SB Nation - Joey Graham

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - Mo Questions

Raptors HQ - Vicious D — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

Chris Bosh seems quite happy with the way things are going. His team, however, still hasn't turned the corner in Vicious D's eyes.

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The Raptors sweep the Hornets for their second win in a row against yet another sub .500 team. Vicious D wonders what this team will do when they face a real challenger who doesn't shoot themselves in the foot.

Let's be honest for a moment.

There were a lot of things that had to break the Raptors' way for them to beat the New Orleans Hornets 98-92 yesterday.

With the Raptors last game against the Nets, I believed that they had not improved or implemented many different tactics to pull out a win against the worst team in the league. Instead, they were just playing the worst team in the league and the Raptors just were not as bad as the worst.

Against the Hornets?

Well, there was going to be a bigger challenge for the Raptors than the Nets, but the Raptors have recently played the Hornets fairly well year after year. Of course, Jose Calderon has always been a big part of that success and with Calderon sidelined indefinitely with his hip injury, Jarrett Jack came in and provided some offense despite fighting off an illness. More efficient than Paul, Jack was controlled with his offense and deferred appropriately to the others on the floor. He also challenged Paul to defend him by going to the basket throughout the game.

Then Marcus Banks came in and didn't miss a beat.

Now one might say that Marcus Banks has the widest shoulders of any player at his height which makes it that much more difficult for opposing guards to blow by him. In fact, he might actually have the widest frame of any Raptor this side of Joey Graham. With yet another quality performance under his belt, Banks seems to be rounding into form more and more. He is starting to resemble the backup that Phoenix saw many years ago who deserved a $4 million dollar contract. While Banks still does throw up the questionable shot once in a while, he does also try to use his body to his full advantage.

And thus, the arguments to trade Jose Calderon have begun.

Nevertheless, I'm not one to throw our starting point guard under the bus yet. Besides being one of the better "in control" players on this squad, he still is a high percentage shooter and is definitely one of the lowest turnover point guards in the league. More importantly, finding takers for a $9-10 million dollar contract over 3 1/2 years will not be an easy task and I don't believe his stock could be any lower than it is right now. However, Banks is definitely helping his own stock around the league as at least a serviceable second option for most teams and is definitely an important piece of Toronto's puzzle right now.

Of course, Amir Johnson was once again a major spark plug coming off the bench, and Andrea Bargnani has a couple key blocks down the stretch which almost made up for his fairly poor shooting. Chris Bosh also dropped down another 20 and 10 and DeMar DeRozan gave the Raptors a little bit of boost from his athleticism.

Besides that, there's little to be cheery about in this game.

The Hornets were pretty horrendous from all over the floor, shooting a horrid 39% from the floor and disgusting 14% from beyond the arc. Peja Stojakovic had an absolutely horrid shooting day going 1-7 from three and 4-15 overall after dropping a ton of shots on the Nuggets the other night. Many of the shots were open shots that the Hornets simply missed and the Raptors did very little to clean up the glass against Emeka Okafor and David West. One might point to the fact that the Raptors had three players in double figures for rebounding, but I would point to the horrid shooting of the Hornets as a large reason for those rebounds. Don't get me wrong. Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, and Amir Johnson especially, were not just standing around waiting for the ball. However, Okafor managed to get seven offensive rebounds for the game and probably would have lots more had Bargnani not been taken out due to foul trouble.

What was most disappointing for me was just watching the Raptors on the offensive side.

With the Hornets going "small" for the majority of the game, the Raptors insisted on keeping most of their shots on the outside and didn't attack the basket enough. Even when players like Chris Bosh got into the paint, they still ended up taking a fadeaway or an off-balanced hook in the paint rather than going up strong and racking up the fouls on the Hornets' big men. With Matt Devlin and Leo Rautins both pointing out that the Raptors needed to go inside and even reporting that Jay Triano was pleading for them to keep attacking the basket, the Raptors themselves seem content to keep taking outside shots.

And once again, I'm left shaking my head.

There is no question that the Raptors need to be beating this teams that they're facing right now. With Boston and San Antonio around to ring in the new year, they have to take advantage of every sub-.500 team match up they can. However, good teams will use this momentum to build and work on their faults. Like a sharpening stone, these sub-.500 teams are a good opportunity to practice the things you've worked on in practice and to establish good habits so that when you face the tougher opponents in the league, you have a good foundation to work on.

Right now? I'm seeing a lot of the same problems, just against lesser teams that can't take advantage of the Raptors' shortcomings. I've been asked repeatedly about improvements to this team and its chemistry, but to be honest, there's very little in the way of good news. About the only thing that's good is that the Raptors staff has been allowed to explore the depth of their bench, something that us fans have begged for since pre-season when we saw how both Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson played the floor. However, the main problems with the starting core remain the same. There is still too much of a tendency to do what comes easy in basketball rather than doing what will win them the close, tough games.

The wins are welcome, and the feelings around the team are good for now. but the sense of foreboding that I feel about the days ahead just can't be whisked away with these kinds of wins.

Somehow, this team has got to start taking care of their shortcomings or they're going to hit a wall very quick and very hard.

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

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

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

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.

Big 12 All Decade Team

Evan Pfaff — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

With almost a full year yet to play, Kansas center Cole Aldrich muscled his way onto the Big12Hoops.com First Team All Big 12 Decade Team (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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In the first full calendar decade of the Big 12 conference, one thing was apparent: there were two schools that produced a good majority of the talent. And while the best individual players may not have come from Kansas or Texas, a look at the Big12Hoops.com All Decade team reveals that a majority were either Jayhawks or Longhorns.

