ThePassionThatFrustratesUsAll

Some Downtime and a Frustrating Weekend

2009-11-03T08:36:00.001-08:00

So this was a frustrating weekend to be a Raptors fan. One game they gave away, and another game where they just couldn't get over the hump. I wanted to hold off on commenting about the Memphis game until I saw them against Orlando, but now after back to back L's, I am very disappointed.

The Grizzlies' game hurts the most in my opinion. Coughing up a 8 point 4th quarter lead is indefensible. Given the Raptors level of talent, they should have been able to control the end of the game, and close out what would have been a very nice comeback on the road. Instead, we have multiple turnovers on offense that led to multiple OJ Mayo step back 3's, which ended any chance the Raptors had at the W.

Orlando hit 17 three pointers, many of which were wide open and uncontested. No team in the NBA can win when they give up that many treys. I did find the fact that the Raptors battled back to get the game to 5 somewhat encouraging, but giving up 25 to JJ "the frat boy" Redick is even more discouraging.

So what did I learn about this Raptors squad this weekend?

1) Bosh, Andrea and Hedo are good for at least 68 pts a game. They are the offensive bedrock of this Raptors team, and I think they have proven that they can get their points.

2) Jose's 3 point stroke is MIA. This was a HUGE problem on Sunday against the Majic as Jose had multiple opportunities to close the game to 1 possession if he had knocked down wide open 3 point looks. This has to change. Am I confident that Jose will start to shoot the ball better? Yes, but he needs to find his stroke immediately.

3) The Raptors' inablity to guard the 3 point line is killing them. This problem is completely related to Jose's inablility to keep the opposing PG out of the lane. Right now, in both of the Raptors' losses, dribble penetration by the opposing PG has been the key to breaking down their defense. This was surprisingly less of a problem against Cleveland since Wright was about to slowdown LeBron.

I think finding a solution to point 3 will be key to the Raptors season, and here is what I think is the best way going forward.

I am about to link to something I thought I would never do since I hate Dave Feschuk more than anything else in the world, but he brings up a very valid point. The Raptors need to seriously consider starting Jarrett Jack (http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/article/720221--feschuk-solution-to-raptors-weak-defence-start-jack).

From my vantage point in the ACC on Sunday, it was clear that Jose had no hope of stopping Jameer. However, Jameer was compeltely unable to stop Jose offensively as well, so its not like Jose is untalented offensively. I think Triano has a very important adjustment to make, and that is to play Jose and Jack together. Jack's ability to stop dribble penetration will prevent the complete defensive breakdowns that we are seeing. Jose is about 6'3, but I think he has the size to slow down opposing 2 guards. Having Jose's ability to shoot the ball, and drive it to the basket is a perfect fit at the 2, and his defensive short comings guarding quicker PGs would be somewhat hidden. Jack's defensive ability against other 1's should take the pressure off of the Raptors interior defense, and restore balance to the overall defense.

I am defintitely interested to see if Jay makes this adjustment, even if he just implements it in the 4th quarter.

I think Raptors fans need to chill out a bit since we are only 3 games into the season. All is not lost (yet), and this squad still has a lot of talent and potential!

Next up: the Pistons.

View from Above the Tunnel: Game 1

2009-10-28T20:56:00.001-07:00

I must say tonight was unexpected.

Well, I'll be the first to admit that I was totally expecting a double
digit blowout loss to the Cavs tonight. The Raps completely surprised
me on multiple fronts.

1) Andrea scoring 21 in the first half, and was well on his way to 30 plus if the refs had not nailed him with multiple dubious fouls on the "Big Fossil". His willingness to attack the rim, and taking full advantage of his mid range shot was very Dirk-esque. I was very impressed by Andrea's work on Shaq as well. He gave up a lot of bulk, but he was still able to control Shaq without much double team help. If Bargnani plays like this every night, I'll elated.

2) Relatively solid FG% defense, and they protected the paint fairly well. The Cavs got hot from behind the arc in their 3rd quarter run, but overall they were able to do a good enough job on LeBron to keep him from penetrating at will, and setting up the Cleveland shooters. Let's hope that the Raps will keep working hard on the defensive end, and keep this up.

3) They DIDN'T FOLD when the cavs made their run. I was totally expecting the Raps to pack it in when the Cavs got it to 69-69. Instead they go on a 21-6 run. What the hell? Who are these guys? That run after the Cavs tied it up was HUGE. I had mentioned to a friend the other night that the Raps big problem the last couple of years was their inability to bust a game open with a big run. I think a big reason for that was the horrific defense, but I think another major component was the fact that none of the Raps really seized the moment. Hedo (more on this below) and Jarret Jack definitely stepped up and attacked the basket to extend the runs offensively, Wright was excellent on the perimeter defense, and Bosh hedged every pick and roll extremely well and hovered up every defensive board he could get his hands on.

4) I didn't think Hedo did much, but he hit some very big shots down the stretch. His left handed layup to get the Raps back to an 8 pt lead was huge. I definitely thought the Raps were still in the danger zone, but Hedo settled the team down with that bucket. I think this might be indicative of what we will see out of Hedo this year. Not
huge numbers, but when the game is on the line, he will know what to do with the ball.

5) Bosh took his game down on the low block tonight, which was vital to the Raps victory. In fact, the Cavs made their run right when Bosh decided to be a jump shooter again. I don't think CB4 can keep this up because his body will breakdown, but if he does, the Raps are legit.

6) I am TBD on Antonie Wright, but there is definitely man crush potential.

So its game 1 of 82, so I am going to keep it all in perspective, but I think the Raps definitely showed me something tonight, especially when I fully expected the King to spank them coming off his loss to Boston. I think the key for the Raptors is to build on this win by keeping up their intensity. Friday is a big night, the Griz are terrible, the Raps need to come out and rip their hearts out in the first half.

Pre-Game Meal

2009-10-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Uh oh, LeBron dropped 38 and lost to Boston at HOME! Tonight is going to end badly for the Raptors. My hope is for them to keep LeBron under 50 and the game within 5 at the end of the 4th quarter. I have a feeling I might be setting my expectations too high.

Things I will be watching for tonight:

1. Shaq is a borderline statue at this point, so the biggest thing I'll be looking for is how Andrea will take advantage of his speed and quickness over the "Big Fossil".

2. Hedo is going to have to guard LeBron, and I think this is going to end very very badly. However, if the Raptors are serious about playing a total team concept on defense, Bosh should be able to rotate off Sideshow Bob or Big Z fast enough to prevent LeBron from breaking the defense down completely. Tonight is going to be a very interesting game to see just how committed Bosh is to stepping up his game, especially on defense.

3. Will Demar Derozan be able to take AP off the dribble. Demar has shown a very welcome willingness to attack the rim off the dribble when the ball swings to him. AP is old and slow, and it will be a HUGE bonus for the Raps if Derozan can get to the rack and start drawing some fouls on the Cavs.

Finally, I would like to point out that Danny Ferry is probably the worst GM in all of the NBA. Watching the Cavs play the Celts last night, I realized that former Raptor's senior citizen, AP, and former Raptors migraine, Jamario Moon, are in the Cavs top 7. In fact, AP is a starter because Delonte West is bat shit crazy, and Jamario Moon is the 2nd guy off the Cleveland bench. Danny, are you seriously telling me that in the season before LeBron can bolt for LA or NJ, your biggest signings to get you to the Finals are 2 guys that weren't good enough for the Raptors to keep? REALLY? Jamario Moon? I know Toronto is in Canada, but there is still game tape of Moon chucking ill advised jumpers at critical moments of EVERY SINGE GAME HE HAS EVER PLAYED IN. I can't disrespect AP, I loved the guy in TO, but you do realize that he is 35 right? Just so you know, if he gets more than 25-30 mins a night at the beginning of the season, he will be totally useless by April. By the way, you coach is still Mike Brown, and after coaching LeBron for the past 4 years, his best 4th quarter offense is still, give the ball to LeBron will I bury my head in my hands and hope LBJ can bail me out.

Season starts tonight fellow Raptors fans, I am looking forward to it, even if its going to start on a low note.

View from above the Tunnel will be back after tonight's game!

Random Musing

2009-10-27T06:47:00.001-07:00

Looks like Rondo didn't sign an extension with the Celtics! Apparently he wants top 5 PG money. Can we all dream of a Rondo S&T for Jose this summer?

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=4598072

Before you call me crazy, a Jose S&T isn't completely out of the question. The Celtics have a ridiculous about of money committed to Paul Peirce, KG, and Ray Ray. Since Rondo knows that he is one of the best up and coming PGs in the league (and he's already got a ring) why is he going to take a hometown discount just cause old man KG has to rack up close over $200 million in career earnings. If I am Rondo (or Rondo's agent), the only words that the Celtics would hear out of my mouth is, PAY ME! PAY ME LIKE YOU PAY THE SENIOR CITIZENS ON THIS TEAM! What is Danny Ainge going to do? He has no leverage on Rondo whatsoever, worst case for Rajon is for him to sign a 1 year qualifer and hit the open market (when the Celtics may not get anything at all for him).

So here is where I think BC could make yet another bold move. If he steps up after the season, assuming that Bosh gets traded or walks, and offers to sign Rajon to a max deal, why wouldn't the Celtics be willing to take Jose (or Jarret Jack) back instead of losing Rondo for nothing. Now to execute this type of coup, BC would have to offer Rondo Brandon Roy-type money, which means something in the ranage of 5 years for $66 million. I would do it because Rondo is the type of PG that would completely change the makeup of the Raptors. He would be able to prevent unchallenged lane penetration that our beloved Matador Jose likes to to give up, and if you pair a drive and kick PG like Rondo with Andrea and Hedo, the Raptors half court gets very dangerous. As an addeded bonus, Rondo and Derozan would be monsters on the break.

I know, I know, Rajon Rondo as a Raptors is a completely ridiculous thought, but next off season (if Bosh doesn't re-sgin) is a one that is full of possibilities for the Raptors. Let's all try to look at all of the angles.

We FINALLY Get to See the New Guys Play!

2009-10-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

The summer has finally ended, and Raptors basketball is back! You can paint me every shade of excited right now.

This isn't my official season outlook post since we are only 2 preseason games in, and I still haven't had the chance to actually watch Hedo and Bosh play. I'll be posting every couple of preseason games as we get a better understanding of how the Raptors training camp battles shake out.

For now, here are my VERY early impressions of how the Raptors have done so far:

1) Andrea Bragnani seems to be building on last season

Andrea Bargnani is without question the best Raptor out there right now. I don’t know if this makes me very afraid or very excited, but I do know it’s good to see that he doesn’t look completely lost on the court anymore.

I have really liked how he has taken advantage of Sammy D’s over eager defense in the first 2 games, and really attacked the basket off his mid range pump fake. Barney also looks like he is making quicker decisions with his passing, and he isn’t in love with the 3 ball anymore. I am very impressed with the way he is playing so far into the preseason.

2) Jose’s defense is still atrocious.

Apparently, Jose took the summer off to rest his body to get ready for the season. I think this story was a lie to coverup Jose’s secret training as a matador. It’s the only reason I can think of to explain how Lou Williams has torched Jose over the last 2 games. I mean, Jose isn’t even close to stopping Williams off the bounce. I am hoping that this is more a product of Sweet Lou’s skills rather than Jose being more pylon-like then I suspected. I blamed his poor defense on his injury woes last year, but I am worried that he really is this bad.

3) Where’s Demar?

I went out and bought this guy’s jersey the day after the Raptors drafted him! What the hell, he’s been almost invisible the last 2 games. Right now, I am going to chalk it up to a rookie trying to get his sea legs, but I am really hoping he starts to assert himself more. I don’t want to be too harsh, so there were a few nice things that I saw out of Double D. I especially liked the one handed tomahawk over Sammy D off the break, but Demar has to be more aggressive in traffic!

4) Reggie Evans has to stop shooting!

I have loved to watch Reggie’s hustle the last couple of games. His ability to get after loose balls and generate steals is definitely something NONE of us have seen around these parts since, well, never. However, Reggie’s gotta stop trying to be actually score after he gets the ball. I have always been a big believer that players should go up with the rock when they are close to the basket, even if it is just to draw a foul, but in Reggie’s case, every time he takes a shot, it’s like a turnover. I really hope this is Reggie thinking that it’s preseason, so he has to get all of his offense out now because once the season starts, he better not be hoisting up any ugly jump hooks!

I am going to hold off on comments about Marco since I want to see him off the bench rather than as a starter. As for Sonny Weems and a few of the other the end of benchers, I need to get a better understanding of where they will fit in overall before I start to make any definitive decisions.

The season officially starts in 3 weeks, so I really hope we start to see Bosh and Hedo start to run with the starters. With this many new guys in the starting lineup, practice time together will be key!

My Views from Above the Tunnell series will be back this year as well. As you can all tell, I am super excited for the season!!!!!!!!

The Hedo Signing Just Got Better

2009-10-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

Looks like the trade will officially be a 4 way S&T with Dallas, Orlando, and Memphis. Fermat's got a rule, "If a trade involves Memphis, its probably good for you".

In this case, I think I will have to agree!

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/Tim_Chisholm/?id=284469

If you assume for a second that Jack ends up in TO, then I don't think its a good idea to bring back Delfino (maybe they can work a S&T?). With Wright as the starter at the 2 spot, and Demar coming off the bench, there is no need for another SG in the rotation. The biggest need would be to find a guy to play behind Turk, unless the Raps ran a really tight wing rotation of Hedo, Wright, and Demar (I am not opposed to this at all).

Billy Bee's Got Hedo's Back!

2009-10-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

A response to the people who are angry at the Raptors for signing Hedo!

1) I know most of you watched the playoffs this spring, so I don't
know how any of you can say the Magic would have made it to the Finals
without Turk. He was the heart and soul of a Finals team, and that is
kind of "killer" mindset that Toronto has been missing.

2) For the last month I had to listen to how Steph Curry should be the choice for the Raps because of his college production, bball IQ, shooting ability, and that is lack of athleticism wasn't an issue because he was a "good enough" athlete. Well isn't Turk a bigger better version of Steph Curry? He's 30, the exact same age as
Marion! At the end of contract, he'll be 36 not 96.

3) Turk's game isn't based on explosive athleticism, so it can age well.

4) Marion turned down a 5 year $30 million earlier in the day. The
Raps had to make a move, so they wouldn't be left holding their nuts
since Matrix was leaving. Also, 35 year old Turk is going to a
billion times better than 36 year Matrix.

5) The Raps did not overpay for Turk, the Blazers set the market, and
the Raps just matched it. This is completely different than the
Alvin, Antonio, JYD contracts because NO ONE else would have given
those guys that kind of money and years.

All I am saying is to give this move a chance!

Fermat Hates Hedo

2009-10-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Start a protest outside the ACC, burn Raptors apparel on the street, egg Colangelo's condo....for the love and sanity of the next five years, please do not let this Turkoglu signing happen. I hate this move, here's why:

1) Turkoglu's "clutch" persona is overrated. Check out 82games.com clutch stats - http://www.82games.com/0809/CSORT11.HTM and he's even behind Bosh!

I think people mistake clutch for game winning shots. In that respect he's a bit better (http://82games.com/gamewinningshots.htm), but A) Toronto has to be in those close game situations in the first place and B) Roger Mason was doing that same sh** for 100x less the money

2) Unless you're crazy enough to think Toronto can contend next year, we're going to be lamenting the last 3-4 years of Turk's contract the same way we did JYD's, Alvin's, Hakeem's, and Yogi's. He is already 30 something - can you imagine how slow he will be even in a couple years?

3) Why don't we just trade Bosh for Lee right now to have the least athletic starting lineup ever. This move also detracts from any run 'n gun philosophy while also making no strides towards a tougher defensive minded one either. Just a horrible move. It's funny that the whole "Toronto is a cosmopolitan city" is a huge badge of pride for the city but a completely devastating one when it comes to professional sports and free agents.

I am officially depressed.......

Billy Bee's Plan to Save the Raps

2009-04-08T07:55:00.001-07:00

So the end of the season has mercifully arrived for the Raps, and after seeing the season go down in flames, but watching them play quite well at the end of the season, I have come to few conclusions about our intrepid Dinos.

Thoughts on the Starting Lineup:

1) Chris Bosh is a really great player that lacks the ability to carry a team into the playoffs. The argument is pretty clear when you watch D Wade single handedly drag the Heat into the playoffs with minimal help around him. This doesn't mean that Bosh isn't going to be good for 20 and 10 most nights (he is), but it does mean that him alone isn't enough for the Raptors to be a contender.

2) Jose Calderon is the most important player on the Raptors. He may not be the best player on the squad, but he definitely is the guy that makes this team go. When he is healthy (see last 10 games), he is easily a top 10 PG in the NBA, and a pretty deadly weapon in the pick and roll situation. When he is not right, he is a pylon on defense that has trouble turning the corner on offense. For all the haters out there that said Jose "can't" play in an open offense, I would like to point out the production we've seen over the past 10 games. He is almost averaging 15 pts and 10 assists a game. Jose is even starting to throw up more alley-oops in transition. Anyway, the idea of trading Jose is ridiculous, no PG you can bring in (who is available) would adequately replace Jose given his salary, age, and attitude (do we really want to see Baron Davis in a Raps uni for the next SIX YEARS!!!!!!). However, Colangelo has to forbid Jose from playing in Euro2009 bball, so he can rest his gimpy leg this summer, which should mean that he can actually plan to play 82 games next year.

