SB Nation - Jalen Rose

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post-Game Report - Pride

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:15:41 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

Pierce's dunk on Chris Bosh might have been the death blow, but the entire Boston club showed more pride all night leading to their win.

Browse more photos »

After yet another game where the Toronto Raptors failed to show any sort of pride when it counted, the HQ laments that should this style of play continue, it's going to be a very long season for Raptors' fans...

I started the recap off with this video.

As I mentioned in last night's "Rapid Recap," it's really all you needed to know/see about last night's 116- to 103 loss to the Boston Celtics.

In the video, as has been the case all season, Chris Bosh is left helpless under the rim, the victim of yet another onslaught from the perimeter, and being slightly late on the rotation, finds himself unable to stop an easy basket...

...only this time the easy basket comes in the form of one of the NBA season's most aggressive dunks, knocking the wind out of CB4 and throwing him to the ground.

As a fan, to watch it was revolting.

Not simply because of the play itself, but because again, one of Toronto's key pieces was essentially completely disrespected on the court, and the rest of the team failed to react in the slightest.

In fact it was Jay Triano and his staff that nearly bumrushed Pierce after the incident, furious about the treatment "afforded" the Raptors' franchise-piece.

"When will things change?"

That's the question I had to ask myself after the incident and post-game. This is now the fourthiteration of this team essentially under Colangelo (The Ford era, JO era, Marion era and now Hedo era) and only last season's combination of O'Neal and Marion showed much promise in terms of grit and feistiness. Unfortunately Marion was only here for a few weeks, and O'Neal's impact in this regard was greatly limited due to injury.

At some point this team needs to show some fight.

And this isn't just an avid fan's perspective. Twitter was abuzz after the dunk with similar thoughts from sportswriters. Take SI's Chris Mannix's tweet:

ChrisMannixSI Pierce T'd up, Toronto bench goes ballistic. Unfortunately no one there that will do anything about it.

And he's right.

Would Reggie Evans have helped? I'm not so sure.

Jalen Rose post dunk tweeted:

jalenrose OMG the Celts Paul Pierce just dunked on the Raps Chis Bosh....whewwww---NASTY!

Reggie's response?

ReggieEvans30 @jalenrose lol.

Not exactly the response I was expecting to see.

Of course that doesn't mean that had Evans been on the court when the incident occurred things wouldn't have been different. And I'm not advocating a close-line to Pierce's neck on his next drive.

But the point of this is that this team is still (and arguably more so) fundamentally flawed in terms of the grit and fight it brings to the court each night. It started with the drafting of DeMar DeRozan, one of the league's shyest and least charismatic rookies, and was completed by bringing in the Hedos and Rashos in free-agency.

I'm not saying these aren't or won't be good players.

However they're not exactly the most gritty and feisty bunch and frankly, this team needs a serious dose of it.

Outside of the Pierce dunk, this lack of aggression manifested itself in various other ways in last night's second-half. The Raptors couldn't get stops, key rebounds, loose balls...everything started to go Boston's way. And not because Boston was the better team, frankly the Celtics played quite terribly in the first half which is why despite shooting over 80 per cent from the field, they found themselves down by one on the scoreboard. No, the C's simply came out of the locker room wanting it more, and it quickly showed on the court.

The Pierce dunk may have been the final nail in the coffin, but the funeral procession was well underway prior to that point.

The fact is that aside from some line-up changes (Rasho was much more effective besides Bosh again last night but would Triano actually have the gumption to bench the "Big Rook?") the roster is exactly what you see. Even a Reggie Evans addition (should it ever occur) I doubt will do much to change this club's lack of fight. Therefore going forward, the fight has to start coming from within. The Raps need to start playing with more of an edge or else this current slide that they're on (they've lost six of their last eight) is only going to snowball into something much worse.

Post-game, Doc Rivers indicated described the first half as:

"We were just having a feel-good game; you score, pat them on the back, and then they score. We call it "Buddy Ball.""