Don't see your favorite? The Honorable Mention list is after The Jump

First Team All Big 12

PG – Jamaal Tinsley, Iowa St
SG – Tony Allen, Oklahoma St
SF – Kevin Durant, Texas
PF – Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
C – Cole Aldrich, Kansas

Second Team All Big 12

PG – Kirk Hinrich, Kansas
SG – Acie Law, Texas A&M
SF – Michael Beasely, Kansas St
PF – Marcus Fizer, Iowa St
C – Chris Mihm, Texas

Third Team All Big 12

PG – TJ Ford, Texas
SG – Andre Emmett, Texas Tech
SF – PJ Tucker, Texas
PF – Drew Gooden, Kansas
C – Nick Collison, Kansas

[UPDATE: Lots of good suggestions and opinions in the comments section. Lemme give a little insight into how I compiled this list.

I started with a list of Big 12 Players of the Year. My rationale was that if someone was good enough to be the best in the league, even for one year, he warranted entry into this exclusive club. 9 of the 10 Big 12 Players of the Year made the top three teams. The only one who didn’t was Wayne Simien, and that is because he played a PF position that, if you look at the past decade, was just STACKED. Blake Griffin, Marcus Fizer, Drew Gooden. Really you could put Simien in there, but who gets bumped off?

As for PG, Tinsley over TJ Ford and Kirk Hinirich has also garnered a lot of attention. Tinsley’s place as the 2000-01 POY got him on the first team. But you really cant go wrong with any of them.

Lastly, there is this question on what to do with Durant and Beasley. Each only played one year, but they dominated the league (and the country). Durant was a Naismith winner as the best player in the country and Beasley was a finalist for the award. Both were league POYs. Because they didn’t play a full 4 years, they didn’t accumulate career stats that some others players did, but my list was based on selecting the best players, during their time in the Big 12, at each position.]

All Big 12 - Honorable Mention

Baylor Bears
LaceDarius Dunn
Lawrence Roberts

Colorado Buffaloes
Reggie Roby
David Harrison

Iowa St Cyclones
Craig Brackins

Kansas Jayhawks
Wayne Simien
Aaron Miles

Kansas St. Wildcats
Cartier Martin

Missouri Tigers
DeMarre Carroll
Clarence Gilbert
Arthur Johnson
Kareem Rush

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Aleks Maric

Oklahoma Sooners
Taj Gray
Hollis Price

Oklahoma St Cowboys
Byron Eaton
Joey Graham

Texas Longhorns
DJ Augustine
LaMarcus Aldridge

Texas Tech Red Raiders
Jarrius Jackson

Texas A&M Aggies
Bernard King

The Importance of DeMar DeRozan

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:21:32 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

DeMar DeRozan's recent play under the tutelage of Jay Triano has been a big boost for the Raps...

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On a day away from previews and recaps, Franchise looks at the impact of DeMar DeRozan to date and discusses how integral he is to the success of the Toronto Raptors this season...

Around noon today the Toronto Raptors will be unveiling their newest jerseys, retro "Huskies" uniforms meant to comemorate the 1946-47 Toronto Huskies basketball club.

These jerseys will be worn during six home games this season as part of the NBA's Hardwood Classic Nights and of course, as part of the Raptors' ongoing 15 year celebration.

Participating in the jersey unveiling, which we'll be attending, will be two current Dinos; Hedo Turkoglu, and the focus of this morning's post, DeMar DeRozan.

As most readers know, DeRozan wasn't my top choice for the Raptors this past off-season in regards to the draft. He did hover in our top prospect rankings most of the season, but there were other players, most notably Gerald Henderson and Terence Williams, who I would have preferred the Raps took a shot at with the ninth overall pick. I just wasn't convinced that DeRozan, apart from being an excellent athlete, had enough dominant basketball skills to be an impact player at the next level. Sure he was good in a number of areas and as mentioned, quite athletic, but the NBA draft is littered with countless "athletes" who never could put it together once they reached the big show.

(Cough...Rodney Carney...cough cough, Joey Graham.)

And up until last week, it was hard to argue that DeRozan wasn't falling into this same realm.

Yes, he was starting for the Raps, but the team was hardly looking like a playoff contender and DeRozan was averaging only 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting a slightly clunky 44 per cent from the field. His PER was an underwhelming 12.69 (the league average is 15), and for someone with his athleticism and "hops," his rebounding and defensive metrics were quite poor.

Prior to the start of the season I had identified two players as being the biggest X factors this season for Toronto; Andrea Bargnani and Mr. DeRozan. I felt that solid and consistent contributions from these two could really elevate the club's playoff potential simply because both added very unique elements to the team, ones that were essential for on-court success in this league.

In DeRozan's case, it was his ability to get to the rim and create off the bounce. At USC, DeRozan was a handful for opposing guards in this capacity and as the season wore on, he became more and more aggressive in terms of attacking the basket. It was this attribute, in particular from the wing position, that I was extremely interested in this season. Since Vince Carter's departure, the Raps have lacked a player who could do these sort of things and in today's NBA, I thought it critical to have this element in the starting line-up.

Put it this way; of the recent NBA champions, have there been any without an athletic 2 who could create his own shot with the clock winding down?

Maybe Detroit; but they seem to be the caveat to every question like this regarding past champs.

For Toronto to not only return to the playoffs, but to push past the Vegas-set 42 win plateau, I felt it essential to get this sort of offensive attack from DeMar.

Unfortunately as mentioned, DeMar's production was hardly anything to write home about early in the season, to the point that it seemed inevitable that with the Raptors' struggles, he'd be one of the first to be replaced in the starting line-up.