3) Andrea Bargnani is a real NBA player. I didn't hate him as much as Chu and Richie did at the beginning of this season, but I was still a big time hater. Since he took over the starting C, and Smitch got fired, Andrea has looked like he could actually be a real player. His offense has taken off, and he is a legit threat to score 20 a night, and if his 3 is going, 30 is a realistic number. He's really improved on his ability to read the defense and he has developed into quite the triple threat on offense (drive/pull up, shoot, look to pass). His defense has really picked up, and I think he is the leading shot blocker on the team to date with 92 blocks this year. Would I like to see him grab more boards? Of course (the 24-4 lines can get tiring), but at least he isn't the bust we thought he turned into. Howver, the biggest improvement in his game that I have seen in him is his on court demeanor. When he gets called for a foul now, he starts to complain, when he thinks he got hacked he gets in the refs' ear, and this is a remarkable change to when he would just roll over when the refs called something on him. In fact, he got T'd up against ATL last night, and I couldn't be happier. The complaining definitely shows a jump in his confidence (if you don't believe that complaining has an effect, please see Duncan, Tim).

4) Shawn Marion has great bball IQ, and he has proven that the missing piece of the Raps is a dynamic wing player. However, Shawn Marion himself is not the answer. Personally, I think Marion is one of the highest bball IQ players to ever play for the Raps, but given his age (31 turning 32), and his expected salary (at least 8 million to stay in TO) the Raptors can do better (more on this below).

5) AP is the worst starting SG in the NBA. That is not to say that he is a terrible bball player, in fact, his sense of the game, and shooting ability makes him an ideal 3rd/4th guard on a contending team. However, his lack of athleticism at this point in his career, and his inabilty to get to the rim (even on fastbreaks!!!!!) means that the Raptors really need to find a solution at the SG spot if they are serious about being contenders.

Thoughts on the Raptors strategy this summer. I want to point out that I am not a big "Trade Bosh" guy. Now, that is not saying that I am completely against trading him. If G State calls and offers, Andris Biednris and Anthony Randolph for Bosh and Banks, I would be estatic, and I would totally understand if Colangelo pulls the trigger. However, I would like to see him take the following path:

1) Offer Marvin Williams a MAX contract to be the starting SF. This means that Marvin should get a Josh Smith contract which is about $58 million for 5 years. This means that the Raps will pay Marvin $10 million in the first year, the exact amount of cap space they will be under if they renounce Marion, AP, and Joey. Personally, I think Marvin is on the brink of breaking out, this season he averaged 14 pts, 6 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block per game. To keep expectations realistic, let's say he improves to 17 and 8, I would be very happy with that kind of production. As an added bonus, Marvin gives the Raps a form of Bosh insurance. With Marvin, the threat of Bosh leaving is somewhat mitigated because of Marvin's ability to shift over to the 4 in the event that Bosh decides to bolt in 2010. If Bosh is serious about winning, this move should convince him to take a little less than the max to stay in TO. As an added bonus, the Hawks are fairly broke, and giving $20 million to extremely similar players in Josh Smith and Marvin WIlliams probably isn't in the budget (given the downturn in the economy).

2) Draft a SG. I don't care if its Demar Derozan, Tyreke Evans, Gerald Henderson, or Willie Warren. Just draft ONE of them. Personally, I think Demar Derozan is going to be a lights out superstar in the NBA, but Richie is probably right as he predicts that Derozan will elevate his stock into the top 5. I would be happy with either Evans or Henderson as the backup picks.

3) Split the mid level exception ($6 million per season) between Pops and Delfino, and give the bi-annual exception ($2 million) to AP. Delfino gives the Raps a legit option as the starting SG (the backup/alternative to Delfino would be to give Von Wafer $3 million per, but not sure if that's enough to get him away from Houston). Pops is a great energy player, but he has clear flaws. I really hope they hold on to him because he is an excellent energy big to bring off the bench and compete for mins with Hump.

So this is what I would project the Raptors lineup to be:

1. Jose
2. Delfino/Wafer
3. Marvin
4. Bosh
5. Bargnani

Bench:
6. AP
7. Pops/Hump (one or the other, the lazier guy gets no mins!)
8. Derozan/Evans/Henderson/Warren
9. Roko

One cavat: if Roko comes back with a jumper next season, I could be okay with him and AP in a time share where Roko is the main back up to Jose, and AP exclusively backs up the 2 spot. I have my reservations about Roko though, so we shall see what he does this summer.

Injured List
10. Jawai
11. Dooby

Richie Rebuilds Raptors

2009-02-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

Let’s focus on what is within the realm of CONCEIVABILITY about what could happen this summer. In other words, let’s speculate on how Brian Colangelo (BC) might be able to dig out from under the heap of shit team he has buried himself beneath.

Here is a chart of NBA team salaries and their free agents (stars indicate which free agents are restricted and a double star indicates player termination options) If you look at Atlanta, it means they will be 10.4 million under the salary cap and 22.9 million under the luxury tax. Meanwhile the Knicks are 16million over the salary cap and 3.6 million over the luxury tax.

According to this table the Raps are already committed to about 50million. I have read from a slightly more reliable source that it is only about 46million. Lets take the fact that the Raps are already committed to 46 million as a starting point and that they will still be about 22million under the luxury tax as gospel just for the purpose of this exercise.

Part One – Who to re-sign?

A couple weeks ago, BC almost made me drop a steaming turd in my pants when he suggested he wanted to re-sign: A) Marion, B) Parker, C) Delfino, D) Graham and E) Nesterovic. If he actually signs all five of these fuckers he should officially just quit with dignity before he gets fired by the wankers that make up the MLSE board.

Of these five aforementioned names, who should BC get back?

Marion – Yes, he is essential for reputation purposes. I fully expect him back in Toronto and I will explain why. If Marion walks away it means BC gave up Ford, O’Neal, Nesterovic, Baston and 2 first rounders for sweet fuck all in one year! Also, the Raps will likely be the only team able to give him something fair. What is fair? I personally believe anything over 10 million is too much. 7 million is a steal. I think it is REASONABLE to assume he could be had for 8 or 9 million per year in the current climate.
The next three (Parker, Graham and Delfino) I lump into a group of which I only think two of them (at the most) should be re-signed and I do not think any of them are worth more than 3.5 million.

Parker – Maybe he should return, on the condition that: A) he will come off the bench, B) not demand too much money and C) will be willing to tutor whoever the Raptors draft in the first round to replace him. Will he play for 3 million or could he get more in Israel? He wanted to go back there before this year. He might walk. Yet, BC is madly in love with him. So I don’t really know where he stands. My guess at this moment is that AP goes back to the Holy Land of Israel.

Delfino – Maybe he should return. Of these three, he is the one I like most since he is “kind of athletic” and can handle the rock. They say they want to push the tempo? Delfino is the best of the three to help do this since he has better handles and passing than Joey. Remember when he was the only guy who’d drive at Dwight Howard in the playoffs? I haven’t forgotten. I respected his guts in last year’s playoff series. (Delfino, Bosh and Kapono were the only three who played well in fact)

Graham – Maybe he should return. Good Joey is also solid in a fast break style and can play power forward in a small ball lineup. He is a good finisher on the break and has seemed to turn a corner lately. Could the Raps sign him to a contract of less than 3million per year? If yes, keep him. He’s a good backup to Marion.

Nesterovic – Maybe he should return. Is he better than Jawai, O’Bryant, Voskuhl and Humphries? Yes. The Raps need some toughness, rebounding and cannot afford to waste a top 10 pick on these skills when there is already such a glaring hole at shooting guard. Is Nesterovic a viable possibility to fill this hole? Sadly, yes. If not him then who? Maybe Brandon Bass or Channing Frye? They look to fall around the 3-5million salary mark. Nesterovic and Frye closer to 3million while Bass is closer to 5million.

Tally it up : Marion (9million) plus 2 wings (7million) plus Nesterovic /another goon (4million) = 20million. Fuck me! That’s a lot of money to spend on essentially keeping the same team! More changes need to be made in my view.

While I agree with Bunting that rebuilding is a great idea, I simply don’t think Colangelo is going to rebuild due to his homosexual tendencies towards Bosh, Calderon and Bargnani. So I am forced to consider a more conservative, realistic approach.

PART TWO - Other Free Agents

I have already mentioned the fact that I think Brandon Bass would be a good candidate to bring grit and toughness. Let’s be serious - other than a shooting guard - grit and toughness is what the Raps need more than anything. It needs to be number two on the team’s wishlist.

WISHLIST:

Shooting guard who can slash
Someone with grit and balls who can intimidate
Backup point guard (unless you love Roko Ono)
Scenario 1 – Marion Bolts for Greener Pastures

This would absolutely kill Colangelo’s credibility. I doubt it will happen because there aren’t any teams I can see that need him that also have the space to pay him.

However, for the purpose of argument, let’s say he bolts town on the first GO Train out. The only way to salvage him leaving would be to make a splashy free agent signing.

Oscar and I agree that a good candidate is Marvin Williams. However, when you see how far below the cap that Atlanta is, you gotta think they should be able to re-sign both Bibby and Marvin Williams.

If that doesn’t work, I advocate chucking money at Ben Gordon to solve the shooting guard conundrum.

If that doesn’t work, then overspend on D-League superstar, Ben Ford’s lovechild, known only as Mr Von Wafer. Hell, he is a great option no matter what. I want this guy to be the starting 2 guard next year. He’s better than Parker or Delfino. Does Houston have the flexibility to pay him?

Scenario 2 – The Raps re-sign Matrix but let the others walk

I think this is a good option. Why hang on to guys like Parker, Graham and Delfino when they are average benchplayers at best and borderline douchebags at worst? Lets try to spend money on another starter. If Matrix cost 9million there could still be enough to try to lure someone else to the Raps.

Paul Millsap would be money but he won’t be allowed to leave Utah since he is restricted.

You all know Colangelo has a raging hard-on for Linas Kleiza. If overpaid by Toronto, Denver may not be able to match. This really frightens me.

Hedu Turkoglu could be had if he opts out. Much like Kleiza, this possibility also terrifies me.

Best case: The Raps re-sign Marion, steal Wafer and also add a solid SG/SF through the draft. I realize that in this dream scenario the Raps have not fixed the problem of being a big bunch of pussies. Here comes my masterstroke…

PART THREE – The Trade Market

I’m not going to throw around Bosh or Bargnani trade scenarios because I don’t think they are likely.

However, it is abundantly obvious that the Raps need to get rid of at least one of these two shit bombs:

Marcus Banks
Jason Kapono
My dream scenario is trading either one of them to Philadelphia for Reggie Evans. He addresses the toughness problem and is buried on Philly’s bench behind a host of other forwards. He has NO skills, but he is gritty as fuck. Good enough! I’d prefer to get Bass, but I doubt it will happen.

Other than this, I am not really sure what trades could be swung to improve the team. But I gotta say, I’m open to ANYONE on the Raps roster being traded.

PART FOUR – The Draft

I cannot pretend to know a damn thing about the draft. However, at this juncture it is absolutely imperative the Raptors hit a homerun on their pick. This much I am sure of.

Ideally this would be a shooting guard or small forward. The current crop looks like one of: James Harden, Brandon Jennings, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jeff Teague, Earl Clark, Gerald Henderson, etc.

However, I am also open to the idea of selecting a tough power forward or center who can disguise the femininity of Bosh and Bargnani.

2009-2010 Starting Lineup

PG – Calderon, Ukic, Banks

SG – Wafer, Rookie 1st Rounder, Delfino

SF – Marion, Graham

PF – Bosh, Evans/Bass

C – Bargnani, O’Bryant, Jawai (Nesterovic)

What do you think? Personally, I’d prefer even more changes, but this seems more likely.

If a Tree Falls....

2009-02-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Well its finally done. I swore to myself that I would not write something new until BC traded Jermaine O'Neal to Maimi for Shawn Marion. Thanks to Pat Riely's dicking around, you have all been robbed of my insight into the craptastic Raptors.

So what do I think of the Matrix donning a Raptors uni? Well, to all the haters out there, I am standing up and saying, I really like this trade! I know, that's a pretty muted response, but you can't expect to say stand up and say that I loved it, when it clearly has its flaws.

Here's what I am thinking:

1. Marion is now the starting SF. Awesome!!!!!

A) Defense - He is hands down the greatest man on man defender on the wing that the raptors have ever had even though he has slipped. We no longer have to watch every elite wing in the L back our helpless defenders into the high post and hit gimmie turn arounds from the free throw line.

B) Offense - definitely trickier to integrate Matrix. Now I think we can all agree that Matrix's best seasons were with Nash. Which makes me think that he is a player that is really depandent on his pg to find him opportunities in the offense. Will jose find him those shots? We will see, but he is the best finisher that the raps have had since Vince left town.

2. Marcus Banks - I have gone on record many times saying that Banks gets ripped just because he is owed 4 million for another 2 years. At the same time people insist that Delfino NEEDS to be resigned this summer for a 500K less and an extra year, but that is worth it cause Delfino is the shiznit. I think Banks in the off guard spot on the second unit will be as good as Delfino on the offensive end. He is probably the 4th best athlete on the team, and on a team that is too white I welcome the additional pigmentation.

3. Trading a future non lottery first rounder. Colangelo definitely seems to hate first round picks outside the top 13. I don't share the same level of outrage that some of you have displayed. The pick has excellent lotoo protection especially since
the protection doesn't runout for 5 years. Many of the people who have said that a 17 pick really wasn't going to help the raps can't turn around now and say the raps gave up the "future" of the franchise. Yes, the raps gave up some potential young talent, who could be a solid rotation player, but I doubt this first will "haunt" the raps forever. Did BC give up a little extra to not pay JO 22 mil next season? For sure, but its not the end of the franchise.

As for the warts on this deal, I am not going to talk about them here. Most of the print media in this city hates it, so if you want to fill up on some haterade, I suggest you go to those sites.

Wednesday marks the start of a new era, I am excited again!

Don't Call It A Comeback Cause I'm Here To Talk About Amare

2009-02-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

Ah fellow Raptors fans. I haven't written anything about our intrepid Dinos in a while, mostly because I have been compeltely disgusted by their play. However, word out of PHX is that the Suns are looking to move Amare Stoudamire, and they are willing to settle for some pretty shit pieces like Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, or Raef Laferenz's contract, and a bag of Sour Patch Kids.

Now here's a thought to blow your minds Raptors fans. How come Colangelo doesn't make an offer for Amare, Barbossa, PHX's 1st rounder, and Matt Barnes for Bosh and Kapono. All the parts about this trade makes too much sense not to happen.

Amare has a history with BC, and he is equally as talented as Bosh. He is a better offensive player, and he does give up something on defense, but I would argue that Bosh is a vastly overrated defender. Bosh is a better rebounder than Amare, but Amare can hold his own in that catagory.

Now some of you will have objections due to concerns that Amare has had microfracture surgery. But let's look at reality, in the pasat 2 seasons, Amare has missed ZERO games due to knee problems, and Bosh has missed 12 games in 2007, 10 games in 2008, and at least 1 game (and probably more considering he is out right now with a knee injury) in 2009. At worst I would say that Amare has an equal chance to see his career ruined by knee problems.

I am not going to breakdown the advantages of swapping Barbossa for Kapono. If you don't think the Raptors are getting the better end of that deal, you should probably just keep watching hockey.

So the projected lineup for this revamped Raptors squad would be:

Starting Lineup: Amare, Bargnani, Jose, Barnes, and Barbossa/Parker
Bench: JO, Barbossa/Parker, Graham, Roko (on occasion)

I don't know if that team would be a contender in the East (ie at the level of Cleveland or Boston), but I DO think its infinitely better than the shit show that the Raptors are rolling out right now. In this deal, the Raptors rebuild their bench by bringing in a legit scoring option/ballhandler for the second unit (Barbossa or the demotion of AP) to team with JO to form a formidable 1-2 punch off the bench. As an added bonus, Graham/Moon get to battle it out for the backup wing mins rather than have us suffer with the prospect of watching either start.

Plus the Raptors can become a running team, by putting Barbossa in the backcourt with Jose, and sliding AP over to the 3 spot. That lineup can put its foot on the gas, and run most teams out of the gym. And for all you old school lovers of defense, at the end of the 4th quarter, and you need a stop, just put JO in for Barney, and I would argue that this Raptors squad is much more equipped to play in the NBA.

Worst Case scenario would be that Amare leaves in 2010 (which he won't cause he is a pay cheque player, and he ain't leaving $35 million on the table cause its cold). But isn't that the same worst case with Bosh. Maybe the grass seems greener to me, and Amare is inferior to Bosh, but all I know that the Raps haven't won with Chris, and if BC waits too long, we may end up getting 20 cents on the dollar for Bosh.

Mayday!

2009-01-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

It is a new low point as a Leafs fan. Last night, I was mocked at Phillips Arena by the fans of the lowly Thrashers. Yes folks, forget about the Habs, Sens, or any O6 teams, we are being laughed even out of the dirty south. Suffice to say, it was a long walk of shame home on a frigid night in Atlanta, one that couldn't even be warmed by standing alongside those in Domi, Mogilny, Potvin, and even good ol' Gary Valk jerseys.

Things started out well. 3-0 after the first, although only on 9 shots and with some nice bounces to boot. But the pace and quality of the game mirrored that of two of the NHL's worst teams. Even my girlfriend, who has never been to a live hockey game before asked me "Is hockey always this slow? I thought it'd be hard to keep up with." She clearly hasn't watched enough Leafs games lately. Unfortunately, I have and was not too optimistic, even with the 3 goal lead. Over the next 2 periods and overtime, the Leafs managed a whopping 8 shots on net against the powerhouse Thrasher defence. Pathetic. I've seen more scoring opportunities at a Weight Watchers convention.

