a non-issue. With the additions of a bench and a "clutch" scorer, the moves made my Colangelo & Co this summer should get them a solid playoff spot in the weak East.

The Arsenalist - RaptorsRepublic: Insert generic sentence about how Bargnani can`t afford to be MIA for half the season, how Bosh needs to step-up his presence in the fourth quarter, show some leadership skills and be a force for the time he`s on the floor. Another sentence about how Jose needs to make a stand at the defensive end and evolve as a point guard who can do more than just pass the ball to the team`s best player 80% of the time.

Barring major injury and natural disaster we'll make the playoffs. I'm confident that we can take care of the bad teams next season, something we struggled with last year. We're still likely to lose 0-4 to the Celtics and 1-3 to the Cavs but as long as we beat the Charlottes of the league, we'll get in there. The goal should be getting home-court behind Boston, Cleveland and Orlando, but the Hawks will have something to say about that. Finishing 6th or below would be considered a failed season because if things pan out the way most are expecting, it'll result in a quick and painful playoff exit.

The starting lineup is respectable but it has a rebounding deficiency which Colangelo is hoping the bench of Rasho and Evans can address. Jack is a nice touch of the bench and Wright is a good defender but his role is situational and I don`t think he can play 28 minutes a night. Comparing the end of the bench with last season`s we`ve
replaced the dead weight of Ukic, Graham and Humphries with Belinelli, Johnson and Douby. If you consider their respective resumes I`m not sure there`s really that much difference there, although we`re finally investing in some youth with potential.

I think Delfino would`ve been a better addition than Belinelli because of his ball-handling and defensive abilities. Belinelli is an unknown and expecting too much out of him is setting yourself up for disappointment, much like what happened with Moon, Adams and Solomon last year. The off-guard spot has talent but no proven track record
or insurance, we`re hoping Turkoglu, Bosh and Calderon can click in a way so we can afford DeRozan to hit the rookie wall. There are issues everywhere but we're better off than last year and good enough to make the playoffs.

Deeper question is this: Four years into Colangelo's regime our standard of acceptance is sneaking into the post-season. Quite pathetic if you ask me.

Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow...

Pros And Cons: Pacers Frontcourt Changes

Tom Lewis — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:29:54 -0000

The Indiana Pacers tweaked their frontcourt personnel this summer and when looking at the changes, it's hard to say they haven't improved. But for some reason, it just doesn't feel like it.

Does anyone else feel this way?

For sake of this discussion, when talking about the front court I'm referring to the center and power forward positions, the bigs, the guys responsible for defending the rim and rebounding. Among this group, the Pacers lost Rasho Nesterovic and Maceo Baston but added Solomon Jones and Tyler Hansbrough to go along with Roy Hibbert, Troy Murphy, Jeff Foster and Josh McRoberts.

Can't be any worse, right? I guess Nesterovic was like a safety net last year and maybe his absence is the causing my uneasy feeling. That seems absurd though, doesn't it? Maybe I'm hung up on the unanswered questions among these players. Can Hibbert avoid foul trouble? Will Foster's back flare up? Can Hansbrough produce in his rookie year? Will Jones or McRoberts fill in when needed?

Help me out here and offer up your pros and/or cons for the frontcourt players listed above along with your expectations for the Pacers frontcourt this season.

Poll

Which frontcourt Pacer do you expect to make the most positive impact this season?

Roy Hibbert

167 votes

Troy Murphy

62 votes

Jeff Foster

7 votes

Tyler Hansbrough

119 votes

Josh McRoberts

20 votes

Solomon Jones

7 votes

382 votes | Poll has closed

The X Factor Report - Andrea Bargnani

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:22:47 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

Can Bargs bring a Dirk-level fire and intensity to the Raptors this season?

View full size photo »

With DeRozan and Turkoglu accounted for, Franchise turns his attention to his third individual X-Factor report of the off-season; Andrea Bargnani.

12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 blocks, 42 per cent from the field and 38 per cent from long range.

These are the career averages of Andrea Bargnani.

Do they sound like the averages of a former first overall pick with three years NBA experience?

Not exactly.

And yet this past off-season, the Toronto Raptors decided to re-sign Andrea to a five-year, $50 Million dollar extension, likely keeping him in TO for the next half a decade.

Does this make sense?

Well I won't drone on about my lack of comprehension behind the timing of this signing by Raptors' management, however it's obvious as to why the decision was eventually made.

It's all about upside.

As Raptor fans know, the previous statistics are only a glimpse into the world of "Il Mago." After a "lost at sea" sophomore campaign, Andrea finally broke through in the second half of last season with new coach Jay Triano at the reigns. He averaged 19.8, 17.9 and 20.3 points respectively from January through March and saw his rebounding and block numbers jump up as well. The thinking of course was that this was finally a true glimpse of the player Bryan Colangelo had assumed he was drafting back in 2006, and that this coming season would finally be a chance for Andrea to show his All-Star potential.