Folks this has been Toronto's season so far.

If the Dinos can't figure out a way to inject some passion and pride into their play, especially at the defensive end, then this "Buddy Ball" style of play is going to result in another quick trip to the NBA Lottery.

Daily Links 10/30

FLCeltsFan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:48:19 -0000

Herald Ex-NBA player David Vaughn’s fall after NBA riches
Bulls’ Jalen Rose thorn in side of Spurs
Everybody’s in the mix: Doc Rivers can play mad scientist concocting Celtics combos
Bulls not just anOTher team
Globe A fistful of Bird history
More time to talk
Celtics, Bulls renew rivalry
Bulls thumbnails

CelticsBlog    Cavs Look Shakey Early On
LA Lakers Previews
Paul Pierce Thriving With and Without Pressure
Loy's Place    Reloaded
Rasheed Wallace - Quote of the Day
Celtics Host Bulls in Rematch of Epic Playoff Series
Loscy    We reloaded: the new look, feel, taste, and swagger of the Celtics.
News Herald    West's defense missed
ESPN    NBA: Any Tim Donaghy allegations will be reviewed
Shaq applies to be deputy sheriff in Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Boston athletes reveal their favorite Halloween costumes
Rondo, Rose making their points
NBA extends deadline for Rajon Rondo, '06 draft class
Celtics 17   San Antonio looked good last night.
Bad news for you Tim Donaghy fans
Red's Army    Pippen Thinks Lakers Can Make Run At Bulls Record
Your Morning Dump... featuring the return of the Bulls
Full Court Press   CSN Opens Ace Ticket Studio on Causeway St
CSNE    Rondo deadline extended
Celtics Hub   Report: Bulls Sign New Player For C’s Game
C’s Get Two More Days to Extend Rondo
Should We Fear Them, Part IV: The Bulls
NESN    Celtics Host Bulls in Rematch of Epic Playoff Series
Celtics, Rajon Rondo Receive More Time to Talk as NBA Extends Deadline
Doc Rivers Forgiving and Forgetting Glen Davis' Off-Court Troubles
My SouthEnd    Quick hits from the NBA so far
Enterprise    Celtics take on Bulls in rematch of classic playoff series
Examiner    Celtics crush Bobcats: Pierce and Perk quotes, Ray’s minutes
Celtics Town    Rajon Rondo is a great PG!
Fernsten's Follies    Why Aren’t More Celtics’ Fans Like Donnie Wahlberg?
Lex Nihil Novi   Tiny Passes the Torch to Zeke (83-84)
The Reinforcements Have Arrived
Larry & Magic's All-Star Battle Serves as Prelude to Game 3
Celtics Life    KG and Doc talk after Win over the Bobcats
Donaghy's Book has some Bombshells
"Some of them cats are felonious, man"
Today's Video: KG Career Mix- "Game Time"
Gino's Jungle    Pierce- Smooth as Silk
Bulls vs. Celtics @ 8 Tonight
Fan Huddle    Welcome To The Jungle
Ohio.com    Talented Cavaliers looking confused
Cleveland.com    On second thought, Cavs' start is cause for concern: Terry Pluto
Delonte West's absence from lineup contributes to Cavaliers' early struggles
Charlotte Observer     Bobcats get painful instant replay of rout
American Chronicle   The Five Best Things to Watch in the NBA This Season
ProJo   Celtics now have until Monday to extend Rondo's contract
Victoria Advocate Sizing up the NBA, from the best story lines to the best players to the power rankings
Sports Then and Now     Celtics Skin 'Cats in Home Opener
NYU News     NBA Preview: Separating the top contenders from the top pretenders
Washington Times   Tom Knott: Cavaliers' start has no defense
CBS Sports    Bulls-Celtics Preview
Eagle Tribune    Best in the Business
Rasheed can play ball … baseball
Bleacher Report    Pierce- Smooth As Silk
Old Gold and Black   The NBA has its merits: it’s entertainment
Patriot Ledger   Shelden Williams a good fit with Celts
Dimemag    One Duncan Don’t Stop No Show
MetroWest Daily News    Celtics: The Bulls are back in town
Telegram    After red, Heinsohn’s true color is Green
Daily Herald    Noah bigger, stronger after hitting the weights
Bostonist    Sports Redux: Defense = Domination
Star Tribune    Stu's Hunt Down: Wally Szczerbiak
The National    Big Baby’s thumb a break for Celtics
Green Street    NBA Power Rankings — 10/29
Le Basketbawl    Danny Ainge To Celts Owners: Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Fan IQ    Cleveland Cavaliers Lack Qualities of NBA's Elite
NBA.com NBA extends deadline to pick up fourth-year options
CT News     Making the Celtics Internet Universe Run
Fox Sports    NBA to investigate new accusations by Donaghy
Chicago Tribune    Chicago Bulls eager for rematch with Boston Celtics