When the pesky Thrashers sent the game to overtime (on an absolutley terrible move by Toskala), it was painfully obvious that this game wasn't going to a shootout and it wasn't going to be the Leafs who ended it. I considered leaving early to avoid the humiliation but at this point, we are all going down with the ship and playing the "We want Tavares" card anyways. Still, those Thrasher fans didn't have to barade me with "Leafs Suck" chants all the way out. We know guys, we know.

One additional piece of commentary from the girlfriend. We watched the skatearound before the game and the only player she remembered later was Brad May. She quipped, "That guy is ancient. He's probably been on this team forever!" Um, nope, we just traded a draft pick for him a few weeks ago. It's not like we're rebuilding or anything. Doh! However, he prolly was one of the best Leafs players out there last night, which is sad in itself. Mayday!

Draft Day in MLS

2009-01-15T04:46:00.000-08:00

After weeks of Toronto soccer silence (especially on the DeRo front - WTF?), the action begins again today at the MLS Draft in St Louis. The TFC GM, "Trader Mo" Johnston is holding a pretty strong hand heading into today's events, with three early picks for a draft class that has the potential to fill some holes in teams across the league.

TFC Picks:
First Round: 2nd, 4th, 13th
Second Round: NONE
Third Round: 34th

Mo has obviously got a good eye for young American talent, having been responsible for bringing Jozy Altidore, Marvell Wynne and Maurice Edu into his teams - but players like this tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Very few NCAA players are ready to walk into an MLS game straight away. With this in mind, Mo Johnston is likely to start wheeling and dealing with his picks and Toronto Football Club could look very different come this evening.

I'll debrief the day's events once the dust has settled, but for now, here's a good site for all things MLS Draft, with plenty of info on the top prospects and all the teams' needs. Until tonight then...

Raptors Rumors Running Rampant

2009-01-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

Another day, and another set of Raptors trade rumours.

The latest? Raptors trade AP and Bargnani for Josh Howard.

Do I love this deal? Hell yeah, but at the same time, do I think its going to happen? Only if Mark Cuban and Donnie Walsh lose their minds (and if they are already smoking enough crack to give up Howard for Andrea, maybe they'll throw in a 1st rounder too!).

Bosh, Jose, JO, and Howard is some serious sickness as the starting five. Of course, this deal might mean that we may have to play the corpse formally known as Stack as our SG (assuming BC can rid the Raptors of Kapono as well), but who cares! As an added bonus, BC seems to be on board with bringing back Mr. Delfino as our 6th man (thank you financial crisis, gotta love it when the Russians run out of money, and can't pay their players, hahahaha).

I know, I can hear the haters now: "Andrea is the future, he has so much promise, we can't trade him!". You know what I say to you? Andrea is NOT the future, and while he might actually still develop into a half decent player, the Raptors are getting JOSH HOWARD!!!!!

What would this deal mean for the Raps cap space you ask? Well, have no fear, the Raps will still have plenty of space for the Summer of LeBron. Josh Howard's going to get paid $11.4 million next season, and he has a team option for $12.3 in 2010. Which means, that the Raptors improbably have an opportunity to get rid of him (if this trade goes to shit) at the same time we are saying good bye to JO. What does $32 million of free cap space during the Summer of LeBron get you? I don't know, but my brain hurts just thinking about it!

BC for the love of God, if this deal is for real, please pull the trigger, just do it, don't think about it anymore, Dallas might come to their senses sooner rather than later.

Quick Update: Good Ol' Dougie Smith from The Star doesn't think this deal is going to happen (http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/). By the way Dougie, Hoopsworld is reporting that Toronto wants something else OTHER than just JHow, Brandon Bass perhaps, why do you have to jump to the conclusion that its Diop? Did you even read the link? How come I am better at your job that you are? I digress, based on Dougie's track record ("There is no way that Sam Mitchell is going to be fired"), this deal must be COOKING. Let's hope Dougie is wrong AGAIN, and you can bet that I am going to make the same mistake that Tex made when the Leafs traded for Owen Nolan!

Quick Update #2: Colangelo crushes my dream of having Howard on the Raps - http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11152 - now the question is, when will JO be moved (where's there's smoke there's fire!)

The Art of Tanking

2009-01-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

So, I finally decided to look up the Leafs record, since after watching the Juniors, I am totally obsessed with the idea that JT NEEDS TO BE A LEAF. He is destined to be the Leaf messiah, and only Gary Bettman's hatred of Canada prevents that. Anyway, Richie pointed out that the Leafs are actually kind of close to a playoff spot, so their tanking wouldn't be as potent. BUT, I looked it up today, and the Leafs only have 6 more wins than the Lightening. Admittedly, i don't know much about hockey standings, but 6 games doesn't seem like that big of a lead. I think if Burke gets it together and starts shipping everyone out of town en masse, Tavares is still a possibility. Think positive thoughts, and hope against hope that JT will lead our lowly Leafs out from the wilderness (btw, anyone who watched the Juniors, and isn't convinced that the Leafs should do everything they can to throw enough games to get the chosen one, just isn't a true Leafs fan).

I have also read a several Raptors fan posts that our beloved Dinos should really start to give up on the season. Now, I am all for getting high draft picks, but unfortunately the Raptors are just too "good" (I use this term lightly) to get the top spot in the draft*. Oklahoma is historically bad, I mean, they are on pace to be the WORST TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA. Seriously, they have won 4 games this ENTIRE season. The Raptors would actually have to shut everyone on their roster down to reach the same levels of incompetence as the Thunder, and we are talking about a team that employs Will Soloman as their backup PG. On top of that, this year's draft class looks like it might be one of the worst classes in the history of basketball. Did you know that Blake Griffen is widely considered to be the #1 pick in the draft. Did you also know that Blake Griffen is Kris Humphries with a slightly better J? Seriously, watching NCAA basketball this year makes me want to claw my eyes out. This isn't just going to be a weak draft, its going to be historically shitty. So I am definitely off the tank the season for a high pick bandwagon when it comes to the Raptors.

Now a much more realistic scenario is to trade JO for a guy like Matrix, so that they can free up their cap space one year sonner than 2010. What would getting a cap injection of $32 million (Matrix + AP + Garbo + Joey) mean for the Raptors? It would mean that we would own this summer's free agent market (especially now that Memphis seems determined to stick up Portland's ass and play Darius Miles in 10 games, you go Chris Wallace!). Getting rid of JO also let's the Raptors embrace a potential 2nd unit where Hump is the C, Joey is the 4, and Roko is the point guard! Scary? Definitely, but personally I would LOVE to watch it.

Either way, its clear that neither the Raptors nor the Leafs are going to do anything this year, but I think the paths back towards to prominence for each are DRASTICALLY different.

*as an interesting aside, when the Raptors have hit rock bottom in the past, they have had exceptional luck in winning or getting close to the top of the lottery. The Raptors have won the lottery twice (once was the Camby year when David Stern proved once again that he hates us, and took away the pick, and of course the Barney year, ugh), and have had two top 5 picks turn into superstars (VC and Bosh). In 12 years of existence the Raptors have drafted in the top 4, 4 times, and drafted in the top 7 twice. Ironically, the other 6 drafts that the Raptors have had, they were playoff teams. Clearly, the Raptors know that when you suck, it pays to suck huge!

...annnnd we're back, with a few musings on hockey.

2009-01-06T07:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

As a result of the holiday season, its been a few weeks since we've posted here at TPTFUA. Our sincerest apologies, but we trust your lives went on without too much disturbance.

I won't bother recapping all that's occurred over the past few weeks, including the usual up-and-down performance of this year's Leafs squad, and the same results from the Raps. But
I do want to start out by sending a very hearty congratulations to all of the kids (and staff) on Team Canada for their 5th consecutive gold medal at the World Junior Championships. This is a tourney I have always enjoyed watching, as it has produced some incredible play - and players. Plus, its always a sign of the holiday season - and is a winning team that us Toronto fans can actually be a part of.

As an aside, I actually got to watch big chunks of this year's tourney from the US thanks to the creation of the NHL Network (and thanks to DirectTV which actually airs the NHL Network). The NHL Network carried TSN's feed (and some of their own content) of the games, so it felt like I was back "home."

Now, to all those people who thought that the Leafs' potential strategy of tanking this season in order to get John Tavares was a bad idea, I hope you watched even a little of the tourney. He ended up as the second highest point scorer in the tourney and as the MVP. He played a key role in a bunch of games, including the game vs. USA where he scored this goal (watch the first 55 seconds for the goal and the replay):

All I could think the entire time is that he would look awesome in a Leafs jersey, especially given that he's from Oakville, and how shitty its going to feel if he pulls on an Islanders, Atlanta or, worse, Ottawa jersey next year. Here's to hoping Burkie can work some of that alleged magic.

Finally, two staples of the TML defense over the past few years are back at the ACC tonight. For the squad in blue and white, Luke Schenn is coming back from injury to patrol the blue line while, on the other side of the puck, Bryan McCabe makes his first return as a visitor with his new squad, the Panthers. How will you treat him tonight? Oh, and Sundin is getting set to debut with the Canucks soon, maybe even this week.

There's a lot to get caught up on in the coming weeks, and while posting may be sporadic as we adjust to a new year and all the challenges it brings, we hope you'll stay with us in 2009.

New Lows

2008-12-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

There I was following the box score in the 2nd half, thinking the Raps were doing pretty well to hang with Chris Paul and company. Then my brain switched on to the dreaded realization we were actually going toe-to-toe with the 2-24 Oklahoma City Thunder. And by the end of it, toe-to-toe would have been a nice adjective because the Raps got thrashed down the stretch by a team with the worst name in the NBA, that hadn’t won at home in 47 days, and are on pace to establish all sorts of futility records this year. I guess there’s nothing better to soothe a vicious losing streak these days than to see Toronto on the schedule.

Other game notes:
- Outrebounded again (54-48)
- 36.4 FG% and 11.8% 3pt%
- JO chalks up another injury (shoulder)
- Even Bosh is slumping (22-70 in last 4 games)
- Somewhere, Sam Mitchell is smiling

I gotta give it to the Thunder crowd though. They were jacked up! I don’t think section “third base” (or under my financial circumstances at the time, section “500”) of the Skydome was ever consistently that loud during the Raptors inaugural season.

Next up, San Antonio. Please Mr. Duncan, be gentle. Treat us like it’s our first time.

Hockey Night in Atlanta

2008-12-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

I know Atlanta has always been knocked for its paucity of fans and its awful attendance records, regardless if its teams are winning or losing. It’s all true. But I’ve also realized it’s the only large commercial city in the Southeast and thus home to many Fortune 500 companies and their legions of migratory workers. So while originally I thought it was strange how half the people I met here seemed to be from elsewhere, I now understand Atlanta is largely a city of transients. People come here often only because they were sent here and those from Atlanta don't have the generational sports roots like other big American cities do. It’s also a place that developed and grew in size/population very rapidly without much forward thinking or logical urban planning. So the sprawl is enormous, the traffic is unbearable, and the roads lead you in circles. None of this helps bring fans to the games. Moreover, it’s just not a great place for a rabid fan base to exist. No one lives downtown, there’s nowhere near the stadium that’s fun to go to before or after a game, and the racial/demographic divide is big enough that it makes it difficult to meld all the different groups together into one collective fan base.

The result is a majority of indifferent sports fans, a minority of Atlanta superfans, and a consistent cluster of fans from the opposing team on any given night. For example, I was shocked by the amount of Pens fans at the Thrashers game last night. Literally in the hundreds and highly visible and audible. But I’m happy for them because I too have reveled in being a Leafs/Raptors/Jays fan living in Atlanta, where I can show up an hour before the game, buy a ticket for $10-15, watch warm-ups from the first few rows, and basically sit wherever I want throughout the game.

Honestly, there’s a lot of upside to being a displaced “general sports fan" in Atlanta. I could never watch Crosby and Malkin back home for so cheap and in such close view. I plan to do the same with guys like Ovechkin or the young Blackhawks in the new year. And I want to see in person what makes teams like the Sharks, Bruins, and Red Wings so good. The same with the NBA – hook me up with some LeBron, D-Wade, CP3, or the TrailBlazers. Basically it’s kinda fun and certainly interesting being a neutral fan at live games. Of course I prefer the heckling and rare moments of jubilation at the ACC, but at least for downtrodden skeptics like me, it’s nice sometimes to just watch a game and not have to yell at everyone not named Bosh or Calderon for 48 minutes.

As for the game itself, I thought the Thrashers played better than they fared. They dictated the flow of the game in the first period, outshot the Pens throughout, and had more overall scoring chances. The difference – the Pens powerplay and great play from Fleury vs. horrible from Pavelic. There’s just no equivalent to goaltending in basketball – if you play poorly you can still win in hockey because your goalie can bail you out. A sloppy game in which you’re outplayed, outhustled, and outrebounded always results in a loss in basketball even if your best player scores 50. Basketball teams can’t overcome overall mediocre talent the way hockey teams can. That’s why I agree with Richie’s last post – BC needs to get off his ass and make some moves.

Back to hockey, the Thrashers are not even mediocre talent. Guys with names like Jim Slater, Eric Perrin, Colby Armstrong, Todd White, and Joey Crabb do not instill any fear whatsoever in me. They sound like Home Depot employees or high school phys-ed teachers. Take that into consideration Mr. Burke before you assign too much trust to the Dominic Moores, John Mitchells, Jeremy Williams, and even our beloved Ian Whites of the team. I do love watching Kovalchuk play though. He literally gives you a jolt each time he takes it from behind his own net and starts accelerating up ice. On the last play of the first period, I had predicted a coast to coast goal but it trickled just a few inches wide. He was the most exciting player in the game, followed by Malkin whose creativity and puck skills outshone Sid’s by a mile in this one. Can the Leafs free Kovy from the Thrashers (or as the guys behind me said, ‘they should just rename them the Thrashed’)?

Finally, a congrats to the Raptors for being outrebounded in 14 of their last 15 games. So much for our supposed clear advantage and dominating that part of the game. How is it that the Hawks and their 6’8” mafia are a better rebounding team? Oh yea, they have guys who can actually run and jump and play the wings. Like I said, it’s refreshing to be a neutral spectator sometimes.

SHOCKER: Sundin Takes the Money

2008-12-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

"I have carefully considered the team's request that I waive my no-trade clause," Sundin said in a statement. "I have always believed I would finish my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf so the actual request was still a very difficult one for me to contemplate."

[...]

"I cannot leave my teammates and join another NHL Club at this time. I have never believed in the concept of a rental player. It is my belief that winning the Stanley Cup is the greatest thing you can achieve in hockey but for me, in order to appreciate it you have to have been part of the entire journey and that means October through June. I hope everyone will understand and respect my decision."

--Mats Sundin, February 24, 2008 (approx)

Flash forward about 10 months, to today, December 17, 2008, when Mats finally, mercifully, ended the speculation about whether and where he'd play during the 2008/2009. And yes, to answer your question, he will be a rental player. For which team you ask? Well, brace yourselves folks, for this is about to shock you...

Mats Sundin has decided to play for the Vancouver Canucks, the team that, coincidentally, offered him the most amount of money in the offseason (2 years at $10M per).

Yes, the Nucks have a roster with a bunch of Swedes, including the Sedin twins, but no I don't believe they are a legit Stanley Cup contender, even with Mats, because they play in the West, and the road to the Cup goes through San Jose and/or Detroit. The other team rumored to be a final destination, the NY Rangers, would have had a far easier path to the Cup. So, ultimately, Mats chose the cash. I hope he's happy retiring at the end of this year (or next, or the one after, or whenever he finally decides to hang em up) without having ever won a Cup.

And Toronto, be sure to circle your calendars for February 21, 2009... when the Vancouver Canucks are back in Toronto.

Who's going to that game? And if so, what kind of reception will you give him? Even if you're not going, what kind of reception will you give him?

--

Sorry for making him sound like an ahole, but I am kind of upset. On the other hand this little post, about a guy who won a Poker Stars tournament and got to sit in a box with Mats, makes him sound like a pretty nice guy. I'll bet he was pissed too when he found out the Rangers lost the Sundin Sweepstakes.

180!!

2008-12-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post by saying I know little to nothing about basketball. I'm pretty much a pylon when I play, and when I watch, I get angry that guys don’t use the backboard as much as they should. That being said, I haven’t been to a Raptors game for a few years, so I was jacked when I got two tickets to last night’s game against the Mavs. I don’t know if it was the two hour notice I gave people or a sign of the Raps’ current appeal (or, indeed, the prospect of two hours with me asking why every free-throw deserves a round of high fives), but I couldn’t find anyone to come along. Rather than go solo, I opted to stay at home and watch the game from the comfort of my couch (leather).

As I said earlier, I’m not exactly Spike Lee in terms of being able to watch basketball, so before long I was channel surfing and came across Darts on Sportsnet.

Now, I’m not sure if it’s because I have just recently started playing darts and appreciate the game, or because the cast of characters is like the WWF in its heyday, with the crowd going fucking mental with each personalized introduction, but I got hooked. Finely tuned athletes like Andy “The Viking” Fordham (pictured), Phil “The Power” Taylor, and current world champion –gunning to defend his title this weekend at the World Darts Championship in the UK – is Canadian John “Darth Maple” Part (seriously). The commentators treat every throw like over time of game seven and the crowd seems to be on a non-stop supply of high-octane lager. Classic stuff. And while I’m all about darts at the moment, my lack of math skills really hampers my dream of becoming the announcer that gets to yell “Ooooone hundred and EIGHTY!!!” and send the crowd into a hops-fueled frenzy.