But then a funny thing happened.

Despite being blown out in Atlanta, DeMar had one of his best offensive performances of the season, scoring 21 points. In that game, he got to the free-throw line 12 times, and even when the game was well out of reach for the Dinos, he continued to be aggressive in going to the basket.

This carried over to the next two games as well, both wins, where DeRozan put up 16 and 11 points respectively, and in both matches, helped set the tone early by attacking the hoop and throwing down some vicious dunks.

There's no clear win correlation yet, (the Raptors are 3 and 5 when DeMar averages 10 or more points), but I feel that as the season goes on, one thing will become obvious; when DeRozan is scoring off the bounce and attacking the basket, this Raptors team takes a giant step forward in terms of potential.

Suddenly, with DeRozan drawing defenders into the paint, the Raptors' plethora of outside bombers are free for open looks off of kickouts, and instead of being the primary offensive focus, Chris Bosh is free to use his new low-post mojo to finish any of DeRozan's misses.

(DeRozan takes a break during Summer-League action.)

As well, in a league where many of the top offensive threats reside at the 2, suddenly Toronto is able to ensure that these shooting guards aren't conserving themselves at the defensive end, something which has been the case in the past.

And that's not even getting into DeRozan's ability to ignite the crowd or his team with a highlight-reel flush, something that can't exactly be quantified with any sort of metric.

Am I expecting DeRozan to play like gangbusters each and every night now from here on out?

Hardly.

The Vince Carter comparisons were over-blown as in many ways they are very different players, and I expect like the majority of rookies, his first season will be a series of highs and lows.

There's already some solid talent on this Raptor team so they don't need a VC type rookie performance to carry the club. If the Raptors can simply get a sustained and aggressive offensive attack from the rookie, this will be a huge boost for Toronto.

Already this month, DeRozan has gotten to the free throw line 22 times compared to 32 for all of November so indeed it looks like he's heading in the right direction. If he continues this level of aggression at both ends of the court, and shies away from the forced jumpers, that's really all TO can ask for this season.

After all, perhaps it can be argued that the Raps don't need another VC at the moment, but they certainly don't need another Chris Jeffries...

Game 8 Preview & Thread: Nuggets at Bulls (6pm MDT)

Nate Timmons — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:14:32 -0000

Nuggets Nation has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of J.R. Smith (or Earl as he now wants to be called) for the 2009-10 season ... well, the wait is over. Smith will see his first action tonight in Chicago after serving his seven-game suspension to start the season. Smith's return couldn't come at a better time, as he'll provide Denver with some fresh legs off the bench.

Last season Denver went into Chicago, faced a depleted Bulls team (their major trade deadline deal kept their new additions out of uniform) with only eight active players, and lost 116-99. In fact, the Bulls starting five that night (Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, Ben Gordan and Derrick Rose) outscored the entire Nuggets team 103-99.

But that was last season and I don't really correlate past success being all of too relevant in professional sports with the ever changing landscape and all.

Also, who here is sick of me doing all the previews and recaps? Maybe someone should start a "We want Andrew back" FanPost! Ha ha joking, but seriously ... he'll be back as usual very soon - so you wont have to keep putting up with just my view!

Let's break this game down!

Records:
Denver: 5-2
Chicago: 4-2 (key wins: vs. San Antonio, at Cleveland)
Injuries:
Denver: Kenyon Martin - probable (left fibula contusion)
Chicago: Aaron Gray (left fibula fracture), Jerome James (right Achilles) and Tyrus Thomas (left radius fracture) are all out tonight.

Point Guard: Chauncey Billups vs. Derrick Rose
This is going to be a tough matchup for Billups as the one thing an aging point guard has issues with are the young quick guys coming into their own. The 21-year-old Rose is lightening quick and Billups will have a tough time staying in front of him. Rose's minutes are down quite a bit from his averages last season (roughly from 37 mpg to 30 mpg this season), but when he's on the floor he will cause Denver problems if he's driving the ball and getting out in transition. On the flip side ... Billups is a strong guard who will take advantage of every weakness in Rose's game. The way the two are playing right now ... advantage even.

Shooting Guard: Joey Graham/Arron Afflalo vs. John Salmons
Our first big question mark ... who will Karl start tonight and how much will they play? Salmons is a scorer and has great size for the shooting guard spot, but his game has been off this season as he's only shooting 34% from the field and averaging 13.8 points per game (down from 18.3 ppg last season). Graham and Afflalo both matchup well with Salmons if they stay committed on the defensive end and Afflalo has been stepping up his offensive game now that he's growing more comfortable in the Denver offense. Karl stated in the Denver Post that he wants to get Smith minutes "in the low 20s" tonight so I'll be interested to see how much burn Graham and Double-A get. Advantage: Even.

Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony vs. Luol Deng
The injury plagued Deng, who only appeared in 49 games last season, is having a nice bounce-back season averaging 16.7 points and 10 rebounds in roughly 37 minutes per game. Deng leads the low-scoring (88.5 ppg) Bulls in ... scoring, but he'll have his work cut out for him tonight with Melo. Anthony is capable of dominating this matchup on the offensive end if he plays the right way. In Denver's first three games Melo averaged 4.3 assists and since this roadtrip has begun he has averaged 2 assists in the last four games (pretty funny when you consider he scored more points in Denver's first three games than the last four). I know assists are not really the most accurate way to judge if a guy is playing unselfish basketball (since one guy decides what is an assist), but Melo needs to trust his teammates to make plays and let the offense come to him. I barely realized in the first two games that Melo was looking for his shot and he needs to get back to playing more team basketball. Advantage: Nuggets.