Monday Roundup

Wes Cox — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:45:43 -0000

Sefko writes on Carlisle's second year as coach.

"He sees things out there that sometimes we don't see ourselves," James Singleton says. "And he'll tell you exactly what he wants done. Exactly. He won't beat around the bush. That's all I ask for. ... Coach Carlisle is in a league of his own. He doesn't do things like everybody else."

If there's a point of pride in Carlisle's way of doing things, that would be it.

"You can never be too good a communicator," he says. "I try to be very honest because I feel there's a definite correlation between how a team responds to communication and the value of the power of truth.

---------------

Rick Carlisle gets a little bit of love in the annual ESPN predictions. And just about everyone has Dallas finishing second in the Southwest, with only Marc Stein and Jalen Rose predicting home court advantage in the first round.

---------------

Mike Fisher has player-by-player preview of the backcourt.

---------------

Rob Mahoney has a good preview over at the Two Man Game.

---------------

We should be seeing a lot of this.

Thursday Notes: Alexander out for months, Bogut giving away tix, more previews

Frank Madden — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:43:37 -0000

JS: Alexander out 8 to 12 weeks
The news just keeps getting worse for Joe Alexander. He was already facing an uphill battle to earn early season minutes after missing the first week of camp with a hamstring injury. And now comes news that he'll miss at least a couple more months after partially tearing the same muscle while rehabbing last week.

Alexander's absence further complicates the Bucks' decision about whether to pick up his 10/11 option for $2.76 million, but realistically this injury shouldn't be the deciding factor. Given his option is fairly modest by NBA standards, the Bucks would have to be extremely pessimistic about Alexander's future to turn it down. Admittedly he's been a disappointment--especially compared to some of the guys picked after him--but if the Bucks think he can be at least rotation player with upside to be somewhat better, then picking up the option makes sense. That's not a very high hurdle. If the Bucks were to decline his option, Alexander would be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Joe's reaction:

"The hamstring injury is a very temporary problem," he said. "Extending my contract has to do with what's going to happen over the next four or five years.
"If you put that against what's happening with me in the next month, this hamstring thing is a very small issue. So I don't think it should affect the contract decision; I don't think it will."

MACC Fund Game Friday
Find tickets by clicking the above link. Charlie Villanueva is expected to make his first appearance in Milwaukee since signing with the Pistons; hopefully he'll get a warm reception.

Mannix: Redd keeps options open
Chris Mannix profiles Michael Redd's comeback, including this sure-to-be-taken-out-of-context quote:

"It feels like we have eight or nine new guys every year," Redd said. "It's a little like a high school team."

Insert joke here.

BUCKS.com: "Squad 6" a chance to win season tix
This is pretty cool: Andrew Bogut and the Bucks are giving away 100 lower level season tickets--but only if you're willing to earn it.