Anyway, after I calmed down a little, I went back to the Raptors game to see their early lead completely squandered and the crowd getting negative.

Bosh came out after saying that if he wanted to get booed, he’d play away from home, as if he’d never had his own fans get down on him before. This coming soon after the discussion of home support was brought up in soccer with Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue being mercilessly booed off the pitch by 50000 home fans.

I know it doesn’t help a team that’s already off their game to have their own supporters give them shit, but I’m not in favour of blindly cheering a poor, substandard effort. In my opinion, singling out one of your own players during the game and booing or even screaming, “Just pass!” every time he touches the ball is over the line. Coaches and teammates know a whole lot more than fans about what's behind a guy’s performance, and if he warrants it, you know the guy will get what’s coming to him. However, for me, booing is totally acceptable after a game when the team’s performance as a whole –players and coach - simply hasn’t been good enough. What does anyone else think about booing your own team?

Do Something!!!!!!!!

2008-12-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

A pathetic loss to the Nets on homecourt. Outrebounded 54-38. By whom? Bosh and O'Neal were dominated by a frontcourt of Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and Josh Boone. Who? Exactly.

The Raptors exhibited no toughness, no athleticism and built a house with the bricks their jumpshots became. No more than a house. They built a castle in the fourth quarter.

This team is going nowhere. Quite frankly they stink. A game against Dallas on Wednesday to close out an 0-3 homestand. Bravo.

West coast roadtrip begins this Friday and includes a number of godawful teams like: Oklahoma, LA Clippers and Sacramento.

If those games are lost, we may as well give up on the season.

Hey BC! You think it's time to make a move yet?!?!?!?!?!?

Weekend Transaction Roundup

2008-12-14T07:51:00.000-08:00

In Leafland the Buds called up Jeremy Williams earlier this week to see what he can bring to the team if given the proper opportunity. Ron Wilson will be giving him the chance to center a line with Jason Blake and Dominic Moore. His skills are on the offensive end of the ice and the traditional knocks against him are his lack of strength and weak back checking. Will he stick this time? Early returns seem good as he has scored a goal two games straight, both of which were Leaf victories.

The AJ Burnett saga has mercifully come to an end. In an absolutely ludicrous signing, the Yankees have decided to give him $82.5 million over five years. Why would any team give that ammount of money to a pitcher who only shows up for contract years? A five year contract for a player who will be 32 when the year starts and who is chronically injured? Will he collapse under the pressure of the New York media? From my point of view the answer is yes, it is only a question of how soon.

Who will be his replacement for the Blue Jays? Apparently Rogers has decided to pocket the savings due to the financial crisis. Great. Friggin great.

The Raptors have made quite possibly the least interesting roster addition in the history of any professional sports league by bringng in Jake Voshkuhl. This journeyman center has played for Colangelo before in Phoenix and will bring a bit of toughness to the end of the bench. Interestingly, this signing does lead to a lot of questions. Does this mean that we can offically say that Nathan Jawai's season is over? With the Raps now into the luxury tax will they make a move to shed salary?

Monday December 15 is the day that all NBA players will be eligible to be traded. Will we bid farewell to some Raptors? My gut tells me that traditionally healthy players like Anthony Parker and Kris Humphries who have found themselves on the injury report lately, may simply have been sitting out to ensure that they would be healthy for tomorrow when they will need to pass physicals.

Obviously, the big news this weekend came from TFC. Please check out the posts below for more info on DeRosario.

2008-12-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

While Brian Burke has enacted a holiday moratorium on trades, TFC GM Mo Johnston has come correct with a Christmas Cracker of a deal the sees Toronto get Dwayne DeRosario from Houston for allocation money and Julius James. It’s pretty safe to say that TFC were on the nice list; in DeRo, the reds get a hometown guy who’s never missed the playoffs and got several years of MVP caliber play ahead of him, in return for a pittance of their allocation money (MoJo’s been hoarding it like Scrooge) and a “prospect” in his mid-twenties (in today’s reality, soccer prospects tend to be closer to 16). The fact that this trade was pulled off without using up the Designated Player spot leaves TFC fans licking their lips at the possibilities for the upcoming transfer window in January.
Despite the questionable hair styles and the "disabled chicken" goal celebrations, I might just have to get the DeRo jersey.

The 'Stache Strikes Again

2008-12-12T20:03:00.001-08:00

"Men always talk about the most important things to perfect strangers. In the perfect stranger we perceive man himself; the image of a God is not disguised by resemblances to an uncle or doubts of wisdom of a mustache."

--Gilbert K. Chesterton

It may not have been strong, and it certainly wasn't pretty, but it went in. Ian White's not-so-twisted wrister got thrown on the Buffalo net with about 8 mins left in the game and somehow, miraculously, found its way to the back of the twine. Yes, the PK unit did a hell of a job with the game on the line. Yes, Vesa came up big, despite our constant harping on him. Yes, Jeremy Williams continued his strong play since being called up by scoring the game's opener. And yes, Van Ryn came back and played a solid 19+ minutes, with 4 SOG and a stable +1. However, what I'll remember about this relatively nondescript game was that it signaled the continued resurgence of the man with the best looking mustache since Wendel Clarke donned the Blue and White. A good win for the Leafs against not a great team, but a potentially dangerous one, and one that is currently in a playoff spot.

I'm driving up to LA for the weekend to brave the mid-50 degree weather. Hope you all get outside and enjoy a rare weekend without the Leafs on HNIC. Even those of you with exams. I'll check back in next week. Go Leafs Go.

TFC Sign DeRosario

2008-12-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

TFC have just announced the signing of Canadian international, four-time MLS Cup champion, two time MLS Cup MVP, back-to-back Goal of the Year winner and three-time MLS All-Star - Scarborough's own Dwayne DeRosario, from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Julius James and allocation money. (Developing - more to come)

As the Tradewinds Blow

2008-12-11T18:37:00.001-08:00

So Richie and I have been having many discussions about potential deals that the Raptors could make. I am going to outline our 2 favorite deals (one I like, and one he likes). Both of these deals are based on previous media reports of either Raptor or counterparty interest. Also, both deals have been put through the ESPN Trade Machine to ensure that all salaries, trade restrictions, and BYC factors have been calculated. Note, I am not saying either deal WILL happen, I am just saying they are the 2 most deals that make the most sense given the Raptors overall cap structure, desire to win in the short term, and maintenance of cap flexibilty with an eye towards 2010.

Deal Number One: Richie's Dream Come True

Raptors trade Andrea Bargnani and Jamario Moon to Golden State for Brandon Wright, Anthony Randolph, Marcus Williams, and Marco Bellinelli.

Rationale: Well Wright and Randolph inject instant athleticism into the Raptors lineup, and Bellinelli gives them another shooter that they can roll out there since AP is fossilizing before our eyes. G State has been calling BC about Bargnani since last season, and its clear that Nellie LOVES the idea of trying to turn Andrea into the next Dirk. Now, you could argue that Wright and Randoph is a very high price for Andrea, but also keep in mind that Nellie hasn't played either, and Andrea gives them a legit 3 pt shooting PF to play with Monta, Capt Jack, Maggette, and Ivan Drago. As for the Raps, this trade turns Bargs into some big time upside pieces that let's them turn up the volume and pump up the jam on the 1st and 2nd units. While, this trade doesn't address the immediate need of a SF for the starting lineup, it does allow the Raps to play Joey and Kapono in the starting unit, while allowing AP, The Laptop Thief, Brandon Wright, and Bellinelli to provide the Raps with a serious 2nd unit. As a plus, with Roko on the roster as well, we can thankfully never ever have to watch Will Soloman on the court again.

Deal Number Two: Billy Bee's obsession comes true

Trade: Raptors trade Jermaine O'Neal to the Miami Heat for Shawn Marion, Joel Anthony, and Dequan Cook.

Rationale: Look, I love JO as much if not more than most of you. However, I think its safe to say that the Raps are probably only going to be a .500 with the given talent. Getting Marion let's the Raps transition to a more wide open style, and Andrea has shown just enough to throw him to the wolves at center again. Marc Stein on ESPN has reported several times that BC is focused trying to acquire Marion from the Heat. JO fills a huge hole for Miami in the middle, and trading Matrix let's Baez step into the starting lineup.

Trading season begins in earnest in 3 days. Let's hope BC has some tricks up his sleeves better than what I just proposed. Apparently, there is a rumor going around that the Raps are probably going to get Caron Butler. I have heard this from a couple different people, so it can't be completely insane. If Butler ends up a Raptor, this will be the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER, and BC is more powerful that Santa Claus!!!!!

Rough Weekend for Toronto

2008-12-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Just to recap the obvious, the Leafs came out flat against an injury depleted Capitals team and lost a game they probably should have won. More bad news came with the grogginess that Niklas Hagmen suffered, which I think we can leap to judge as a minor concussion.

Even more worrisome, was the injury sustained by rookie phenom Luke Schenn. After a hit from Ovechkin he came up gimpy and the early reports say he will be out two weeks with some sort of knee injury.

The Raps finally showed signs they could compete in the NBA after some blowout losses. Jermaine O'Neal played an inspired game. Unfortunately for the Raptors, an inability to grab rebounds in the closing moments led to a broken play where Steve Blake knocked down a three over Calderon. Triano missed his first win in the league by 1 measly point.

If anything though, it was somewhat encouraging to see the Raptors show signs of life again.

On a positive note, the NFL seems to be getting closer to our fine city. I'm a sentimental guy who hates the idea of teams moving. So I must say, I do not support the idea of stealing Buffalo's team. I mean, hell, what else does Buffalo have going for it? Taking their Bills would be the equivalent of ripping their city's heart out in a brutal, ritualistic Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom kinda style. I hope Toronto gets an expansion team for the sake of the fans who suffered through four consecutive Superbowl losses.

Painted into a Corner?

2008-12-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

The Raps took another on the chin last night, this time during a nationally televised game in the States on ESPN, by a score of 114-87 against the vastly superior Utah Jazz. A rousing debut for Triano! Sam lost by 39 but Triano only lost by 27! Maybe Van Gundy could only lose by 15? I jest. Could it be that Sam was not the problem? Well, the early results certainly look that way.

I’m not the only pessimist either. The usually upbeat Raptors HQ have already gone on record and stated “Frankly I don’t think BC is going to be any happier with the results brought about by this coaching change.”

Lets not worry too much about the game yesterday or the one coming up on Sunday against Portland and their jealous inducing roster of young, top-tier talent. Instead I will take a crack at trying to figure out exactly what the hell Colangelo is going to do with this mess. I figure there are 3 potential routes he could take for the rest of this bumpy looking season.

Option 1: Tinker. Based on the fact the Raptors bench is horrible he could try to tinker with the backups. After all, the Raps had been successful the past two seasons by utilizing a deep bench. His trade chips include Joey, Hump, Kapono, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. In other words, he’s in a weak position to bargain with these characters.

Colangelo was quoted this week as saying he has been scouring the trade market “for a big.” A BIG?!?!?! What about a small forward, shooting guard or backup point guard???

That comment ranks pretty high on the scale of “nonsensical GM smokescreen language” I hope. In fact, a big man is the only thing they don’t really need.

The question becomes, is this enough? Maybe taking a character risk on a guy with athleticism like JR Smith to replace Parker could pay off? Could bringing in some minor reinforcements help right the ship? Ummmm. Dubious.

Option 2: Trade One of the ‘Big Four’ now. When I say this I am fully aware that it will not be Bosh or Calderon - which leaves Bargnani and O’Neal.

O’Neal likely won’t be dealt now due to his health concerns and the fact that his contract is MASSIVE. His deal will be much more valuable next season when teams are acquiring expiring contracts in the hopes of making a run for Lebron James. Read: New York Knickerbockers. There is good reason to believe that O’Neal’s contract will become a Raptors treasure chest at that point.

Which only leaves Bargnani. Is it even conceivable that Colangelo and Gherardini could give up on their pet project to go in a different direction? He has been showing signs of life this season and there is reason to believe he could be worth a fair amount on the open market.

What if the Raptors could ship out 3 or 4 players (including Bargs and Kapono) to Golden State and receive in return a package that includes two or three players from this group: Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Brandon Wright, Marco Belinelli, Marcus Williams. What about the Bulls, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Clippers or Wizards?

Option 3: Wait it out. Colangelo could potentially make Triano grind this mediocre team into a low playoff seed and subsequently be demolished in the first round. Then in the offseason drop the nuclear bomb that will include:

A) Hiring a new coach. The smart money is on Etorre Messina leaving CSKA Moscow to come over. It has been speculated on by such diverse sources as Draft Express, Michael Grange and Italian newspapers as recently as yesterday.

B) Trading the aforementioned O’Neal contract for a goldmine of talent and promoting Bargnani to starting center.

C) Sign a couple of free agents who should be in the league – ie not guys like Hassan Adams and Will Soloman, while also trying to avoid overpaying for bums like Kapono.

D) Using their draft pick to actually select someone useful.

E) Finding themselves an identity. Are they a free-wheeling offensive club or are they going to be a more traditional half-court team? Bosh, O'Neal and Calderon seem to fit better into the latter category, yet Colangelo has been talking about how he wants Triano to get them some easy transition hoops. I'm a tad bit confused.

Option 3 is a risky strategy because of the fact Colangelo has already acknowledged how important it is for him to keep Bosh happy. I see this option as the least likely of the three. I'm hoping for 2, but expecting Option 1.

What do you predict?

Kaberle's Future

2008-12-05T11:42:00.001-08:00

The Internets are abuzz today with talk of the Leafs dismal performance against the Sharks and Coyotes, but also, more dramatically, Wilson's benching of Kaberle for the whole first period last night.

Our good buddy Eyebleaf is pissed off by the move, and even went so far as to say that he's "off" Wilson because of it. While our not-so-good buddy Cox took it so far as to say that "...the gauntlet has been laid down. And Kaberle, it's clear, is in his final weeks as a Maple Leaf."

Woah, easy on the brakes, Champ!

Thankfully, though, DGB brings some much needed levelheadedness to this issue by telling us all to calm down, and assuring us that Kaberle's trade value isn't necessarily in a freefall because of recent events.

I want to take that line of thinking even further though, and contend that its premature to say that just because Kaberle got stapled to the bench last night automatically means he's gone. As has been mentioned, Wilson really only has a few tools at his disposal to deal with players. He either skates them at practice, calls them out in the media, benches them during a game or sends them to the press box. That's really about it, and Wilson has used 3/4 of those against Kabs - with the 4th still at his disposal. I couldn't agree more that he's not playing well right now, that he probably could use a trip to the press box, and of course that he screwed the team over by refusing to be traded to Philly last year. However, all of that doesn't mean a) he's going to waive his NTC now and/or b) that Burke is even going to ask him to waive it, so that he can package him up and ship him out ASAP. Remember, Wilson and Patrick Marleau didn't get along swimmingly in SJ, yet Marleau is still employed in that town... and Wilson isn't. Kaberle is merely the latest vet to be on the receiving end of Wilson's tough-as-nails approach. And I guarantee he won't be the last.

Kabs is in a funk, but he's still a highly talented player with a skillset that is valuable to this club... and many others. Ask yourself: would you rather see Finger running the PP? If the goal is to tank this season and make a run at a top pick - then maybe he's on his way out. Or, of course, if the goal is to move him for a younger, up-and-comer (or picks), then he's on his way out. But I don't think this team will - or should - trade him just for the sake of it. Or that Kabs is any closer to letting them trade him.

View from Above the Tunnel: Strategic Plan for the Rest of the Season, and a fond farewell to Sam.

2008-12-04T17:04:00.001-08:00

After listening to Colangelo during his press conference to announce the firing of Sam Mitchell, I found some of his quotes to be especially telling of the decay that had transpired in the relationship between the GM and coach. I believe these words below give us some real insight into what has been transpiring in Raptorland lately. My analysis of the future of the Raptors follows the highlights of the press conference...

"This is not just an issue about Sam Mitchell failing as a head coach. This is a question about the team under achieving. This is about the roster underachieving, some injuries that have happened…but its about the failures that this team has had this season."

"Are the Raptors improving as a team? Is it just the coach? If it isn't the coach, then more dramatic roster changes must be made, but we need to figure out what the problem is."

"This is an attempt to stop the downward spiral of the team."

"I don't think you can play the game of basketball with success without any transition activity…as of last week, we were 29th in the league in fast break points."

"That was a concern to all of us. There was talk about running, but I'm not sure that was something we really … practiced to the extent where it showed on the court with any kind of regularity."

"We are not a basketball team without faults…but we have not lost faith in the players, but you're right, there is no more excuses...am I going to lose some of my political clout with the organization, of course, but I am willing to wear that in order to move this team forward."

"We all felt (speaking about the organization, coaches included) that this is a roster that we could win with."

"Once again, we are off to a slow start, we are seeking solutions instead of looking ahead…the situation just warranted a change."

"Rather than blowing this thing up, our goal is to continue to improve, and look for ways to improve this team…but we are always looking for ways to improve our roster."

"I think it's safe to say that Sam had a very good run in Toronto…but there comes a time when the best way to improve a situation is to make a change at the top and make a change to the voice."