Power Forward: Kenyon Martin vs. Taj Gibson
The rookie out of USC (26th overall pick) will again be starting in place of injured Tyrus Thomas. Gibson scored a career-high 11 points on 5-12 shooting in Cleveland on November 5th, but this will be a tough matchup for him. I don't know much else about the kid, but playing against a fired up K-Mart is not going to be very much fun. Here is what Martin said in the Denver Post today.

"I'm going to play, man — no matter how I feel," said Martin, who sustained a left leg bruise on Friday in Miami. "We lost two games in a row. Bottom line, we've got to stop the bleeding. I think my presence on the court will go a long way."

Martin has an excellent way of making his presence known, ask any NBA rim or Dirk Nowitzki. Advantage: Nuggets.

Center: Nene vs. Joakim Noah
Both of these guys are capable of making incredible faces after they feel a bad call went against them or if they don't get a call they feel they deserved. Seriously though, both guys are undersized centers who rely on different aspects of their game to get by. Noah is a ferocious rebounder and ultimate hustle guy. Nene is a talented offensive player who thrives off playing above the rim. The emotions inside the game can get the better of each guy and whomever can control their game will win this battle. Advantage: Even.

Bench: Ty Lawson, Earl "J.R." Smith, Double-A/Graham, Renaldo Balkman, Chris Andersen and Anthony Carter vs. Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller, Jannero Pargo and James Johnson.
Right off the bat ... Karl has not settled on a certain rotation as of yet and that's basically because Smith has been out and K-Mart suffered an early injury. Vinny Del Negro however, basically has been using a seven-man rotation with just Miller and Hinrich logging major minutes of the bench. Both Bulls bench guys are veterans who know their roles with the team. Hinrich could start for a lot of teams in the league and is a very nice asset off the bench. (To be honest ... I'd like to see some Lawson vs. Rose and Hinrich vs. Billups in this one.) The Nuggets though have a deeper unit and get a big shot in the arm with the return of #5 ... yes, Earl Smith. If Smith can shake off the rust early he will log big minutes and could prove to be the lift this team needs along with K-Mart's return. I like what Denver's bench brings tonight and think they can be the difference. Advantage: Nuggets.

Opposition's take: Blog a Bull (their preview is up)

ntimmons73@yahoo.com

Photo Courtesy: AP Photos David Zalubowski

(link in the story to the Denver Post article sourced: http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_13751049, http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_13754906)

Game 7 Preview and Thread: Nuggets at Hawks (5pm MDT)

Nate Timmons — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:00:30 -0000

The Nuggets and Hawks are both coming off losses last night and both losses eerily familiar ... don't believe me? Follow the jump and take a peek, if you dare! (Sorry, still in Halloween mode apparently.)

Records:
Denver: 5-1 (Key wins: vs. Blazers and Jazz ... loss at Heat)
Atlanta: 4-2 (Key wins: vs. Wizards and at Portland ... losses at Lakers and Bobcats)
Time and TV: Game starts at 5:00 p.m. Mountain and can be seen on NBA TV or Altitude
Injuries: Denver - Joey Graham: day-to-day (sprained toe), Kenyon Martin (left leg contusion) wont play
Atlanta - Jason Collins: day-to-day (ankle)

The J.R. Smith countdown ... ~~1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6~~, 7. Smith will be returning to action in Chicago.

I'm going to give you a few excerpts from a game last night, let's see if you can figure out if I'm taking these passages from the Nuggets game or the Hawks game ...

For a night, the roles were reversed. The low-scoring ______ were suddenly efficient on offense, while the high-scoring _____ turned in a stinker ...

and some more ...

"I don't know when we all of a sudden just really became a selfish team," ______ said. "Now everybody wants to go one-on-one. It's me, me, me. It's crazy, man."

Those excerpts are from the Hawks vs. Bobcats game last night and the quote is from Hawks guard Joe Johnson. But I'm telling you ... Atlanta and Denver played very similar games last night. That is why tonight's game can be a very nice turnaround game for one of these teams. I'm guessing that the team that decides to play unselfish will come away with the win.

In Denver's five wins this season they posted team assist numbers of: 22 vs. the Jazz, 11 vs. the Blazers, 36 vs. the Grizzlies, 18 vs. the Pacers and 25 vs. the Nets.

In Denver's lone loss, last night, the Nuggets combined for just 10 total assists.

Looking at the numbers above, Denver struggled in two games this season: on the road in Portland and last night in Miami. In each of those games the Nuggets posted their lowest assist totals. Basketball is a game that's all about getting the best available shot aka the easiest shot that gives you the best chance to make a basket. Things go a lot better for the Nuggets when they share the ball and we should know early if Denver is going to play unselfish basketball.

The Nuggets also must find a way to control the boards tonight and that task will be very difficult with K-Mart watching from the bench or locker room. We've seen Martin miss time before and last season when he was out George Karl turned to Renaldo Balkman. Seems pretty odd right? Balkman goes from not being able to get off the bench to potential starter. Balkman came in last night and logged 6 points (2-3 shooting) and 6 rebounds in 15 minutes and started the second half in K-Mart's absence.

I was just glancing at the box score of the Hawks vs. Bobcats game and had to do a double-take on Joe Smith's minutes ... he started, but only played 6 minutes. I thought maybe the game was waaaaay to familiar with both starting power forwards getting injured, but alas Smith plays limited minutes a la Dahntay Jones to make way for Josh Smith off the bench a la J.R. Smith.