Open audition...to show in 30 seconds or less why you have what it takes to join Squad 6! If Andrew and his squadron leader like what they see, you'll get one FREE lower level season ticket and the privilege to showcase your die-hard dedication at each and every 09-10 Bucks home game.

I guess the only catch is that you'll probably wan to bring a friend to the tryout--otherwise you'll be sitting by yourself all season. But hey, free tickets are free tickets.

BrewHoop: Jalen Rose doesn't do his homework
I appreciate when the folks at ESPN and other national media outlets take a moment to talk about the boys in green and red, but all too often it just reinforces what we all assumed: they really don't follow the Bucks in the first place. It's not surprising--with 30 teams, the national media isn't going to pay attention to all of them. So if you're a small market AND you're consistently mediocre, this is what happens.

Bucksketball: Season Preview
Jeremy's predicting 37 wins, three more than we guessed a week ago. I hope he's right.

BUCKS.com: Season Tip Off Free Lunch
Thursday, October 29th @ the BC. Everyone's welcome.

Daily Links 10/22

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:55:39 -0000

Herald Cavaliers missing something defensively
Hawks waive Courtney Sims
Kevin McHale joins NBA studio team
Leon Powe’s reunion with Celtics ‘strange’
Celtics’ preseason ends with skirmish, win
Globe A little chess in the preseason finale
Game Updates: Celtics @ Cavs (Columbus)
It will be a whole new ballgame

CelticsBlog     Pierce All Business Against LeBron and Cavs
Final Predictions: Who Gets Cut?
Loy's Place    Comments from the Other Side - Cavs 10/21
Celtics.com    Keys to the Game: Celtics 96, Cavaliers 82 (Preseason)
ESPN    Carter carries Magic to 7-0 preseason mark
Red's Army    Report: Rondo Not Asking For Max Deal
Talkin hoops with Jon Barry & Jalen Rose, and 2 Man Game tonight
Doc likes Sweets
Sports Illustrated Likes the Celtics
Fight! Mo Williams vs Shelden Williams
Report: Rondo Extension By Oct. 31 Unlikely
Green Street    Refs Coming Back?
Refs Coming Back?
Celts Beat Cavs
Celtics Hub     MSG is Sort of Depressing Now
Setting the tone…
Finishing Off Strong
Another Interesting Thing About Rondo
Examiner     Three keys for Ray Allen for the 2009-2010 season
North Station Sports    Check Out the 2009-10 'Where Amazing Happens' Commercials
Celtics Town    NBA Preseason: Paul Pierce surprises, leads shorthanded Celtics to victory
Lex Nihil Novi    Sixers Down C's in NBAx (83-84)
The Six Degrees of the 2003-04 Minnesota Timberwolves
Larry v. Magic: LA Agog Over the First Match-Up
The Other Gear
Celtics Life    Celtics/Cavs Box & Bullets
Burger King Whopper Flips Out on a Fan
Celtics/Cavs Highlights
"They had an opportunity, and they didn’t do nothing."
Celtics 18    It ain't easy being Quisy...
Gino's Jungle     A Determined Pierce Leads Celtics Past Cavs
Celtics / Cavs Rivalry Heats Up
NESN   Live Blog: Celtics at Cavaliers
Eddie House Scores 21 as Shorthanded Celtics Beat Cavs
Cavaliers Prove They're Not Invincible, Preseason Or Not
The Countdown Is On to Extend Rajon Rondo's Contract
Top 10 Boston Sports-Related Halloween Costumes
The Lantern    Rivalry reheated: Cavs, Celtics fight for preseason victory
Star Tribune     Ailing Jefferson to get some recuperative rest
Cleveland.com   Boston Celtics blast Cleveland Cavaliers, who hope to be ready when it counts
Shaq's got just a few days to memorize the playbook
L:e Basketbawl    Rondo Says Contract Negotiations Will Not Keep His Eye Off The Prize; An NBA Title!
Slam Online    NBA Teams Making Final Cuts
Cavs News    Let the Rivalry Begin. Celtics beat Cavaliers in last preseason game
CT News     House, Daniels lead the way: Cs Beat Cavs: 96-82
Boston Channel   House Scores 21 Points As Celtics Beat Cavs
Columbus Dispach    With Shaq around, it's good to be King
Celtics 96, Cavaliers 82: Feisty dress rehearsal
News Herald   Cavaliers notes: West could play in opener
NBA.com    Hall of Famer McHale joins NBA TV as analyst
Dimemag    D-Wade finds his regular season form; LaMarcus finds his money
Rajon Rondo Talks Celtics, Can’t Name Any Kentucky Players Rajon Rondo Talks Celtics, Can’t Name Any Kentucky Players
Reuters     Tickets-for-Charity(R) Offers Celtics Fans Premium Seats for All Home Games
Hoopsworld Tony Allen: Ready to Bounce Back
Can Doc, Celtics Cure Ills of '08-'09?
Full Court Pest     Raptor Truth: 2009-2010 Preview
Simon on Sports    Rasheed Wallace as a Celtic Is Going to Take a Lot to Get Used To
Hoopsnotes      Rondo Waiting Next Year For New Deal?
Celtics YouTube Channel    Conversation with Perk
SI.com    Defense should lead Celtics over Lakers for NBA title
Ball Don't Lie    Report: Lamar and Khloe's pre-nup includes Lakers tickets
Sports Media Watch   Garnett to guest star on Family Guy
Fox Sports    2009-10 preview: Cavs vs. Celtics vs. Magic
FanHouse    Player to Watch: Marquis Daniels
FanHouse Preview: Boston Celtics
Wine and Gold Rush      Seventh Preseason Game: The Returning Cavs Players Can Be Exciting, Too