A lot of food for thought is dispersed amongst these lines. It is clear that Colangelo feels that the Raps need to alter their offensive strategy. He tried winning Mitchell's way, but now its time to change the gameplan. If the players still can't execute the game plan, then its time to start to dealing significant parts in the summer (specifically JO, and his $20 million expiring contract to teams that are obsessed with the "summer of LeBron." Wilson Chandler, David Lee, Chris Duhon would look pretty good in Raptor unis).

It is now time for the Raptor players to step up.

I think Jay Triano has to implement 2 key strategic intiatives.

1) Triano must implement an up-tempo offensive scheme that the Raptors were sorely lacking. While some of you may want to see the Raps revamp their somewhat stale half court offense, I would argue that their main sets are Mitchell legacies that are worth keeping. Triano should tweak some of the motion to get Kapono some open looks, but the main thrust should still be Chris and Jose in the high pick and roll. The MAIN problem that I had with Mitchell's offense was its refusal to turn the wings loose to fast break.

The benefits of pushing the tempo offensively have so many advantages. Joey and Moon are terrible ball handlers, and have no ability to drive, but if they are let loose on the wing, their athleticism up the court is hard to match. Say what you want, but both guys are great dunkers. (For an example of this phenomenon look up 2005 Shawn Marion (first year with Nash) and 2008 Marion, wasting away in Miami). I think the Raptors have a team that posses SFs that will be able to score in transition. Scoring in the half court will be as difficult as it is right now, BUT with CB4 we will win enough of those battles. We need to produce more easy buckets in Toronto.

Ultimately, I think Jay Triano will be an improvement over Sam Mitchell if he is able to turn up the volume on offense. I spoke about this strategy in an earlier post this year, and I maintain that the Raptors MUST be able to turn their rebounding and steals into transition buckets.

2) On defense, Jay Triano has 1 mission. Completely scarp Sam's help based defensive scheme, and install a simple man-on-man defensive philosophy. Schemes can only go so far on defense, at the end of the day, everyone on the Raptors need to be going all out on every play in their own end, and their sole mission should be to never allow their man to score. Pointing a guy at his opposite number and saying "stay with him no matter what" sets players free from worrying if they are in the right spot, and if they should be the helper. Switch and blitz screen rolls, get in the grill of shooters, make slashers pull up, just implement the scouting reports, and play defense like you're on an island. If Joey or Moon don't live up to these expectations, then nail their ass to the bench. The point is that Joey and Moon need to know that they don't need to worry about anything else defensively, and both of them MUST be held accountable. Whoever is dragging ass on defense, they don't get to play, period.

Here's the rotation that I think Triano should implement to pull off the 2 strategies I outlined above:

Starting Five:
1. Jose
2. AP
3. Joey
4. Bosh
5. JO
Bench:
6. Andrea
7. Kapono
8. Hump
9. Ukic

I think Friday night is a toss up for the Raps. The Jazz are a tough team, but they have to be able to show that they are starting to make adjustments. Look, if the Raps fall flat on their faces, and they get torched trying to open the offense up, then so be it. The point is that BC believes that a team must be able to score in trasnsition to be successful in the L. Now, if this strategy is implemented, and the Raps still suck, then it will be time to consider taking an axe to the roster.

I want to applaud BC for taking a pro-active step and making a move on Sam. It shows that BC is not hamstrung by decisions in the past, and he is not afraid to take risks.

I want to share a personal story about meeting Sam Mitchell in an ice cream store once in Toronto. It was the day after the Raps have drafted Charlie V and Joey, and Stephen A mocked the Raps on camera. I went up to Smitch, and asked him if Danny Granger was injured. In fact, I pleaded with him to tell me that Granger was injured, and that was the reason that the Raps picked Joey instead. So, Sam stares at me, and goes "after a day like today, you're seriously asking me that?" in an extremely exasperated and annoyed tone. I have to say, I was genuinely scared that he might body slam me into the mint chocolate chip. Anyway, he told me I should wait and see about the kids, and that Stephen A Smith is an idiot. I loved Smitch after that, mainly because I respected him for taking the time away from his ice cream cone to address the question of an average fan. As much as I've been driving the "fire Sam Mitchell" bus lately, I was once one of his biggest fans. When they were on their way to winning 47 games, and Sam was on his way to COY, I figured that he had figured it out, and the sky was the limit. But Garbo's ankle exploding, and Al Horford decapitating TJ Ford changed all of that. Sam will land on his feet. A young team like the T-Wolves or Bobcats could use a guy like him. Sam helped Bosh and Jose get to where they are today, and as a part of the Raptor Truthers, I want to say a heart felt thanks to Sam Mitchell, all time leader in coaching victories in Raptors history.

Finally, why is Triano assumed to be a joke just because he was the coach of Team Canada. That team WON games at the Olympics and almost medaled. Why is it so hard to believe that Triano has some real basketball knowledge? Yeah, he had Steve Nash, but his next best player was like Rowen Barrett. I think we need to give Jay Triano a chance to prove himself. I think he is going to surprise us.

First game of the Jay Triano Era: Friday, December 5 on the road in Utah………

Would You Rather?: TPTFUA Edition

2008-12-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

There's a little game that has been gaining popularity in recent months that some of us at TPTFUA have been playing for a few years now. The game is known as "Would You Rather?". The basic premise is that Contestant 1 gives Contestant 2 two insanely ridiculous options, and Contestant 2 must choose which option "He'd Rather" complete if he ABSOLUTELY HAD TO DECIDE. The idea is pretty simple, but my friends, the game is not. Once you engage in a game of "Would You Rather?", you MUST answer the question you've been asked no matter how horrific the choice. They start out nicely. Feel free to answer below and add your own.

1) Would You Rather shave Kerry Fraser's head or party for a weekend with Eddie Belfour?

2) Would You Rather fight Mike Tyson (in his prime) or UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar in a street fight?

3) Would You Rather do away with the WNBA or the CFL (in hopes of Toronto getting an NFL team)?

4) Would You Rather smoke a joint with Josh Howard or with Ricky Williams?

5) Would You Rather have Shaq or Warren Sapp as your cell mate while serving a 30 year bid?

6) Would You Rather get drunk with Wendal Clark or Kelly Gruber?

7) Would You Rather punch Vince Carter in the face or bitch slap John Ferguson Jr?

8) Would You Rather have had the Hakeem Olajuwon or Andrew Raycroft experiments work out?

9) Would You Rather have the Raptors and Jays each win 2 titles over the next 15 years, or have the Leafs win 3 titles over the next 18 years?

10) Would You Rather sleep with AP's sister, Candice Parker or Vince Carter's ex-wife Ellen?

11) Would You Rather take back the drafting of Rafael Araujo over Andre Iguodala 0r losing Brad Boyes, Alyn McCauley and a 1st round pick for Owen Nolan?
(....I bet Tex would rather have not invested in a Nolan jersey)

12) Would You Rather have sex with a Raptors cheerleader dressed as Carleton the Bear or Old School "BJ" Birdie? (pictured here: not a Raptors cheerleader)
13) Would You Rather have seen Dave Winfield kill the seagull live or attended the final game at Maple Leaf Gardens?

14) Would You Rather go up against David Wells or Cecil Fielder in a chicken wing eating contest?

15) Would You Rather have had Scotty Bowman a few years ago (when Sundin still had some great years left) or Brian Burke now as the Leafs GM?

16) Would You Rather bring back the Montreal Expos or the Seattle SuperSonics?
17) Would You Rather have at your disposal the female entourage of Tom Brady or Allen Iverson? (any current relationships don't mean shit)

18) Would You Rather have your first born son look like Nick Van Exel or Mike Ricci?

(side bar: can we go back to calling it the SkyDome now???)

19) Would You Rather have the use of the SkyDome or the Raptors Dance Pack for the May 24 weekend?

20) Would You Rather see Josh Hamilton or Chris "The Birdman" Anderson make a return to the crackpipe?

21) Would You Rather have Chuck Swirsky or Charles Oakley as your father in law?

22) Would You Rather have Sean Avery or Plaxico Burress date your daughter?

23) Would You Rather have a shower with Brian Burke or Bryan Colangelo?

24) Would You Rather win a Stanley Cup this year or have Burke pull an impossible trade for Sidney Crosby?

25) Would You Rather.....?

OR

(I like Vanessa Marcil, but I LOVE Bonnie Hunt. Look into her eyes, she will eat you alive.)

Cheers.

Deciphering the Burkian Code

2008-12-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

Tex and I have worked long and hard to put together this thorough state of the roster address as it relates to the early remarks of Brian Burke. Then Damien Cox comes along and engages in a similar project and steals our thunder on his blog. Life's a bitch eh? Nonetheless, we will proceed with the second part of our article analyzing the upcoming future of the Leafs - hopefully with more style and substance than the "Cox Block" specialist that the Barilkosphere is well aware of. I'm not even going to post a link to it I'm so disheartened.

Since Burke is a ‘shoot from the hip’ type of GM, we believe you can learn more from his remarks than a PR wizard like Brian Colangelo who soothes us with comforting yet bland statements, or a jackass like JP Ricciardi who tries to keep our hopes and dreams in the cellar by bombarding us with pessimism.

So when Toronto’s Burkian Revolution evolves into a proper ‘reign of terror’ come January, who will be the first to meet the guillotine? Based on a few of his quotes, we think we have come up with a basic criteria to help us make well-educated guesses on who stays and goes. It is our modest attempt to decipher the Burkian code. Actually wait, fuck modest, our code-cracking speculation is so sophisticated it makes Dan Brown and his Da Vinci Code look like Marty York. Let’s begin…

SECTION I - FORWARDS

Burke said on the weekend, “The bottom six forwards are expected to fill and perform hard-hat functions, the plumber's function. The other guys (ie the top six forwards), maybe they're the guys sitting on top of the float in the parade. These are the guys that keep the engine running.”

It seems his vision is to construct the forward unit with a symmetrical vision of six muckers to go with six snipers. This theoretically create a cohesive whole amongst the forwards without any confusion about roles. The “Plumbers / Muckers” put in the blue collar work required to wear down opponents and provide the safety and open ice necessary for the “Guys on the Float in the Parade / Snipers” to score goals.

But as we know, not everyone who wants to sit on the float in the parade can have a spot. Who are the most likely to keep their jobs as “Top 6” or “Bottom 6” players in either of Burke’s categories? Time to separate the wheat from the chaff…

Fancy Boys on the Float in the Parade (Vying for the Top 6)

Revving the engine: Nik Antropov, Niklas Hagman, Mikhail Grabovski and possibly Nikolai Kulemin.

Frosted tips and a popped collar: Matt Stajan, Lee Stempniak, Jason Blake and Alexei Ponikarovsky.

As we see it, those “Revving the Engine” of the parade float have a decent shot to stick around under Burke based on their inherent talents. Meanwhile their wannabe “Frosted Tips and a Popped Collar” teammates have a super chance to be traded at any moment – maybe even this week. Stempniak is the one exception in the latter category because of the fact he only just arrived. We also have a sneaking suspicion that Antropov may be on his way out as well, but not because he lacks in talent. That possibility will be dealt with further down.

The Plumbers (Scrapping for the Bottom 6)

Can lay pipe: Dominic Moore and John Mitchell

Not likely to unclog my toilet: Jamal Mayers and Ryan Hollweg

Currently in college trying to get certified plumber status: Andre Devaux

Moore and Mitchell have both been very solid players for the Leafs this year and are the kind of teammates you want on your side when going into battle. Hollweg is a giant douchebag liability and needs to be disposed of. Meanwhile, Devaux is an unknown commodity at this point in time.

I expect that after seeing the Leafs get physically abused by the Sharks that Burke will be looking to bring in some new reinforcement Plumbers as soon as possible to try to turn around the team toughness and culture.

SECTION II – DEFENSEMEN

Likewise for the defense, Burke requires complimentary skillsets. Those designated for fighting duty will not likely be manning the point on the powerplay. Pretty basic, simple enough. In addition to this, all we need is to look to the past to see the aggressive manoeuvres he has made to acquire the likes of all-world defensemen Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer to lead his teams on both ends of the ice. It does not appear any present Leafs will ever fit into that category. Will Burke be able to acquire one?

What do we have in the cupboard presently?

Luke Richardson on ‘roids: Luke Schenn

The Spirit of Salming: Tomas Kaberle

Oh so tradable – if only: Pavel Kubina

The Aki Berg Club: Ian White, Jeff Finger, Mike Van Ryn, Anton Stralman, Jonas Frogren.

The defenseman are a bit harder to decipher who plays what role. We know Shenn is a keeper and the foundation for the future, but any of the rest could have a one way ticket to somewhere other than Toronto pretty soon. There is an argument to be made for trading Kaberle and/or Kubina if you could get them to agree to waive their no-trade clause and grab a top draft pick. As much as we all love Kaberle, his skillset is in serious demand and he could be worth a lot on the market. Kubina as well – only to a lesser extent.

Ian White should be retained based solely on his mustache and the recent Finger signing implies he will stay a while longer. As for the rest… they could easily find themselves getting a similar phonecall to the one Carlo Colaiacovo received a couple weeks back.

SECTION III – GOALTENDING

Possibly the most difficult move to evaluate is the goalkeeper. To trade or not to trade Vesa Toskala? That is the question Burke must answer. When posing such a quandary to the Barilkosphere heavyweights the Pension Plan Puppets on Tuesday morning it seems the jury is hung. If he can maintain his recent hot streak his trade value will soar – which would be a great time to trade him says the “sell high” mentality. If he stinks it up, the Leafs should logically keep him for next year as there is no backup ready to take his place. You gotta love it. If he’e good, unload him – if he sucks, keep him! Yet it does make perfect sense in Leafsnation. Not all is as it seems when cracking the Burkian code.

So if Burke does sell high, then the question becomes who takes Toskala’s place? Cujo is lucky if his knees can hold up for one game a week. Pogge is surely not ready for the crucible of the Toronto hockey media. I implore the Leafs not to toss him in the cauldron like Allan Bester had to suffer through. The “catch 22” of the Toskala quandary provides no easy answer.

But let’s come up with one anyhow. Sometimes you just have to put your balls on the table, so here we go... Trade Toskala. Problem solved. That was cathartic.

SECTION IV – THE “SIGNATURE MOVE”

This is what gets the fans riled up. The BIG TRADE. Does Burke have a mega-deal in the works as we speak? Something of the Leeman for Gilmour, plus half of each roster, style trade? This is where you separate the men from the boys because to be successful it requires trading top-end talent for elite talent. Pat Gillick’s master stroke of McGriff and Fernandez for Carter and Alomar is another fine example.

The rumours out there in Leafland are swirling around players like Boumeester and Nash. Let’s be serious, you don’t get these sorts of players by trading Jason Blake. It took Wendel to get Mats – as painful as that was. As Tex mentioned the other day, the Leafs do not currently have a leader on the ice in the wake of Sundin’s departure. How can the Leafs fill the void? Who is the commodity that could be swapped? I got my money on Antropov.

Conclusion:

We submit this to the Barilkosphere. Comments, questions, critiques, death threats and wisecracks are encouraged. Has this state of the roster address in any way helped to decipher the GM codes that Burke spoke in? Have we resolved the dialectical forces of Leafland and thus ended history? Or should our crystal ball be smashed and defecated on? Have our heavy handed gropes in the dark led to awkward moments and a general lack of satisfaction? Worst of all, has Damien Cox made us his bitch?

And so it begins...umm...now what?

2008-12-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

When a general manager is hired it is usually the case that they try to put their stamp on the team early. To build in the image and fashion that fits with their philosophy of a winning franchise. It is one of the most interesting sides of professional sports in the contemporary information era due mainly to the fact that, let's be serious, we all think we could do this job as well, or better, than they do.

After beginning to write this post it just kept growing and will need to be divided into two distinct parts. Today we will give the introduction to the background of the GM situation and tomorrow proceed with our predictions on how we see the Leafs roster evolving.

A couple of years ago Brian Colangelo breezed into Toronto with a revolutionary new team concept that he had invented in Phoenix. The idea was to have an up-tempo fast paced team that Sam Mitchell promised would take “mo shats” and enthuse the fans. Big Papa Colangelo shipped out the old junk quickly. Exiled were the pets of the old regime like Charlie Villanueva, Eric Williams, Matt Bonner and Hoffa.

In came a new team of high character players that could shoot and who would be reinforced by a European supporting cast. In the short-term it was hugely successful. The mid-term results have been less positive – yet still too early to fully judge. It should also be mentioned that the off-court stability and confidence he has brought to the franchise is an added bonus sorely lacking since their birth in 1995.

Contrast that with the Leafs side of things. John Ferguson came into the General Manager position just after the NHL had been re-tailored to encourage offense and bring the fans back after the lockout. Being the visionary that he was (sarcasm) he began to sign big, strong, over the hill players like Eric Lindros and Jason Allison who were now dinosaurs in the new league. He furthered this brilliant (more sarcasm) plan by re-signing fan favourites like Kaberle and Tucker to big contract extensions that included no-trade clauses. Let’s not recount the rest of his steps. The downward spiral has been too painful.

Now quickly jumping to the present. Regarding the Leafs of December 2008, we should ask ourselves, what do we expect from Brian Burke?

He has stated “We require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence.” I’m not normally much of a fan of Don Cherry, but I think Grapes said it best on Saturday night when he said “I don’t know exactly what that (Burke’s quote) means but I think we can expect him to put together a tough team.” Since I don’t have a dictionary handy, I’m going to guess that Cherry’s translation into the vernacular is correct. Thankfully, unlike Cherry, the new GM does not have any inherent misconception that all Europeans are soft or that Kingston is the center of all civilization.