Thankfully, the Hawks are a bit undersized overall themselves so a rotation of Balkman, Nene, Andersen, and Graham should be able to bang down low. Although the Hawks have Joe Smith 6'10'', Al Horford 6'10'', Zaza Pachulia 6'11'', and Josh Smith 6'9'' to throw at the Nuggets.

And when Joe Johnson was talking about his team playing a bit selfish ... it's not a big surprise when you consider they have a lot of offensive weapons in Johnson, Horford, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby (always likes to light the Nuggets up), Marvin Williams, Jamal Crawford, Maurice Evans, and rookie point guard Jeff Teague.

I'm excited to hopefully get to see Teague play. The rookie out of Wake Forest was drafted one spot behind Ty Lawson at 19th overall and his playing time has been all over the board (although he averages about 13 minutes per game). Teague has a lot of talent and I was hoping that if the Nuggets didn't get Lawson that they'd be able to get Teague ... it's always fun to watch guys play who you were thinking might end up with the team you follow.

Denver has to find a find a way to play unselfish and Melo must look to get his teammates involved. Along with trying to play unselfish the Nuggets are down another offensive weapon and some of the role players must step up tonight and take the load off Melo and Billups. I don't know who is going to step up tonight, but Denver could use an unfamiliar face to have a career night. One team will get right and earn a win, let's hope it's the Nuggets.

Opposition's take: Peach Tree Hoops

ntimmons73@yahoo.com

Photo courtesy of AP Photos: Gregory Smith

Waive Goodbye, Part 2

Jon L — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Go ahead and smile, Derrick Byars. You made the team. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Today we continue our look at the players waived or, occasionally, kept by NBA teams as the regular season begins. Next up we move into the middle of the country, or as I like to call it, "America's already-bloated snackhole." (I can say that because I live there.) That's right, it's the Central and Southwest Divisions. (Except that I was looking at the wrong division list when I wrote this and it's actually the Northwest Division. Deal with it, America.) And if you're just tuning in, don't forget to check out part 1.

Chicago Bulls

Who got cut: Curtis Stinson, Chris Richard, Steven Hill

Who got kept: Derrick Byars

Forget Stinson and Hill, this really came down to Byars vs. Richard for the last roster spot. And with all due respect to Richard, they made the right call. Richard played okay, although he averaged less than seven points per 36 minutes, and given that the team that already sports Joakim Noah in the frontcourt they really probably can't handle yet another guy who can't produce on offense. Not that Richard unequivocally can't, he just didn't demonstrate that sort of ability in the preseason, which is when he needed to demonstrate it. Byars helps the team in case Deng gets hurt again, or if John Salmons starts creaking (he turns 30 later this year). I won't discuss Byars in great detail here, because you can read this. It probably makes up for the Bulls cutting DeMarcus Nelson, maybe. Stinson and Hill are both probably headed to Europe, though I could see Stinson sticking around the D-League.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Who got cut: Luke Nevill, Andre Barrett, Russell Robinson, Rob Kurz, Darryl Watkins

Who got kept: Coby Karl

See Marge? These guys get it. Karl actually didn't play particularly well in the preseason, but he had a pretty good Summer League with Denver, and he's definitely talented. He's a nice multi-faceted player who can shoot (and make) threes, help distribute the ball, pick up some steals and rebound a little bit. So in other words he's exactly the right kind of guard for Cleveland. He's also worked damn hard, and he deserves another shot at the NBA. It never feels good to get cut (I'm assuming), but it's probably especially hard for Rob Kurz, who was starting for the Warriors just last season. He'd definitely be a prime call-up candidate should he go to the D-League, as he's a 6'9" guy who can make threes, although he could stand to pick up his rebounding and defense. He also profiles well as a Euroleague guy, so he could end up there. Russell Robinson also could pick either option. He played pretty poorly both in Summer League and the preseason, with turnovers being the major problem. Another stint in the D-League could help that, as he averaged just two and a half per 36 minutes for Reno last season. I'll mention again that I haven't been including Jawad Williams in this discussion because he was signed at the end of last season and has a partially-guaranteed deal, so while he theoretically could be waived later on, the team has been somewhat more committed to him than these other guys. I'm somewhat optimistic about Williams's playing time, since at this point he's more capable than J.J. Hickson or Darnell Jackson, but Leon Powe and maybe Jamario Moon are around to take most of the backup forward minutes.

Denver Nuggets

Who got cut: James White, Kurt Looby, Keith Brumbaugh, Dontaye Draper

Who got kept: Joey Graham

Massive disappointment here, although there's nothing personal against Graham. There was just so much hope that this would be White's year in Houston, then the team decided it wouldn't be, then Denver decided it wouldn't be his year for them, either. Looby getting cut isn't a huge surprise, as he's still carpaccio-raw. But, White getting the boot on top of Sonny Weems being sent away is enough to make one question Denver's commitment to ~~Sparkle Motion~~ the D-League. That would be rash, of course, and unfair to Denver who is clearly trying to win soon. Graham's per-36 numbers are almost identical to White's NBA figures, but I guess there's still too much uncertainty over what White can do when there really shouldn't be. He's headed over to Europe now, I assume, since he's said he's done with the D-League, and who can blame him. If an NBA team says they're committed to your development, then semi-promptly gets rid of you, that would be disheartening for anyone.

Detroit Pistons

Who got cut: Maceo Baston

Who got kept: No one.