Further evidence that Jalen Rose should not have a job at ESPN

Tom Martin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:40:13 -0000

Lazy, ignorant comments such as these make me tremble. Am I really going to be competing in a job market with fools like Jalen Rose? Really?

Here is Rose's prediction for the 2009-2010 Rockets:

No Yao for possibly the entire season. T-Mac is recovering from surgery. And both players could be free agents after the season. Ariza was a good signing, but wins will be hard to come by this season. Brooks will have a breakout year.

Southwest: 5 -- West: 14

You heard it, folks. The Grizzlies, who lack more chemistry than Michael Cera and any love interest that he has ever had, are going to win more games than the Rockets this year. Surely Jalen wasn't alone on his prediction.

Actually, he was. Not a single ESPN columnist, or sane sportswriter elsewhere, picked the Rockets to finish below the dreaded Grizzlies in 2010. Brilliant call, Jalen. Simply brilliant.

Skiles' Bucks might not be pretty, but don't call them slow

Frank Madden — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:40:52 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

2 months ago: Milwaukee Bucks head coach Scott Skiles, right, points out to referee Marcus Clayton where his team should take the ball out during the fourth quarter of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 in Chicago. The Bulls won 87-86. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Browse more photos »

Bob Wolfley has a story today on Jalen Rose's praise for Brandon Jennings, but what made it interesting to me is the continued confusion over what style Skiles likes to play.

Here's an excerpt from Wolfley's piece, which was based on a conference call Rose and fellow ESPNer Jon Barry had with national media:

"I really like Brandon Jennings," Rose said. "Being how Scott Skiles normally likes to play, where his teams walk the ball up and down the floor, this guy is a blur. He will not only be able to score the ball but really break down defenses and get other teammates involved."

"For them, it’s a style-of-play scenario," Rose said. "Scott Skiles is normally the kind of coach who wants to control tempo, play 85-point games. (Jennings’) style of play does not fit that. So I just want to see where the balance is going to lie. Because if they are playing up-tempo, I feel like he is a guy who can really break down a defense and create excitement for a team that is going to struggle to score if they are not playing that way."