But of course this is no guaranteed scenario. With three quarters of last year's team replaced, and another adept ball-handler and multi-talented offensive force in the starting line-up with him, Raptors' fans could be in for another roller-coaster season from Andrea as he tries to get accustomed to yet another new role and of course new teammates. (Luckily some of these he's had the pleasure of playing with before and some he's even shot commercials with.)

Also troublesome is his recent performance at the European Championships underway right now in Poland. Even with three NBA players on the roster (including new Raptors' teammate Marco Belinelli), Bargnani's squad was quickly eliminated from medal contention after disappointing losses to teams like Finland - hardly basketball powerhouses.

The Italian press in fact placed much of the blame for the losses on Bargnani. La Gazzetta Dello Sport even went so far as to say that Bargs justified his "Il Mago" nickname by being able to disappear in games right before the eyes of the crowd!

Unfortunately as Raptors' fans, we've seen this movie before too; the one where Andrea disappears in games for long stretches and in the process ends up being a walking-running basketball liability.

However at other times, there's no denying that Bargnani is simply unstoppable, able to score from inside and out, as demonstrated in this highlight package.

So the question for Raptors' fans, is which Andrea shows up this year, and if it's the unstoppable version, can this level of play be sustained for an entire season? We've seen flashes of brilliance and even some sustainability over a period of a few months, but after three seasons, it's really hard to know just what you're going to get from Andrea night-in and night-out.

And really to me, that's what makes Bargs the club's biggest X Factor going into the season. More than any other player on the roster, his level of play could determine how successful this team is, and more than any other player, it's extremely hard to know just what to expect from him in 2009-10. However should he take the next step in his career as many predict, then suddenly the current version of the Toronto Raptors will be very tough to stop.

The player that Bargnani is most often compared to is Dirk Nowitzki. Both have great mobility, quickness, and shooting touch for players their size, not to mention both are foreign stars. Andrea may in fact be more mobile than Dirk, however he's yet to show that he's got the same all-around game, especially in the paint, nor have the same grit and mental toughness as Nowitzki.

Dirk is hardly Dwyane Wade, however he's shed his "soft" level over the past few seasons, and continues to be one of the most consistent players in the league. He's averaged around 25 points a game his last five years to go with a shade under 9 boards, and is the unquestioned leader of his Dallas Mavericks ball club. Bargnani on the other hand is hardly the leader of the Raptors, nor has he shown any degree of consistency through three seasons.

However there are major differences between Nowitzki and Bargnani in terms of their career development paths so I'm not sure it's fair to simply line them up side by side.

For instance Dirk became his club's focal point pretty much by the end of season two and therefore in his third season, broke out upping his scoring from about 18 points a game to 22, and his rebounding from 6 to 9.

Bargnani really only became the second option offensively for Toronto late last year and in his first two seasons, found himself constantly in and out of the rotation, not to mention battling various injuries.

So perhaps Andrea is one year behind the curve then.

Perhaps this indeed is the year he makes good on the Nowitzki comparisons and maybe even surpasses his German doppelganger.

The opportunity is certainly there. However he'll need to seize it from day one of training camp; another late-season surge won't do if this club has playoff aspirations.

Luckily, Andrea will have lots of help in sharpening his teeth in practice. No longer will he be be matched up with the likes of Patrick O'Bryant and Kris Humphries each day as players like Rasho Nesterovic, Amir Johnson and Reggie Evans promise to offer Bargs a variety of interesting match-ups outside of game play. Fans saw giant strides in Andrea's one-on-one defense by the end of last year however he's still got lots of work to do on things like rebounding in traffic and help-side defense.

In fact it's Bargs' paltry rebounding numbers considering his size and position on the court that probably bring him the most heat. Basketball analysts bemoan his terrible boardwork and while as mentioned, he did show signs of life in this area, there's no question that he needs to take another step this year. While an improved offensive skill-set would be a big boost for the Raptors, an Andrea Bargnani who grabs at least seven or eight rebounds a game would be an even bigger asset. With a starting line-up that appears to have "rebounding issues" written all over it, Bargs needs to at least be able to help Chris Bosh hold down the fort in this capacity. If not, then Raptors' fans may find themselves pulling out their collective hair as opponents get second-chance opportunities time and time again.

In my books, Andrea really is the ultimate X Factor going into the season and Toronto's playoff fate this season may very well rest in his hands.

Should he increase his offensive prowess without doing so at his teammates' expense, this would make the Raptors a very tough team to defend.

And should he help the team get stops, and focus more on team rebounding and defence, then this adds a whole new dimension to the Raptors that many, myself included, do not expect.

As mentioned, this could indeed be the difference in the end between making the playoffs and watching from the sidelines. Again, the ability is there, we've seen it on numerous occasions over his career so far.

However this is the season where Raptors' fans need to see it shine through for good.

FRANCHISE