Sorry, Maceo. Have fun at your House Party. (Admit it, that's not the clip you were expecting.) (Also, note to self: when you get older, shave your head but leave the sideburns and add a mustache.) But hey, here's a crazy idea; the Pistons also waived their second round pick Deron Washington, who's a 6'7" small forward. James White is a 6'7" small forward. WHAT IF THEY'RE ABOUT TO SIGN JAMES WHITE? They're probably not, but they should be. While Austin Daye looked really, really good in Summer League, and Jonas Jerebko could be pretty good, it seems a bit crazy to rely on three rookies (remember DaJuan Summers) as key bench contributors, rebuilding or no rebuilding. And while James White doesn't have that much more NBA experience, he's been around for a few years and he can contribute. Come on, Joe Dumars. LET'S DO THIS.

Indiana Pacers

Who got cut: Rod Benson, Demetris Nichols, Lawrence Roberts

Who got kept: No one.

Rod Benson is probably going back to Europe this year, even though he didn't have the best experience there last season (although being injured didn't help). I'd guess Nichols goes the same route, and both of them are good enough to play in the NBA right now. (Roberts is already over there.) As for the biggest question, whether we'll seee a return of Boom Tho-ness, I have no idea. Personally I wouldn't expect too much except maybe a continuation of his posts over at Ball Don't Lie. If this website were FreeDarko I'd probably launch into a discussion about whether this year's return to (or first crack at) seriousness for Benson and Gilbert Arenas reflects some kind of "down to business" vibe given off by the Obama Administration, but I have neither the time nor the ability to get into that right now. Or who knows, maybe Benson could write a book that would probably be better than Paul Shirley's (which I haven't read, but Benson's a better writer than Shirley so it's pretty much a lock.)

Milwaukee Bucks

Who got cut: Marcus Hubbard, Mark Tyndale, Charles Gaines, Dominic James

Who got kept: No one.

This was bound to happen eventually, but I don't really have much to say about these guys. Hubbard could do with another season or two in the D-League and work on either a.) becoming a proper interior player, or b.) shooting better than .256 on his three-pointers. Because this in-between thing isn't working. Gaines played well for Austin last season, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes, and shot a good percentage with Maccabi Tel Aviv. I'd like to see him in the D-League again this season, but I'm not sure he's close enough to a call-up to make it worth his time. Let's see, what else can I talk about with these guys...uh hey, I think Ersan Ilyasova can be pretty good, but that's not really under the purview of this series. Three or four players likely going over to Europe. Whee.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Who got cut: Jack McClinton, Alonzo Gee, Jared Reiner, Devin Green, Mustafa Shakur

Who got kept: Jason Hart

I don't have much to say about Jason Hart since he's 31 years old now and last played in the D-League eight years ago. This is probably a stale comment by now, and the team waived Antonio Daniels so they haven't gone completely crazy, but what's the deal with Minnesota and point guards? Who are these people? Who are the ad wizards that came up with this one? I've already written about this, but whatever NBA team ends up with McClinton (and there will be one, eventually) is going to love having him, and kick themselves for not having him earlier. Reiner got a raw deal by getting cut right before the game in his hometown, sure. But Nate Jawai is in Minnesota now, and that's something, right? It's at least as much a something as Oleksiy Pecherov being there, certainly.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Who got cut: Michael Ruffin, Tre Kelley, Mike Harris

Who got kept: Ryan Bowen

I saw Kelley play a little bit, and he looked pretty good. He's very quick, and he can get to the basket. Of course, he was being guarded by Curtis Jerrells at that point so take it with a grain of bacon salt. He's almost certainly headed to Europe. Michael Ruffin, eh. I have a sort of personal animus against him through no fault of his, since Eddie Jordan overused him when they were both with the Washington Wizards, but he's already landed on his feet overseas. The question of what Bowen can give the team at this point in his career is a good one, as he's 34 years old and has been pretty inconsistent the last few seasons. I just have to keep telling myself that the Thunder still have D.J. White and Serge Ibaka, and be content with that.

Portland Trail Blazers

Who got cut: Ime Udoka, Jarron Collins, Donell Taylor, Quinton Hosley

Who got kept: No one.

I wonder what will happen to Udoka, as he's probably still good enough to contribute at the back of someone's rotation, but he's also 32 years old and most of the teams that would be interested in him are already full up. He's a solid candidate for a mid-season replacement in case some small forward somewhere gets hurt. He can shoot the three a bit, his rebounding has improved the past few years and he doesn't turn the ball over much.

What, you want me to talk about Jarron Collins?

Utah Jazz

Who got cut: Ronald Dupree, Alexander Johnson, Paul Harris, Spencer Nelson

Who got kept: No one.

Wes Matthews and draft pick Goran Suton aren't really included in this, but in the interest of full disclosure Matthews is in and Suton is out. Suton would be a solid big man in the D-League should he decide to go that route. You're probably expecting me to express disappointment at Dupree being waived, but the fact is that he didn't play well in the preseason. At all. Well, I suppose that's not completely true as he averaged about ten points per 36 minutes, but he's capable of much more than that, and he didn't really contribute much in the way of rebounds, assists or steals. He's really only had one good game, though, against the Clippers when he shot 4-7 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line, and in the rest he shot 5-13 overall. I'd like to see him in the D-League again this year, and maybe if he plays his normal solid, slashing game he'll restore some of his call-up-ability.

The Lure of Potential

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:42:25 -0000

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Amir Johnson - a living, breathing example of the problems with potential...

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Perception of course is not always reality and Franchise ponders about the true potential of this year's version of the Toronto Raptors...

As many readers know, one of my favourite sports writers is none other than the Globe's Michael Grange.

Grange always gives it straight via his blog, From Deep, and often, makes me think about something I hadn't thought of before, especially in regards to the Toronto Raptors, or puts a new spin on it.