In spite of our eagerness to see the new regime make some moves, we must also respect the fact that Burke has a self-imposed ban to not make trades during the Christmas season. This period will begin December 9th or 10th. It is too tough on their families he believes, which to me sounds noble. In any case, it looks unlikely he will pull the trigger on any big moves before January rolls around. Or do I speak too soon?

Even if he does make a move, we have few more weeks to watch the current incarnation of the Leafs get out-muscled and out-talented more often than not as they slowly fall further out of playoff contention. Or does a Toskala hot-streak coupled with the fire lit by the Burke regime redirect the blue and white back into the playoff hunt? One of the more interesting sub-plots to the season for me will be how much longer they can stay ahead of the uber-disappointment who make their home in our nation’s capital. Go Sens!

Come back for part two tomorrow when we break down the roster!

Leafs 3, Kings 1 - In Words

2008-12-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

So by now you know that I attended last night's game in LA. This was my first chance to see our new-look Leafs up close and in person. I've seen them on TV and watched the highlights on the net all season long, but of course seeing the team live and in person is a whole new experience.

Apologies to those who've followed them that way all season long, but I've got some thoughts on the game and the team more generally:

1. The game was BOR-ing for the first two periods. Not a lot of back and forth. Not a ton of hitting. 1 goal. And generally sloppy play. Shows the effects of an east coast team going west.

2. I love Grabs. His flowing mane, his speed, his flowing mane. From the Department of Redundancy Department: I think he was a steal. Burke mentioned him by name in one of his interviews on Saturday and I can see why. On a team that is lacking in a lot of areas, he could definitely be one of those "top 6" forwards that Burke wants so badly. Plus, he impressed by picking up a power play game winner. Atta boy.

3. Nothing the Kings did really impressed me. They have a few bright young stars, but for a team that's been "developing" for several years now, they just didn't do it for me. The Leafs came out and played lifelessly for the first 2 periods, and yet the Kings still couldn't capitalize (with the exception of course being their score on their first shot of the game). I sure as hell hope that the Leafs build-from-scratch effort looks more like the Penguins than the Kings 2-3 years from now.

4. Ian White. During a 4-on-3 PK (I think) that could have broken the Leafs' back, Wilson threw White and Schenn out there together. I've seen him have that kind of confidence in these youngsters before, but man its different seeing it in person. While I love Schenn, White was the key guy on that shift, singlehandedly saving a goal from going in. His stat line was a simple: 0 goals, 0 assists, even +/-, 1 SOG, and yet he was the first star of the game, in the enemy's arena. He threw hits and generally appeared to be all over the ice. I do not believe he is a front line, long term solution for this team, but benching him during the first part of the season obviously lit a fire that is still burning in him.

Ahh, who the hell am I kidding?!? Its all because of his 'stache!

5. This team lacks a go-to guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe you already knew that. But when you see this team in person, it becomes glaringly obvious. Back in the day (if his mood was right that night), you could count on Mats to start taking over a game (in the way that he used to do it, not the way a guy like Ovechkin does it). While our guys did come back and win, the reality is that there was no one who inspired the kind of confidence that Mats used to. Maybe I've been denial about it all season, and seeing the team without him for the first time was like seeing an ex-girlfriend who you never quite got over, but man I missed Mats last night. Maybe Brophy was just speculating, but we need a big time player like Nash. Badly. In fact, we need one so badly that we'll delve into some trade thoughts in another post.

6. Vesa. It was a tense final 10 minutes as the Leafs clung to a 1 goal lead, with the Kings pressuring, throwing a ton of shots his way and crashing the net. The thousands of Leafs fans in attendance were chanting "Go Leafs Go" and Vesa stood in there. Hats off to the guy. Yesterday I predicted an ass-whooping up in tonight's game vs. SJ. However, if Vesa can play like that against his old club, our guys stand a chance. Its too early to say if he's found "it," but play like that makes you confident for the long term prospects of him in the Leafs net.

So there you have it - my thoughts on last night. And yes, to those who've asked, that was my wife and I on Leafs TV last night waving to the camera (her in a pink jersey). Thanks for all the texts, calls and facebooks messages about it!

Leafs 3, Kings 1 - In Photos

2008-12-02T00:39:00.000-08:00

Staples Center. I made the trek so you wouldn't have to.

Pregame warm-up. Even fewer fans than at the ACC.

Starting lineup for YOUR Toronto Maple Leafs.

(No photo of the Kings' first goal. Why would I take one, anyway?)

Scrum in front of Vesa in the 2nd period.

Ian White and his incredible 'stache. More to come in my game recap, but he played some inspired hockey tonight.

Derek Armstrong getting Fingered. (That joke will never get old to me)

Celebrating Stajan's goal in the 3rd.

A couple of pics of the celebration following Grabovski's game winner. If you look really closely, they are saying "Congrats, Tex!" on adding Grabs to your fantasy roster just in time for this game.

Just one piece of equipment from LA's advanced snow removal process. It took several surgeries to get this process perfected.

Jeff Finger breaking in alone in the 3rd. He didn't score. Obviously. There's a reason he only has 2 goals this year - one of which came on an empty net a few minutes after this photo.

Final Score: Leafs 3, Kings 1. Go Leafs Go!

Calling All West Coast Leafs Fans

2008-12-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

First off, my sincerest apologies to the reader(s) of this blog. Due to some recent demands on the job front, this blog has been pretty Raptor-heavy lately, to the detriment of our Leafs content and status in the Barilkosphere. However, The Passion is coming back strong over the next few weeks. I promise.

And man alive, what a way to come back. A new player. A surly new GM. A West Coast road trip. And rampant, unsubstantiated trade rumors! Are there any other kind worth reading? Let me go way out on a limb here and say, for the record, that I would support the acquisition of either Nash or Boumeester. Ground breaking blogging going on here, I know.

Anyways, I'm attending tonight's game against the Kings and tomorrow morning I'll be bringing you a full recap of the contest, complete with a full photo essay. I went to the Leafs-Kings game last year and Leafs jerseys outnumbered Kings by 2:1 (while Kings goals outnumbered Leaf goals by 3:1. Ugh).

In fact, I even added Grabs to my fantasy hockey team for tonight - just to give me a little something extra to cheer for. I'll also be wearing my Sundin jersey (as opposed to my Owen Nolan jersey - another stellar jersey choice by yours truly) while my wife wears her pink Leafs jersey (not pictured to the right). No I didn't buy it for her. Yes I make fun of her for wearing it.

Oh, and for the heck of it, a few predictions about this week's west coast extravaganza:

vs. LA: 4-3 win
vs. SJ - 5-1 loss
vs. PHX - 3-2 win

Anyone else attending tonight's festivities should feel free to e-mail me, we can meet up and you can buy me a beer. I'm in Section 108, Row 7.

Go Leafs Go.

Raptors Trade Rumours - Rubbish!

2008-12-01T05:45:00.000-08:00

The Raps lost against the Lakers - big surprise. Is there any need to analyze why? Isn't it obvious? On to trade rumours.

As the Raps have hit the skids in recent weeks, the meda have been churning out some pretty godawful trade rumours. Here is a quick analysis of these shit sandwiches.

Straight up, that rumour of Barbosa is fucking ridiculous. Just because we wish it could happen doesn't mean it will. Keep dreaming Toronto!

Look at what Phoenix are doing right now. The 2008/9 season is Steve Kerr/Nash/Shaq/Grant Hill's collective last chance power drive.

Will they win it all? No.

Will they blow it up before the season ends? No. Because acquiring Shaq was done FOR the playoffs. They are going down in flames together - it is predestined.

So why would they trade one of their best players in Barbosa? Well the answer is: they wouldn't. Especially not to Toronto who have NOTHING that Phoenix would want. Even after racking my fertile imagination the only thing I could think of that might work is if the Suns wanted to trade Barbosa for Calderon and then use him as Nash's heir. Is that a likely scenario? Ummm. No. What else could they want? Bargs? It is the only other possibility of any likelihood. Is Colangelo looking to deal either of these guys? Doubt it.

Saying that he likes Barbosa as a player is the same as saying "I think Chris Paul has what it takes to be an NBA point guard." Or "Charles Barkley was super at rebounding the basketball." It in no way reflects any attempt to actually bring the player to Toronto.

Marion has been exposed for what he really is this year. An awesome open court player who sucks in a half-court offense. Well, guess what - a slow shitty half-court offense is precisely what Toronto is. Why would bringing a whiny baby like him be a good thing? His moping is almost of Vince Carteresque proportions. Practically speaking, the only contract the Raps have to match him is Jermaine O'Neal. Why would Miami take an injured O'Neal with a two-year contract over a healthy Marion with a one-year contract? They wouldn't.

Is there any point in even addressing the pathetic rumours of Nocioni, Belinelli or Luther Head? Is anyone dumb enough to believe they are the answer? Tinkering won't cut it.

The only rumour on the table that still sort of makes sense is the Gerald Wallace one. I wonder if Colangelo had a few beverages if would admit he should have sent TJ Ford to Charlotte instead of Indiana? My guess is yes.

Then again, it does not seem to me that any of these above possibilities are the aces up Colangelo's sleeve that he will need to keep Bosh in Toronto. We can keep guessing, but the vast majority of the time we will be completely blindsided by what the GM does. That is just a fact.

View From Above the Tunnel: At least we're better than Charlotte

2008-11-27T07:31:00.001-08:00

I was at the Charlotte game last night, and that team is HORRIBLE (sadly, Toronto didn't dominate them as much as I thought they could, which probably means that the Raps aren't that good either). The difference between Emeka Okafor and Jared Dudley on the court, is pretty marginal. I guess Okafor is a little be better offensively close to teh basket, but he's really no that much better. Why Charlotte gave him $70 million is beyond me. I actually like Augustine's game, I thought I would hate him cause he is a midget, but I think he actually does have some real promise. Sean May made an appearence last night. I thought he was dead. Based on his play, he might as well be. The Bobcats have to have the most invisible frontcourt in the NBA. Oh, and Gerald Wallace? He is totally overrated. If you can't dominate Joey Graham, you just aren't a top line NBA player. $9 million per? Yet another HUGE mistake.

I loved the way Joey played last night, and I have come to 1 conclusion. All these articles about Joey "not getting it" are total bullshit and totally accurate at the same time! When Joey is asked to do only a single thing on defense (in the case of last night, it was follow Gerald Wallace around under any circumstance), he is actually a pretty good defender. I think its when Smitch asks him to help others that it all starts to fall apart for him (ie he gets lost, rotates poorly, etc). So if the Raps adjusted their defense so that Joey never switches, I think he can be a very useful player for them. Offensively, Joey threw up to SPECTACULAR airballs to go along with the thunderous dunks last night. It was pretty funny. Seriously though, Joey looked pretty good offensive when the Raps got a board, and Jose got a chance to push the ball up. Graham seemed to find the seams, and did a great job of taking Jose's pass, and just continuing onto the rim. Anyway, after all of this, I think Graham should get more burn, but to make him effective, Smitch has to simplify Joey's role. On defense, just point him at the guy you want him to guard, and tell him to never leave him under any circumstance. On offense, just tell him to cut the seams, and hope that Jose finds him. If he somehow ends up with the ball in his hands, just hope that he doesn't throw up too many airballs in between his forays to the basket.

Tuesday Morning Quickie

2008-11-25T06:35:00.001-08:00

1. I don't usually do Leafs links, mainly because I have no real hockey knowledge, but I found this Cox article to be quite disturbing. Seems like Burke isn't the slam dunk we all thought he was going to be. Oh, Richard Peddie, maynbe you and your lap dog Cliff Fletcher can stall long enough for Burke to tell MLSE to go fuck themselves. Let's hope not though........

2. Great post by Richie below about the current mob mentality of Raptors fans (I have to admit, I am one of the foremost "pitchfork and torch" guys out there). In fact, as a ringleader on the Fire Mitchell bandwagon, I couldn't keep my thoughts to the comments section, as this is just too meaty of a topic.

Here's a couple of rebuttal points:

1) Its clear that Mitchell isn't working with a full deck, and I think we can all agree that the Raptors probably do have the WORST 2/3 situation in the NBA. In fact, as you can see from my Desmond Mason post, I think the solution to the problems that the Raptors face must be solved with a 2 pronged attack. First, upgrade the roster, then upgrade the coach. However, why are we so willing to accept the excuse that Mitchell shouldn't be fired because his players aren't that great? I know at my job, I'd get canned if my excuse to underperforming was to just blame externalities. BC isn't an idiot, I think he realizes that there are holes in the roster, but Mitchell can't just throw his hands up in the air, and offer no solutions.

2. I know we all like to slam Joey and Moon for being retards on defense (and offense too, sad). But is it totally their fault? At some point, shouldn't we expect coaching to elevate a player's game? Look I do not expect coaching to make Moon an equal to LeBron, but I find it unacceptable for us to just accept the fact that there is nothing we can do about it. I mean, if coaching is really that meaningless in player development, why even bother to hire a coach?

3. My last point has to do with Mitchell's inability to adjust his in game strategy. During the NJ game, Devin Harris attacked Jose relentlessly, and Mitchell had no answer for it. Against Boston, Rondo did the exactly same thing, and Smitch's response was to have AP help, leaving Ray Allen wide open. After 2 days of watching video, knowing who the next opponent would be, Smitch's best strategic response was to help off Ray Allen? I know the JO injury is a big factor in the defense, but it can't be the sole reason for systemic failure. NBA coaching is about making adjustments, and with Smitch, he just isn't able to do that. The Raptors have their basic strategies that they don't veer from, but when a better coach takes those options away, the Raps end up looking like a D-League team. That just isn't right.

As an aside, as a Raptors fan, I never ever compare the Raps to the Leafs. Just beacuse the Leaves are making moves, in no way do I view what they do as progress. All of us should hope the Colangelo is smart enough to KNOW that being SEEN as progressive, isn't the same as actually making progress. That's the kind of cancerous thinking that holds the Leafs back.

Lord of the Flies anyone?

2008-11-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

"Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!"

Is it just me or have the Raptors "faithful" quickly become an angry mob thirsting for the blood of Sam Mitchell? It risks escalating to the level of frenzy if they rack up a loss tomorrow against the mighty Bobcats.

The team has gotten off to a disapointing 6-7 start to the year and have a west coast road trip looming later this week. In other words, the possibility to sink further below .500 is not only a possibility - it's likely.

The question is....should we blame Sam Mitchell?

I believe the answer (after much hesitation) is "not really."

Looking at the facts, the Raps have lost a game due to a Calderon injury and the last couple meltdowns have been directly related to Jermaine O'Neal's knee issues.

With two of the big three injured the Raps have struggled to find consistency on offense without their point guard and the defense has completely fallen apart without O'Neal patrolling the paint. What you are left with is an inconsistent Bargs and Bosh trying to play Superman. Are these the ingredients of a winning team? Not bloody likely.

So lets say hypothetically that Colangelo fires Smitch and brings in Van Gundy or Flip Saunders, the question then becomes, can they win? With a debilitated O'Neal, Calderon unable to contain dribble penetration and a shooting guard/small forward rotation that is clearly the worst in the NBA, my hypothesis would be a resounding "hell no!"

I'm not saying he won't lose his job, because there is a good chance he will be slaughtered. The Raps fans smell blood and with the Leafs making trades and likely hiring Burke there is undeniable pressure on Raptorland to look progressive. Colangelo may need a sacrificial lamb to persuade them he is trying to improve things. But lets get one thing straight, in spite of all of Smitch's faults as a strategist, I highly doubt even the Zenmaster Phil Jackson could make lemonade out of this current roster of chihuahua piss.

Kill the pig if you wish - but realize that the logic of the mob could lead things to continue to go south in spite of the change. Will Colangelo risk to change the coach and potentially expose his naked roster for what it really is? It shall be interesting to see...

View from Above the Tunnel: It hurts so bad

2008-11-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

So there will be no game review for either the Nets game (Friday) or the Celtics game (Sunday). Both were extremely painful, and should not be reviewed. Only bad things happened. After bad Raptors losses I tended to wander the internet looking for Raptors trade rumors, I consider it therapy, but its more like insanity, whatever. I keep surfing for some info about what Colangelo is doing to address the wing, or maybe the rumblings that Jeff Van Gundy or the Hobbit (Avery Johnson, who I hate though, and hope the Raps don't hire) might have been contacted by BC. But there is nothing, so I decided to look at the Raptor situation myself.

BC needs to convince the Thunder/Sonics to trade the Raps Desmond Mason and Earl Watson for anyone out of Kapono, Moon, Joey, Hump, 2nd round picks.

Best deal for the Raps would have to be Joey, Hump, Garbo's deal (or substitute Kapono, if OKC wants him), and a 2nd rounder.

That gives the Raps the projected lineup:

C - JO
PF - CB4
SF - Desmond Mason
SG - AP
PG - Jose
6th man - Andrea
PG2 - Watson
SG/SF2 - Moon

Conclusion: Very Sexy, and a Eastern Contender

Rationale for Okie: They are clearly already entering the Deron Deozen sweepstakes. Why not shed Earl Watson's $6.2 million and $8.6 million (expires 2010)? If Russell Westbrook is the future, he might as well play. Plus, having Joey Graham on the team, makes the locals like them, since they got booed the other night. Jeff Green is solid as well, so they can get rid of Mason and his $5.4 mil for a useable big like Hump. The 2nd rounder has decent upside, and you need as many warm bodies as possibles. Kapono gives them a shooter that they desperately need to open up the floor for Durant. And most importantly you send cash to OKC. You know that one of their owners lost a billion dollars (karma is a bitch), so they are probably looking to just sell everything off.