No argument about Jennings' ability to play in an up-tempo system. But hasn't Skiles been around long enough that "experts" should know what kind of game he likes to play? Apparently not. Below are the team pace, offensive efficiency, and defensive efficiency rankings of every team Skiles has coached. Note that I excluded his final season in Chicago when he only coached 25 games, but included the three partial seasons in which he coached most of the year (99/00, 01/02, 03/04):

Year	Team	Pace	Off	Def
99/00	Pho	10	16	3
00/01	Pho	6	22	2
01/02	Pho	10	19	12
03/04	Chi	8	29	16
04/05	Chi	11	27	2
05/06	Chi	5	23	7
06/07	Chi	6	21	1
08/09	Mil	11	23	15
Average		8.4	22.5	7.2

Notice a pattern? Skiles teams always play at a fast pace, score inefficiently, and hold down the efficiency of opponents. Not once has Skiles coached a team that was below average in terms of pace, only once has he coached a team that was in the bottom half in defensive efficiency (just barely, and he didn't coach the whole season), and he's never had a team in the top half in offensive efficiency. But as is often the case with the casual fan, Rose conflates playing defense and not being efficient offensively with playing a slow, boring brand of basketball.

Listen to Skiles describe his preferred style of play and the recipe is simple: work hard on defense, prevent second opportunities, push the ball and move it until you get an open shot. The faster you get the ball up court, the better your chance of getting open shots. In practice it's not as aesthetically pleasing as the old Suns' "seven seconds or less" style--there's too much focus on defense and not enough on having great shooters--but it's still a quick pace even if it's not a scoring free-for-all. Given the Bucks' penchant for forcing turnovers, Jennings should have ample opportunity to create in the open court--and you can bet his coach won't be looking to slow him down.

Orlando Magic News for September 30th: Taking a Look at Defensive Statistics; NBA Announces Social Media Guidelines

erivera7 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:21 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Browse more photos »

Follow-Up on Today's Wayne Winston Post
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop posts a tidbit about Defensive Rating, in which David Thorpe correctly states that it's too team-dependent to be used as a reliable statistic (note: there are some numbers that attempt to do a better job of portraying a player's skill, defensively).

David Thorpe cautions against reading too much into individual defensive ratings, as coaching has such a massive effect. His example: With Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, Seattle was a bad team. Both players, then, had very bad defensive ratings according to adjusted plus/minus. Yet in the last two years, those same players have been starters (Allen on the 2007/2008 Celtics, Lewis on the 2008/2009 Magic) on the NBA's best defensive teams, with good defensive ratings. His point: Put a motivated player in a good defensive system, and they'll perform."On bad teams, there is often not a good plan," Thorpe explains. "But get them playing for Tom Thibodeau or Stan Van Gundy, and all kinds of players can master when to go over the screen, when to go under, when to lock and trail, which 3-point shooters to close out, not fouling on shot fakes, when to help from the weakside. ... Take the five worst defenders in the league -- so long as they're motivated to be good defenders -- and sprinkle them among the Cavaliers, the Magic, the Celtics, the Spurs and the Rockets, and I think you'd be surprised at how effective they could be."
Jalen Rose on Next Season and Media Upheaval
Bethlehem Shoals of The Baseline takes the time to speak with Jalen Rose and touches on a variety of topics, including the 'Eastern bloc'.

BS: Okay, time for a few basketball questions. How good do you think the Celtics will be, and where do they stand with the entire East getting better?

JR: The Magic, the Cavs, and the Celtics are the cream of the crop in the East. If I had to pick a team on paper, it would have to be the Cavs. You have LeBron James, the MVP of the league, you add Shaquille O’Neal to the team with the best record in the league, and you still added Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker, and Leon Powe.
NBA dunks tweeting, social media during games
Marc Stein of ESPN.com shares the NBA's official social media guidelines.