A great example of the latter?

Yesterday afternoon's post discussing his take on the Dinos with only one pre-season game remaining.

In it, Grange astutely points out that:

Pre-season is pre-season, but a glance at the league standings more-or-less corresponds with the general expectations of what the standings will look like when the ball goes up for real: In either conference there are no projected top-four seeds that are simply stinking it up. In the East Cleveland is 3-3, but they have Shaq on their team – just guessing he’s not going too hard just yet – and have had a serious flu bug to deal with. But Orlando and Boston? A combined 10-1. Out West the Lakers, Mavericks, Jazz and Spurs are a combined 15-6. Denver is 2-3 but had a trip to China to cope with. The bottom third of the standings in each conference look about right, with clubs like Minnesota, Sacramento, Memphis, Jersey and Toronto all struggling. The Raptors better hope they’re the exception.

The argument has always been that pre-season is just that, pre-season, however it's hard not to agree with Mike's logic here. In fact it was after witnessing Toronto's .500ish pre-season play last year that I revised my earlier expectations in terms of wins and downgraded my estimate. No, I didn't think that pre-season was an exact case of "what you've been seeing is what you're going to get," but there were certain things that stood out for me as likely causes for concern; from the back-up point guard spot to wing play.

However this year I'm not going quite that same route.

Last year the team was trying to change styles of play by incorporating Jermaine O'Neal into the mix, but there wasn't the same plethora of new player and chemistry issues to deal with. I also still firmly believe that this current squad boasts superior talent in comparison to last year's team, and that eventually (read December), we'll see a team with some true promise. And as discussed yesterday, that promise may not be realized for a year, but in any event, I expect to see improvements over last season.

Recently however, it doesn't seem that everyone else agrees.

Chad Ford twittered yesterday that he expected the Suns and Raptors to both miss the playoffs, and various other "experts" are placing the "overrated" label on this current version of the Dinos.

Bryan Colangelo just weeks ago was being viewed once more as the Legomaster for being able to turn Duplo blocks into those cool pieces from the Lego Space sets...

...so to speak.

But now after x number of pre-season games, you can already hear the naysayers starting up the bandwagon.

So here's where Grange really comes in.

After reading his post yesterday I got thinking about the current make-up of this team; is this team in fact overrated? Do the pieces brought in this off-season by BC simply look better than they are because they are "new" or "different?" After seeing Joey Graham frustrate you with his potential for three plus seasons, isn't it easier to be swayed by a Marco Belinelli or an Amir Johnson; players that have shown glimpses of promise with other teams, but have never got the opportunity to really show what they can do?

I think so, and I think that's a major point we all need to be wary of prior to the season's tip-off.

It's always easy to fall in love with potential - that's why players like Gerald Green and Saer Sene get drafted each year. And sometimes there's a good reason a player hasn't gotten the opportunity to "live up" to his potential.

It's because it isn't there.

Take Amir Johnson.

Even I was extremely excited about having him on this team this season and wondered if in the end, he might be challenging Reggie Evans for key back-up minutes at the 4. However Sunday's game against Boston made me realize why in all likelyhood, this isn't going to happen. He's just not great at anything other than blocking shots and scoring off of put-back dunks. Several times he was given post-up opportunities only to show about as many polished moves on the blocks as Fergie. (In fact she probably has more.) It wasn't pretty.

That's not to say that Johnson and the various other new members of the Raptors' bench aren't upgrades over last season, they are...

...but I want to emphasize that it's all relative.

Last year the team was basically relying on fringe NBA players to back-up the starters.

This year there's definitely an improvement in talent, but let's not confuse this group with the Lakers 6 through 12. Luke Walton would be a sixth man candidate for the Raps, not a 9th or 10th guy like he is with LA.

Therefore I think the truth regarding Toronto's potential this year falls somewhere between the 50 win plateau that many were throwing around prior to the season, and Grange's comparison of the pre-season standings to that of the eventual regular season. When the Raptors figure things out offensively, I think they'll be alright.

I hope so in any event.

Vegas has the Raps pegged for 41.5 wins, and yesterday, I bet on the over.

Tip-In, Toronto Raptors' Post-Game Report: Making the Pieces Fit

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:01:46 -0000

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In his Raptors' debut, Hedo had a tough time staying with Pierce, and unlike the Celtics, the Raptors are going to need some time to get on the same page at both ends of the court.

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The Raptors dropped a 106 to 90 decision to the Celtics last night in pre-season action. But as Franchise discusses this morning, it's going to take some time for Toronto's upgrade in talent to all get on the same page...

One of my constant rants last year concerning this Toronto Raptors' basketball club, was that for all the talk Bryan Colangelo had done in the off-season about "his best Raptors club on paper," the talent just wasn't there. I wanted to scream at times when I saw a line-up of Roko Ukic, Joey Graham, Jason Kapono and Kris Humphries out there with the likes of Bosh or Bargs, and it was obvious as early as pre-season to me that we were dealing with at best a .500 club.

What about this year then? Through five pre-season games the Raptors find themselves with a 2 and 3 record, the third loss coming last night at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Are there early signs of another disappointing regular season?

The short answer to that question is that it's too early to tell.

It's pre-season, and a team with 12 new faces is still trying to figure things out at both ends of the court. Contrast this to the Celtics, who have the exact same core as the past two seasons and it showed last night as the game went along.

And of course, Toronto is still getting some healthy bodies in and out of the line-up for the first time.