Rationale for the Raps: Mason solves 2 immediate needs: 1) Athletic perimeter defender and 2) Slasher. Desmond is a perfect fit. Plus defender, and he always takes it to the hoop, mainly because he has no jumper. Watson is a good back up for Jose, and makes that 2nd unit faster. You could even play Roko or Soloman or Moon at the back up 2, to give AP rest.

Financially, the Raps would have to trade the rights to Garbo (4.25 million, expire 2009), Joey ($2.45 million, expire 2010), and Hump ($3.2 million, expire 2011). Mason and Watson's total salary is $11.6 million for this season. The ESPN Trade Machine loves this trade ( http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=2759~2433~2010~518~1027&teams=25~25~25~28~28&te=&cash=25:28 ).

Potential Strategy or Pie in the Sky Fantasy?

Why I Loathe JP

2008-11-21T06:43:00.000-08:00

This is why JP needs to be pulled into the street and beaten.

From ESPN - The Blue Jays are constantly being fingered as a possible suitor for Manny Ramirez. But GM J.P. Ricciardi told Rumblings, unequivocally: "We won't be involved with Manny. That keeps coming up, but it's not true. I think one reason is that Manny has always liked it in Toronto. He's hit more home runs here than anybody. And he likes the city, because he can fly under the radar here. So he may be asking his agent to try to find a way to put him here. He's a great hitter, so it's tempting. But being tempted and being realistic are two separate things."

Yeah, JP, who needs Manny, he's a totally unrealistic get, even though he wants to play here, has had an enormous amount of success hitting in the Dome, and the laid back baseball culture is EXACTLY what he is looking for. Right, who needs a Hall of Fame slugger that would stablize this lineup, put everyone else in their natural spots in the order, and probably make the Jays one of the more potent offenses in the AL, for at least the next 2 years. Speaking of unrealistic, you are trying to sign AJ, when the Yankees have made it clear that they want him and CC this winter. What's more unrealistic? Signing Manny when he wants to be in TO, or signing AJ who the YANKEES have a huge boner for.

Here's some more food for thought:
AJ's (Jays offer) - 4 years, $54 million
Manny (Based LA's offer, and most rumours about what he is looking for) - 3 years, $60 million.

On top of that Buster Olney reports that it is going to take a 5 year deal to lock up AJ, and the Yankees already have more than $54 million on the table for him. The only catch is that the NY offer is for 4 years.

So let's reiterate, its unrealistic for the Jays to expect to sign Manny for $6 million more than what they have currently offered Burnett. However, everyone knows that to get the AJ deal done, the final deal will have to be around 5 years for $67.5 million. $6 million more for a pitcher who is 32, and will be 37 at the end of the deal, and who has over the last 3 years in TO proven that he can't be counted on unless he is pitching for a new contract. Rather than saving that $6 million and signing a hitter that makes the TO lineup one of the more dangerous ones in the AL.

Yeah JP, way to allocate our limited resources efficiently. I fucking hate you.

Funny Quotes From the Knicks

2008-11-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

I know this has nothing to do with the Raptors. but I hate the Celtics, and after yesterday's Knick's game, Z-BO (Zach Randolph) and Q (Queintin Richardson) had some pretty funny quotes. I also agree with them 100%, and I am glad that someone is finally calling out the Celtics:

"They do a lot of talking," Zach Randolph said after the Knicks lost their second straight and fell to 6-5. "They know they are protected on (the) court. That's why I don't pay that no mind. Because a lot of guys get off the court and they tuck their tails (between their legs)."

"I'd be just real curious to see what a lot of those guys would say if we weren't in a basketball arena, where there are no referees and NBA officials to stop certain things," Richardson said. "I mean it wouldn't be the same story. They are the world champions and rah-rah-rah, the tough talk I don't buy. I come from a neighborhood where you can say what you want to say and until you do something with it it don't mean nothing.

"Some of those guys woofing about 'Get a ring' and blah, you ain't been in the league long enough to talk like that to some people who's got as many years as we got over here. I don't got a lot of respect for that."

It all sounds kind of foolish, but we all know the Celtics are just frontin' anyway. Down with Boston!

View From Above the Tunnel: Distruaght

2008-11-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well....The Raptors went into the Magic Kingdom last night, and got their asses handed to them. However, this loss was worse than the playoff losses because it does look like the Raptors have addressed one glaring deficiency (getting owned by Dwight Howard in a prison bitch sort of way), only to discover a whole new and imporved way of getting crushed (not hitting any 3's, turning the ball over 20+ times). Let's break this game down because in the smoking ruins there were actually some good news, but its mostly bad.

1. Bosh's line: 40 pts-18 rbs, well it looks like Bosh still owns the Magic. CB4 was cooking last night in the face of Howard's strangely girlish/affectionate teasing?!? Anyway, Bosh is awesome, and its pretty clear that he has taken his game to the next level. Has the team followed his example? More on this later.

2. JO's line: 16 pts-10 rbs-5 PF/(Howard's line: 18pts-9 rbs), why did I include Howard's line as a part of JO's stats. Considering that Howard averaged 30-20 against the Raps last season, its pretty clear to anyone watching the game last night that JO was able to hold Howard in check whenever he was on the court. Yes, JO ended up in foul trouble, but the fact that he was able to guard D-12 one on one, and was able to mute the Superman's impact was, in my opinion, the most important development for this team. Of course, the team decided to waste this stellar defensive effort.

Well that was the good news. Are you ready for the bad news? Cause there's a lot of it.

1. Andrea Bragnani starting at SF: Why was Andrea out there trying to guard Hedu? Is Sam Mitchell actively trying to give the Magic a super obvious mismatch to exploit? Did Andrea morph into a 6-8 small forward over the summer? I have so many questions because this EXACT plan didn't work in the playoffs last year either. Are we really at the point where we are recycling strategies that have clearly FAILED? Because if we are, well I think we all know what road we are travelling down. Not only did Andrea get exposed defenisvely by Hedu, but his offense suffered as well since he wasn't able to play the mid range-semi post game is he trying to develop this season. Why is Mitchell messing with Andrea? The bigs had clearly defined roles that seemed to be working. Andrea at the small forward is a disaster, and has to stop.

2. 14 for 45, 15 turnovers. What an impressive measure of offensive shittiness. That was the shooting line for Raptors not named Bosh and O'Neal. Want to know why this lost by 13 even though 2 of their best players seemed have great and good games? Because when the rest of the team plays like it belongs in the D-League, guys like Jameer Nelson and JJ Reddick drop 32 on us, why do the Raptors even bother showing up. Pathetic.

Final thought. A lot of people are going to say, that the Raptors were undermanned because they were missing Jose. Fine, I accept that, with Jose, its possible that the Raptors cut down their turnovers dramatically, and this game is a lot closer. In fact, with the games that Bosh and O'Neal had, Jose might have been able to bring it home. However, that doesn't mask the fact that the Raptors collectively allowed Hedu and Rashard Lewis to light them up like Christmas trees. JO was brought in to stop Howard posting NBA Jam like numbers, which he did, but where is the sense of urgency from the rest of the team? Where is the improved perimeter defensive schemes from the coaching staff since they don't need to help on Howard on every possession.

Here's the truly scary thing. Bosh scored 40 pts, and missed like 2 shots in the 2nd half. Meanwhile, JO provided the interior defense that the Raptors desperately needed against Howard. So if I had said that those 2 things were locks to happen, most of us would say that Raptors would definitely have a fighting chance. Except they lost by 13! 13! This Raps squad is in trouble. 5-5 might look okay to some, but if you have watched every single minute of Raptors action this season (which I have), you know this team is desperately needs the dynamic to change.

Dispatches From the Wing

2008-11-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

Quite excited about tonight's matchup against the Orlando Magic. Its definitely going to be one of those games where the Raptors will get a good sense of where they stand in the pecking order.

Just a few quick thoughts about the Raptors SF position after Richie's thoughtful post yesterday. I have to say that I whole heartedly agree with statement that Andrea is NOT the long term answer at the 3. With the way his post game is starting to show some signs of life, coupled with his newly discovered activity on the glass, its important the Smitch doesn't fuck him up by playing him out of position (ie, he is a 4/5, NOT a 3).

Going forward, I am pretty worried about our beloved Raptors. However, there are a ton of rumours out there about swingmen that would be great "fits" (as in cheap enough to prevent the Raps from paying the tax) for our intrepid Dinos:

1. Marco Bellini and Al Harrington: Apparently New Jersey was willing to trade both of these guys for Josh Boone (who is an orphan according to Smokey, not that it matters). Anyway, looks like G-State's gonna want Bragnani to get this deal, I say hell no, but its Chris Mullen, so maybe BC convinces him that Hump and Joey are good enough.

2. Jerry Stackhouse: A veteran presence that seems to want some serious minutes on a playoff team. Check out this rant from Stack. Seeing as how Dallas is a total crapfest at this point. Are any of us willing to bet against a trade of Stack for Joey and Hump, so Dallas can get out of Stack's deal?

Those are the freshest rumours right now, but there are plenty of bad teams (T-Wolves, Griz, Kings, Thunder) where a fire sale has to be pending.

A tangent:

T-Mac is hurt again! Yeah, karma's a bitch (not as much of a bitch as playing 42 mins a night for a shitty Orlando team, but still). Oh T-Mac, you're decline doesn't even give me any pleasure anymore. You and VC could've been champs, but now you'll never even know what the 2nd round feels like. I hoped you enjoyed your run as being "The Man" for your teams, and I hope it was worth sabatoging that once great future in Toronto for it. Looking back, it still hurts me to imagine what could have been. But with VC and TMac's bodies betraying them, it looks like the universe did punish them for their short sighted and selfish decisions.

Bargs back at SF?

2008-11-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Raps grinded out a victory yesterday without the help of Jose Calderon on Sunday afternoon. In his place Will Soloman chipped in a respectable 15 points and 11 dimes.

Most notably in this game was the insertion of Andrea Bargnani into the starting lineup in place of Jamario Moon. This is not the first time we have seen Bargs play the three spot over the years. Who could forget the disasterous results it had last year against the Magic in game one of the playoffs?

However, it somehow seemed to work yesterday vs the Heat. The Raps frontline absolutely dominated the Heat and with the increased roles of Bargnani and Humphries ended up outrebounding them by a final of 52-35.

Can we conclude this experiment a success? Should Moon be perma-benched?

Positives include:
a) The aforementioned rebounding advantage
b) A competent offensive player like Bargnani on the court masks a number of Moon's deficiencies in terms of shooting/driving/decisionmaking
c) Without Calderon to create opportunities for teammates, the Raps offense clicked anyhow - I'm hesitant to give too much of that praise to Soloman in spite of his 11 assists

Negatives include:
a) The perimeter defence was horrific - giving up 8 triples (but isn't it always?)
b) The defense seemed incredibly porous at times and the Heat had little difficulty getting high quality shots at will
c) Bargs will never be able to cover small forwards - ever

Conclusion

I am still a huge skeptic. Bargnani may only appear to be the solution due to the generally horrific play of other Raps like Moon, Kapono, Graham, Adams, etc. In principle, he is simply not suited to play the 3. While it worked yesterday I do not foresee a lineup of O'Neal, Bosh and Bargs being effective over the long haul.

That being said, the improvement of Bargnani is very encouraging. His trade value has gone from nonexistant at the end of last season to incredibly valuable over the span of a few months. While I do not think Colangelo will trade him, it is nice to contemplate the type of players he could potentially bring back in a swap.

While he may never be Brandon Roy, things are definitely looking up.

From the "It Could Be Worse" Department

2008-11-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Admit it, as Toronto sports fans (as sports fans in general?) we like to bitch about our teams. From losing streaks and personnel moves to corporate profits and suits taking up the good seats, there's always something to complain about (that's what makes blogging fun!) But once in a while its nice to sit back and take stock because, let's be honest, It Could Be Worse...

1) Today the Tampa Bay Lightening fired Barry Melrose, a mere 16 games into this season/his comeback tour, and replaced him behind the bench with Rick Tocchet, a guy with a sterling reputation right now due to his links to a shady gambling operation. Check out my NHL season preview from a few months ago. After watching him on ESPN the past few years, I firmly believe that Melrose is a joke. I said the Lightening would be terrible, but that The Mullet wouldn't be fired. 50% ain't bad. Frankly, I'm impressed those new owners had the guts to pull the trigger on him.

2) Meanwhile, despite some hue and cry over the rumors of Burke's impending arrival as GM of our fair Leafs, at least we're not Bengals fans. The fans of that truly tortured club are currently spending their own hard earned cash paying for billboards to be posted around that city, begging the cheap ass owner of that pathetic organization to hire a GM.

Yikes, it could be worse...

Time to Plan the Parade!

2008-11-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok, ok, I know there are few "jokes" that bother us in the Barilkosphere more than those stupid "plan the parade" ones, but I had to get you to click on the link to this article somehow.

The truth is, today actually does mark an important date. If the NHL season ended today (only 17 games in!) your Toronto Maple Leafs would make the playoffs with the #8 seed, which is a testament to how Ron Wilson has this young club playing - and which is far more than we can say about the Leafs teams of the past few years.

A lot has already been written about last night's win against the Oilers, and I don't want to be overly repetitive except to say that it was a big win - on the road, in the Oilers' barn, and coming after a loss in Calgary. This team is making some very impressive strides. Stajan continues to improve and impress (Archimedes points out that he's actually 25th in the league in scoring), Ian White is rocking Wendel Clarke's old 'stache and even Jason Blake showed up last night looking like he might actually still want to play hockey at the NHL level.

Of course, the Burke speculation is going to continue until he signs on the dotted line in TO and holds his first press conference... at which point the speculation will switch to "what's he going to do now?" It is an important question though because despite the graphic above, I continue to believe that this team needs to stay focused on the long haul and not be swayed by the lure of making a late season acquisition for the sole purpose of making a run this year. If you can get a guy who fits into the long term building plan - obviously do it. But no more abusing cap space and trading picks for short term rentals. I hope you're reading this, Mr. Burke.

As noted, I am impressed with this team, but I also think we're still a long way away from going into a seven game series as the 8 seed vs. PIT or MTL and being able to win it. Even still, its increasingly looking like Burke is walking into a pretty good situation. Fletecher has done most of the grocery shopping and Ron is helping to set the table. Its time for Burke to come home with the final ingredients and put this baby together over the next few years.

---

UPDATE: Let's all wish Smokey a very Happy Birthday!

MLB Free Agency Looming

2008-11-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

Free agency is nearly upon us. What should we expect from the Blue Jays? A variety of scenarios abound...

1. Uncle Roger will blame a weak Canadian Dollar on the fact that he cannot spend money.

2. AJ Burnett will stay in Toronto. (fingers crossed he doesn't!!!!!!!)

3. JP Ricciardi will continue to diss Johnny Mac and sign another crapola shortstop of the Eckstein ilk.

4. Lyle Overbay seems on the wayout, leaving the obvious money going to a new first baseman with some pop.

5. At least one starting pitcher will need to be signed. ESPN seems to think it will be Brad Penny due to his ties with pitching coach Brad Arnsberg.

6. Designated Hitter rumours of the Giambi variety are floating.

7. Trade BJ Ryan to clear salary for a bigger move. (Please, please, please, please..)

8. But let me state the thing that the vast majority of Jays fans are thinking. I apologize if this is completely and utterly obvious.... but we want the wow factor. Remember the year the Jays signed Roger Clemons and you were like "fuckin A right!"

Well this time instead of picking up a guy who shoots roids in the butt, lets offer Manny Ramirez a guaranteed 4 year contract. Not only is he awesome on the field, I defy you to read this article and tell me he is not also the balls off it.

Without a truly outstanding offseason the Jays could sink to fifth in the division. I don't want to have to curl up in the fetal position and weep.

Our lives are in your hands Mr Rogers, Beeston, Ricciardi dudes. Give Cito something to work with. Sing it with me now - "Ok, Ok, Blue Jays, Blue Jays, let's, let's, play, play, ball."

Food for Thought: Owning Your Own Defense

2008-11-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

An interesting statement by Jermaine last night got me thinking.......

Jermaaine O'Neal stated a very important point that the Raptors guards/small forwards should take to heart. He mentioned that the Raptors lost last night's game in large part because they just could not get a stop in the 4th quarter when they really needed one. He pointed out that the team was able to close it to 1 or 2 points several times, but just couldn't get over the hump by getting a stop. Importantly, he also mentioned that while on the road these kinds of games happen, it shouldn't be the case in your own gym, when the crowd is getting into it (since I was there, I can vouch for the crowd. It was sitting on its hands in the first half, but we were loud and into when the Raps made their runs).

Interestingly, he was fairly direct with his critque. He stated that at some point, every man on the Raptors needs to feel accountable for their defensive assignment. For the Raptors to become an excellent defensive team, he believes that the perimeter defenders have to defend like they are not going to get any help. I thought this was a pretty clear point that strikes right to the heart of the Raptors' defensive problems.

Since the Golden State game, the Raptors perimeter defense has sagged dramatically. Is this because they have gotten lazy and dependant on Bosh and JO to clean up their messes and missed assignments? Is this just their lack of athleticism showing? Is this because the coaching staff has put in a defensive scheme that doesn't put their players in a position to succeed? Is it a failure of the coach to get through to his players about playing defense with accountability?