The NBA formally announced its new social media guidelines Wednesday, informing teams through a league memorandum that the use of cell phones, PDAs and other electronic communications devices -- and thus accessing Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites -- is now prohibited during games for players, coaches and other team personnel involved in the game.
Forebearer of Effective Field Goal Percentage
Kevin Arnovitz shares a story of how Mike Dunleavy Sr., yes, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr., helped create effective field goal percentage, which is a popular advanced statistic (ditto with true shooting percentage) used to ascertain how efficient a player is shooting the ball.

The way Dunleavy tells the story, this was in the early 80s, when Dunleavey was negotiating his own contract.

I’m doing my own deal with this general manager," Dunleavy said. "I asked for whatever I asked for and he offered me like half of that.

Dunleavy declined to say which team or general manager he was negotiating with, but remembered the conversation with the executive vividly.

He says, ‘your numbers are good, but they aren’t great,’" Dunleavy said. "So I went away and started thinking about it. I look at the other guys getting paid. And I’m thinking, ‘I’m making these 3s, which are one-and-a-half times a regular shot.’"
Late-afternoon practice report: Lineup decisions won't be made till last week of the preseason
John Robbins has a report of the Orlando Magic's afternoon practice session.

"The guys who are more familiar with what we’re doing, it’s easier for them to play right now than the guys who are trying to learn a new system," Van Gundy said. "As far as competition for jobs, this is too early. I think as we get into the last week or so of [the preseason], those last three exhibitions and the last week of practice, that’s when decisions will be made. People should be pretty comfortable with what we’re doing. Right now, it’s about getting everybody feeling good about what they’re doing and playing together and learning our system."
SVG's quote jibes with what I reported after the morning practice session.

Readers Choice

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:17:52 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Should the HQ's first press access be to see Caron Butler dunking on Patrick O'Bryant in pre-season play?

Browse more photos »

Is "live-from-the-game" coverage important anymore?

It's a question that has bandied about a lot recently, from the print pages of the New York Times to the online pages of ESPN's Sportsguy's World.

With the influx of social media and video integration, many feel that a traditional beat reporter simply isn't as relevant as he/she was at one point in time. And with massive cuts to many traditional newspapers' sports' departments, it seems that many editors would agree.

But isn't a mix really the ideal option?

There's a reason why Doug Smith's Raptors blog at theStar.com is one of the most trafficked out there; he can offer insight and inside information that most simply don't have access to. Local beat writers also forge a certain rapport with players and coaches, again something that your typical blogger just can't do from in front of his tv or computer.

And believe me, this does make a difference.

At one point early last season I stuck around with the beat reporters from The Star, Globe, Post and Sun and was witness to some classic Sam Mitchellisms as he preached on everything from Jalen Rose to Hoffa. That's stuff you just can't find on Youtube or Twitter.

That being said, is it necessary to attend every game?

As Mr. Smith has pointed out ad nauseam, most of the time players give you the same tired quotes and sound bytes ("we played hard," "the other team wanted it more," etc, etc) over and over and only on a few occasions do you end up with something really juicy to write about.

Last year the Toronto Raptors began to give us access to games but this off-season we began to debate - did we even want to be able to attend every game even if we could? Often last season we found that our best articles were written in front of an HD TV, not from 50 feet up in the Foster Hewitt Gondola.

So here at the HQ we got thinking.

What about attending a game or two a month, and letting the readers vote on which match-ups they'd most like to see inside coverage of? After all, we've always done this site for the fans, so why not have a big Raptorsnation discussion on the games they want the most coverage of?

So that's what we're going to do once each month.

Below is a poll listing our top 4 October game options. Yes, pre-season, (we've all bought tickets to the home-opener vs the Cavs so that one's out) but some interesting early tests none-the-less. We'll be on Twitter and other sites as well getting other Raptors' blogs and opponent fan sites involved, and hopefully the result will be a very interesting, all-encompassing media package.