Hedo made his debut last night and looked pretty much as I expected he would; some nice dishes (he led the team in assists along with Jack), some terrible shot selection, and some "I'm still trying to get into shape" attempts at guarding his man.

But Antoine Wright, a player who prior to the start of the season was expected to play a major role on D for this team has yet to play, and various others, from Chris Bosh to Jose Calderon, still look to be finding their groove.

Bosh had his best performance of the pre-season with 21 points on eight of 13 shooting but was hampered by foul trouble. However he does look stronger and more powerful, especially on offense, yet as lithe and slippery as he's always been. His jab step and pull-up from the left block is virtually unguardable and once he gets accustomed to his new peers, fans could be in for a real treat.

And I guess that's the long answer to the question I previously posed; the signs I've seen so far this pre-season indicate that there's simply too much talent on this roster for the team not to be successful.

The real challenge is going to be for Jay Triano and his coaching staff to maximize this influx of talent, and make it work as a cohesive unit, and last night's game was a perfect example of this. While Bosh was dominant on offense, he was a bit too dominant and other starters like Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu weren't getting enough touches. It's going to take some time for these three to get acclimatized but once they do, they represent extremely tough match-ups for opponents.

And players like Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson, who were anticipated to spend time at the end of the bench, have really played well, while others like DeMar DeRozan and Marco Belinelli, who were suposed to take on a bigger role with the club, have been a bit underwhelming.

I'd even throw the point guard situation in the mix as point on Triano's "to figure out asap" list.

Calderon to me still doesn't look like he's got that bounce in his step back from two seasons ago at either end of the court and frankly, Jarrett Jack has been playing like the starter and Jose the back-up. With Jack's ability to bull-doze his way to the rim and create shots with the clock winding down, I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who found himself wondering if we'd see Jack closing out games at some point this season, or at least on the court with Jose in the game's final minutes.

The Celtics commentators last night mentioned that Toronto was probably Boston's biggest competition for the Atlantic Division crown but from what I've seen so far, the Dinos have a long way to go before that statement rings true. Hopefully tonight's game against the Rockets, which we'll be previewing later today, will be another step in the right direction.

Again, the talent is there, but I expect a good month or so of growing pains before we really start to see evidence of how good this club could be.

FRANCHISE

Ridiculous Transactions: 9/21-9/27

Jon L — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:00:31 -0000

After playing for their Summer League team, Ron Howard is getting another look with the Knicks.

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There have been many more training camp invitation/signings over the last few days, but I'm going to save most of those for tomorrow. I'll also warn you in advance that I may not cover all of them, just the notable ones. But that's not what this post is about.

September 23: Houston Rockets traded James White to the Denver Nuggets for the rights to Axel Hervelle

I wrote about this (at some length) at the time, but I wanted to add that ensuing events have increased White's odds to make Denver's roster somewhat. First is the fact that Flip Murray signed with Charlotte, then the Nuggets signed Joey Graham. The combination of those moves means that Denver will definitely need bench scoring, which is something that White can provide. His contract is still unguaranteed, as far as I know, but here's hoping it works out.

September 24: San Antonio Spurs waived Jack McClinton

San Antonio's signing of Keith Bogans made McClinton expendable, if he wasn't already with Malik Hairston around. I don't know if this is officially official yet, but McClinton is reportedly about to sign with the Timberwolves, which is a good move for that team. The joke is that they've been stockpiling guards this offseason the way they used to with power forwards, but the team just waived Antonio Daniels (sorry, "came to a mutual agreement that he wouldn't play for them anymore") and Chucky Atkins, and Ricky Rubio isn't going to be in Minnesota for at least a few more years, so they're more shorthanded in the backcourt than you'd think. With the team's guards consisting of Ramon Sessions, Sasha Pavlovic, Wayne Ellington, Jonny Flynn and now McClinton, this has to be one of the youngest groups ever, right?

I'd say McClinton has a decent shot at making the roster from a pure numbers standpoint. I believe he's either the 13th or 14th guy they have (excluding Daniels and Mark Blount). He also was a very efficient scorer in college, which is always nice, and while he's not great at finishing around the rim he has a nice jumper, something that might complement Al Jefferson's game nicely. A lot of observers hailed San Antonio's pick of McClinton because he's ready to play in the NBA now, and I don't see any reason that changes because he moved to Minnesota.

September 26: New York Knicks - signed Ron Howard and Marcus Landry; Washington Wizards - signed Paul Davis and Vincent Grier.

Landy was on Sacramento's Summer League team, where he made almost 42 percent of his three-pointers and provided some occasional rebounding, and he didn't turn the ball over much, either. Howard was a very good defender in the D-League last season, though he didn't provide much consistency in the way of scoring or rebounding. He was on New York's Summer League team though he didn't always play much, so this is a nice little surprise of a signing.

September 27: Ime Udoka - signed with Portland Trail Blazers

A homecoming of sorts, as Portland was the site of Udoka's first real NBA success three years ago after he'd been hanging around the D-League and Europe since 2002. His scoring output in pretty much every category has steadily declined since then, which makes some sense since he's now 32 years old. He miiiiiiight be able to make the roster since the Blazers' other recent signing of Juwan Howard shows that they're looking to veteran it up and make a title run, but the team also already has anywhere from three to six guys who play Udoka's position.

As for the Wizards signings, Davis is eh. They could've brought better players in, but at this point the Wizards' commitment to finding young, cheap talent may be worse than Philadelphia's, and Davis is unlikely to make the team anyway. Grier has played in Europe the past few seasons, and there as in college he's been an efficient - and prolific - scorer. I'd say he'd be an intriguing bench option for them, but he also has almost no chance of making the roster.