Let's rock the vote...

FRANCHISE

Poll

Which pre-season game in October should the HQ request press access for?

October 7th vs Philly

18 votes

October 11th vs Washington

41 votes

October 15th vs Houston

5 votes

October 18th vs Boston

140 votes

204 votes | Poll has closed

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Cleveland Cavaliers - Now or Never

R Dizzle — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:11:24 -0000

Co-starring Chris Bosh as Semmi and Mike D'antoni as King Jaffe Joffer.

It's do or die for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the big free agency popping up at the end of next year, it's anyone's guess as to where LeBron James is going to end up.

He wants the money. He wants the fame. HE WANTS A CHAMPIONSHIP.

Since his "arrival" in Cleveland back in 2003, the Cavs have instilled a great coach (say what you want, but Grimace is the man!) and a team that can pull of 66 wins.

It wasn't enough.

Now? BRING IN THE ORIGINAL SUPERMAN!

Jump for some predictions about the Cavs.

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season: 66-16

This kind of hurts. Instead of trying to take words to describe it all, I'm going to let my good buddy YouTube handle it.

Let's start with some LeBron love.

Top 10 LeBron James Plays of the 2009 Season (via NBA)

Now for some MVP honors.

LeBron James MVP Press Conference (via NBA)

Now for some Warrior fan torture.

LeBron James Game Winner (1.23.09) (via 23witty)

Followed by some Magic fan torture.

LeBron James - Game 2 buzzer beater vs. Magic (05/22/09) HQ (via LiveTalkRADIO)

Finally some Cavalier fan death.

Cavs vs Magic Game 6 2009 NBA Playoffs - 5/30/09 - Jalen Rose Analyzes on ESPN (via JalenTV)

'NUFF Said.

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season: 66-18

I vote we call LBJ - Kazaam Part 2!

How can I predict that they win exactly the same amount of games next year as they did this year? It's quite simple really. 66 games is a lot of games to win. Do I think they're going to be a better team? Yes. The addition of Shaq is HUGE and they're playing with twin towers down low with Big Z and Shaq D. But it's also kind of silly to say they'll win more than 66.

I commend the Cavs in recognizing that they needed to make offseason moves despite having the best record last year. Over the summer they managed to

Trade for Shaquille O'Neal (Ben Wallace + Sasha Pavlovic)
Resign Anderson Varejao to a contract worth up to $50 million
Acquired wings Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon
Signed Leon Powe
MOST IMPORTANTLY - brought in my man Rob Kurz!

It's obvious that the Cavs are looking at this as their last season with LBJ. Will he book it to NYC? I say yes. It might be harder for him to win a championship at first, but if the Knicks manage to pull in another big name (Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudamire, Dwayne Wade) then LBJ can have his ring in less than 3 years.

Big market, big fans, big arena, big player. It only makes sense.

With all of that kept in mind, do the Cavs have the talent and chemistry to pull it off this year?

I say yes.

Shaq is a BIG factor and he's at the point in his career where he's ready to play #2 and win his last ring. Last year's MVP is ready to bring one home for his home state before he books it. The Celtics and Magic are stacked as well and it's really any man's game to claim the champion status. I'm putting my money on the Cavs.

Golden Predictions

Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA for the second year
LBJ repeats his MVP status
Shaq repeats his All-Star status
LeBron + Shaq > Kobe + Pau
Cleveland takes home the title
King James dons a Knicks jersey in 2010

For more on the Cavs check out Fear the Sword:

GSoM's Around the Association 2009-2010

Poll

What jersey will LeBron James be sporting come Fall 2010?

Cleveland Cavaliers

364 votes

New York Knicks

188 votes

Miami Heat

32 votes

New Jersey Nets

41 votes

Boston Celtics

22 votes

New York Giants

10 votes

New York Jets (think about this - Sanchez to LBJ?)

75 votes

New York Yankees

55 votes

787 votes | Poll has closed