Whatever the answer is, I go back to my point last night (with perspective from JO), if the Raptors don't commit totally to defense, and play with the reckless abandon shown by teams like Boston and Atlanta, then the Raptors are just running in place, and the future is indeed glum.

Comments are open, and I look forward to hear everyone's thoughts on this.......

View from Above the Tunnel: Embrace the Blow By

2008-11-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

So I just got back from the game, and well, let's just say I am totally confused and frustrated. It was a poor effort from the start, and the Raps never got closer than 1 point at home, and they were down by as much as 16 pts.

I am not going to be doing 3 things because well, frankly, there was only 1 good thing. Once again the Raptors bigs came through with some great play. Double Doubles for both Bosh and JO again, Andrea had a very nice game off the bench.

Sadly, the motley crew of Raptors guards completely fell apart. Kapono, AP, Moon, Graham, all of them were terrible on offense (an astounding 6/28), and they looked completely lost on defense. Jose got hurt at the end of the 1st quarter, and watching Soloman/Roko "run" the offense was horrific (not as horrific as watching Philly's guards blow by them, but it was close).

Of course, Smitch looked like he was at a total loss at how to coach his team. Obviously, its not completely his fault, since he isn't the one playing some solid "torro" defense. At the same time, he had no answer to try and disrupt the Philly offense.

Bosh has taken it to the next level, and JO has proved to be a decent #2/3 option. Jose isn't as efficient as he was last year, but I think its because Raptor opponents are selling out to stop him from turning the corner, and keeping him from dumping it back to Bosh on the roll. Andrea seems to have taken to his role coming off the bench, and he is finally showing some consistency. For all of that, the Raptors still look like they are lacking something.

Honestly, I think this team is as good as its gonna get with the current personnel and the current schemes. Now that Jose is hurt, I fear that it will get significantly worse. I don't know what else there is to discuss. After tonight, I think BC has to pull the trigger on something. Is that a shake up going to be a big trade or a coaching change? Only time will tell, but something must be done.

Crank up the Rumor Mill...

2008-11-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

and let the frantic speculation begin!

Brian Burke is out as GM of the Anaheim Ducks and Bob Murray, who has been with the Ducks in an executive capacity since '99, will replace him.

Does this mean he's headed to the Leafs? No, not necessarily. In fact some have even linked him to the Bruins. However, despite everyone's constant denials that a deal was on the table for Burke in TO, the fact is that this whole thing is all playing out according to the script many predicted a long time ago. And I, for one, would welcome Burke as my new hockey overlord.

Rage can be Blinding

2008-11-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

During the last couple of days, it has come to my attention that I have used some rather derogatory language in my posts. I would like to apologize to my fellow posters, and any of our readers who may have been offended by some of the phrases that I used. My posts were not written to offend anyone except the Boston Celtics and their fans. However, I should have picked more tasteful language to use, and I offer my sincerist apologies to anyone who may been offended. Blind rage is not an excuse not to write some of the things that I have, but please take it easy on me, cause I actually do hate the Celtics to the very core of my being.

Quick Musing on Sam Mitchell

2008-11-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

So after yesterday's fiasco in Boston where Bosh didn't get one shot in the 4th quarter, I have been quite interested in some of the rumblings coming out of Camp Dino. According to Feschuk , it sounds like CB4 is definitely voicing his displeasure at Sam Mitchell for not letting him attack the juvenile and childish KG. Of course, Grange does an important point that Mitchell isn't the one on the court . I used to be a pretty big supporter of continuity, and I thought Sam was coming around as a coach. Well you know what? He isn't. How do you keep Jason Kapono in the game to cover Paul Pierce, and do NOTHING, while Pierce torches Kapono for 22 in the 4th, and something like 10 in a row to close it out. I say get rid of Sam Mitchell now, and bring in Jeff Van Gundy. JVG always seems to have a boner for the Raps on the ESPN telecasts, so I say to Colangelo, grant his wish, bring him in for the next couple of seasons (while hiring a potential Euro replacement to be his assistant next season).

Also, EVERYONE in the Boston is a douchebag (yeah, that's "FAWK YOU" BOSTON)

Rant over, the Raps better beat Philly at home tomorrow.

TFC DP?!?!

2008-11-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

In a meeting yesterday of the MLSE board of directors, Toronto FC got approval to pursue a DP (which unfortunately in this instance stands for Designated Player). Essentially, this is the “Beckham Rule” whereby teams can sign a superstar for whatever money they want, and only about $400k of which counts against the cap. The roster rules in Major League Soccer are complex to say the least (a beginner’s guide) and have been developed to gradually increase the quality of the league while improving and expanding a large base of players for the US National Team. The consistent, decent showing of the US Men’s team at World Cups and Gold Cups, added to the estimated $40 million bids needed for the next batch of MLS expansion contenders show that the League’s policies have been successful in achieving the aforementioned goals. The system is by no means perfect as Toronto FC supporters can attest to, having had to endure important fixtures with the majority of the squad away on international duty, for instance, based on the league roster requirements.
As for the designated player specifically, three of the four semi-finalists in this year’s playoffs have a DP – Schelotto at Columbus, Blanco at Chicago and Angel at New York (but I’m not a big fan of any of that lot, so it’s “Come On Salt Lake City” for me!). It seems that the right player in the right environment can be a big time help for a “nearly there” team. Toronto is that team. If TFC had a solid finisher, a 15-20 goals a season man, some of those losses last year would be draws, and those infuriating draws would have been turned into triple the points. At this point I’m saying, “Aim high”. Set our sights on a world class striker – MLSE has the cash – and see what we can get. Admittedly, the plastic pitch and Canada’s lack of international cachet probably make it difficult. There has already been a long and distinguished (ed- “so’s my Johnson”) list of players linked with TFC and plenty of ‘my friend has a friend’ style rumors. With yesterday’s news this is sure to continue and I for one am glad of it.

Leafs win, Raps need a 3, and I Hate Chuck Swirsky.

2008-11-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

It was another nice win for the Buds last night as they took down the Habs 6-3. Van Ryn was the recipient of a cheap shot that resulted in a 5 minute boarding call and ejection, and the NHL will be taking a closer look at the hit. There was a positive that came from this hit; the team had Van Ryn's back. Carlo went after Kostopoulos right away, and the rest of the team ran Carey Price for the rest of the night (which worked very well, better get used to Carey). This group of guys is really starting to look like a team. Every step in the right direction is a good thing.

I want to echo Billy Bee's comments on the Raptors need for a wing player. It is such a glaring hole in a team with so much potential that BC has to make a change. Jamario Moon has the potential to be a great bench player, but he is not an NBA starter. Joey Graham doesn't appear that he will make the leap either. Giving Darius Miles a 10 day contract (after he serves his suspension) isn't a bad idea. Something needs to change.

I decided that I should help the GM out and do a little homework with the ESPN Trade Machine. Every trade listed here works in terms of dollars. This is a birthday wish list of deals I'd like to see the Raps make to fill the hole at the 3.

4) Anthony Parker and Joey Graham for Hedo Turkoglu.
Hedo has lost a few steps on the D side of the ball in recent years, but he would give the Raps a veteran who can be another scoring option. Toronto is "international player friendly", but Turkoglu is a little older than I'd like.

3) Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker for Caron Butler.
The Wizards are going no where and the sooner they start to rebuild the better they will be in the long run. This is the kind of deal that could burn the Raps for years if Andrea develops any level of consistency.

2) Anthony Parker, Joey Graham and cash for Stephen Jackson.
Monta Ellis put the first nail in this teams coffin when he crashed his Vespa. Corey Maggette is the future in Golden State, and it's time for Jackson to move on. Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neil being reunited in Toronto would make this the best season ever. If this trade happens I will officially buy a jersey before the first game. (I couldn't choose between these two pics; both rule).
1) Josh Howard for Andrea Bargnani, Jamario Moon, and Kris Humphries. Josh Howard would be a great option, but this trade is a long shot until he does something brutal. Gerald Green has been brought in as a security measure in case Howard does something dumb, which I am hoping happens in the worst way. Mark Cuban has always had a chubby for tall white guys (Raef, Dirk, Bradley), and although he loves controversy he wants to win a title even more. Dallas isn't going to win a title with the roster they have now.

On another note, I am so happy that I can finally watch Raptors games in peace. The salami and cheese is no more. Although Chuck Swirsky can be credited with helping to develop the Raptors thriving fan base, it was mostly new basketball fans who enjoyed his schtick. For fans who just wanted to watch basketball and not be "entertained" during EVERY SECOND, he was the most annoying person who every existed. Even this video click couldn't make it better.

I'm not 100% sold on Devlin yet, but ANYONE is better than Swirsky.

TFC Season Review - Part 2

2008-11-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago, while watching Laurent Robert score a cracking goal for Newcastle, I declared him as having “The Most Electrifying Left Foot in the Premiership tm” - a purely subjective award that has since been bestowed upon such gifted southpaws (hoofs?) as Arjen Robben and Jon Arne Riise – all recipients have subsequently left the Premier League. You can imagine my delight when I found out that the temperamental Frenchman had signed for Toronto FC. Larry was to join former League MVP Amado Guevara, Welsh International “Crazy Carl” Robinson, 2007 Rookie of the Year and FIFA 09 coverboy Maurice Edu and team gadabout Rohan Ricketts in a midfield that could roll with any in the MLS. How then did this cosmopolitan and undoubtedly talented midfield fare in 2008? Well, in a word (and one that’s all too well known to Toronto sports fans), inconsistently.

Robert typified this inconsistency by performing well in his first few games before he started putting in as much effort in his game as Dylan McKay does in being cool (i.e. none). This was rewarded with a mutual au revoir and a late August contract termination.

On the other wing, TFC scored a major pick-up in Rohan Ricketts. Having played with both Arsenal and Tottenham, Ricketts’ career seemed to be declining into first division obscurity before he was handed a fresh start in Toronto. Flashes of quality were overshadowed by a string of pretty ordinary displays that neither the fans nor Ricketts himself can be content with from a player of his caliber. His form did improve toward the end of the season, so hopefully his “poppin” off field persona can be matched with a greater presence on it in year three.

Going the other way across the Atlantic mid way through the season was Maurice Edu. At around $5 million, I think perhaps Rangers overpaid for an unproven centre mid who was having a bit of a sophomore slump at the time of the sale. He’s certainly got the quality to play in Europe in some capacity, but I don’t think the big leagues of Spain or England will be calling him for a few years. I met him briefly in the BMO Field beer garden just before he left for Scotland and wished him all the best. His response? “Thanks, man.” Pure class.

Amado Guevara was considered by some in MLS circles to be a moody, dramatic locker room cancer and therefore a risky acquisition for TFC. He’s proven to be the opposite, seeming to genuinely enjoy being in Toronto. The most frustrating thing about Guevara (when he’s playing for TFC, and not shredding Canada with the Honduran national team) is that, even though he’s always one of the better players on the field, he’ll occasionally pull some shit that leaves you scratching your head and wondering how this guy isn’t a perennial MVP candidate. The more Guevara plays with this team, the more those around him will be able to benefit from his skill.

I am firmly in the belief that Carl Robinson is a key to the squad. His occasional perfect passes to no one in particular notwithstanding, his role as the core of the team, tucked in between the more attacking Guevara and the back four was recognized recently with him being awarded team MVP (http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20081029&content_id=200134&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280 ). As of now, and despite assurances from the team management, it’s not certain whether or not Robinson will be in TFC red come pre-season. His would be a big pair of shoes to fill and for a team that hopes to build upon the improvements of this past season and qualify for the playoffs next year, Carl Robinson provides the all important steadying influence in the middle of the park.

Tyler Rosenlund and Gabe Gala provide the depth in midfield and are both promising in their own way - if not quite ready for regular MLS appearances. The most often used sub was Johann Smith, a genuine contender to Marvell Wynne’s “Fastest Guy in the League” title; his second half introductions throughout the latter part of the season had a twofold purpose in my opinion: motivate Ricketts, as he was more often than not subbed off to accommodate Smith, and to see if Smith was in fact the real deal as a player who could come on late in the match and influence the result. His performance at New York suggests he is. That being said, TFC is all bout influencing New York:

Overall 2008 Grade - Midfield: C
Top Off-season Priority: Keep Crazy Carl and acquire a solid left winger.

Declaration to Bryan

2008-11-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

After watching the Raptors get destroyed by Joe Johnson tonight, BC needs to do something on the wing. I know Jose had a very rough night shooting, and I shouldn't over react. However, the Raptors are just too vulnerable on the wing defensively. I think the Raptor's big man rotation is decent. He needs to go out and sign Darius Miles. He'll play for the minimum. I know he might be totally useless, but so is Hassan Adams (Joe Johnson was shaking him so bad that he fell down, TWICE!!!!!). I mean, why not take a gamble. Dallas gave Gerald Green a shot, and he looked awesome against Denver.

Hopefully, BC recognizes this weakness in time. Bosh looks like he has made the leap. Jose is in great form (ATL not withstanding). JO looks like he is rounding into form, and Andrea is giving you something off the bench in the big man rotation. Kapono, while incredibly frustrating is a decent offensive option off the bench as well. Joey and Jamario just aren't getting it done. All I ask is for Colangelo to go out and give Darius a 10 day. What's the harm? He needs to address the wing. The Raptors got destroyed with the Joe Johnson iso play tonight. The Raps just did not have an answer. That retarded zone that Smitch was throwing out there put the Raps in terrible position. They need a perimeter stopper cause its not going to be Moon or Graham.

View From Above The Tunnel: Not Maverick Enough

2008-11-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

So the Raps faced a somewhat depleted Pistons team last night, and came up short. I was hoping for a another strong comeback, but alas it was not to be. Onto my observations:

Three things I liked:

1. Chris Bosh stepping up in the 2nd half: After not being able to buy a bucket in the 1st and 2nd quarters, Bosh went into the zone. He almost brought the Raps all the way back, but just didn't get enough help at the end.

2. Jose Calderon taking on a bigger scoring load: With 50 Cent guarding him last night, Jose showed Fidy, who was a real gangster by dropping 20 plus on him.

3. Andrea's continued solid play off the bench: Obviously it would be ridiculous for me to say that Andrea is the 6th man of the year, but he is certainly playing well. 5 of 6 from the field off the bench, plus he almost made the defensive play of the game when he stuffed Rip on his drive (unfortunately, Sheed was being lazy, and hanging out by the 3 pt line, and lucked out by picking up the loose ball and hitting the long 2).

Three things that made me shudder:

1. Will Solomon is a disaster: What can I say, this guy is a bum. When he was in the game, the Pistons went on big runs. When Jose needed a quick breather in the 4th after the Raps pulled within 2, Solomon promptly allowed the 50 Cent to drive the lane, and he stagnated the offense by not giving the ball to a RED HOT BOSH. Note to Solomon, you got cut BY THE VANCOUVER GRIZZLIES, AND GOT BANISHED TO EUROPE; IN THE 4TH QUARTER OF CLOSE GAMES, PASS THE BALL TO BOSH (idiot).

2. Sam Mitchell not chewing out Will Soloman's ass before he got in the game: See above. What the hell!!!! Be the coach for god sakes. I mean, if Will Solomon is gonna suck that bad, why not just like Roko play????????

3. JO's disappearing offense: The Raps desperately needed a 3rd option last night, and given the fact that JO was able to shake his man pretty consistently in the post, you have finish!!!!! I am chalking it up to rust right now, but I am CONCERNED if he doesn't start finishing better around the hoop.

Is Age (Young or Old) Really That Important Anymore? And other ruminations on the Leafs...

2008-11-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Cliff Fletcher is 78 years old and working his blackberry like crazy while doing a job designed for men much younger, with much less need for rest. Luke Schenn is 19 years old - and at an age when most of his peers are playing beer league hockey or just plain drinking beers in college, Luke is competing every night for one of the most storied franchises in professional sports.

First, my apologies to Cliff Fletcher. We have, admittedly, referred to him as "Grandpa Cliffy" around these parts in a derogatory manner based on our summertime belief that he was not what this club needed in the post-lockout era. However, seeing as how I write on this blog anonymously, and that my wife doesn't read it, I can admit to being wrong on occasion. In fact, given the club that Cliff has assembled so far, and how he and Ronnie have these guys playing over the first few weeks, I may just continue to use that term, but in an affectionate way.

We also all know about the ascension of Our Luke and Savior to the ranks of the top 4 dmen on the club. So with that said I ask the question: does age really matter anymore?

-----

During the summer, I was firmly on board with the "tanking" strategy. In fact, I thought the current squad was largely devoid of legit NHL'ers and that this team - with a few exceptions - would struggle to compete against even the bottom dwellers of the big leagues. With Ron Wilson's patience and preaching, this team is proving me - and c'mon admit it, a lot of you - wrong. Plus, as the Celtics proved with their tank job during the Oden/Durant sweepstakes, tanking a season doesn't always land you the #1 pick. Plus, as Mike Brophy alludes to, the distinct lack of depth in this draft after the first and second spots (some combo of Tavares and Victor Hedman) makes tanking a risky strategy this year if you do happen to miss out on those top two guys.

Now, I point you to Cliff's recent comments in a Sportsnet interview that "we are not about to go and get any short-term help to get us into the playoffs," and ask the question: Why not? Would you rather finish the season with the current group and have the #13 or 14 pick in the draft - or would you rather make a playoff appearance for the first time in years and have a slightly lower pick in an admittedly weak draft class?

Naturally, I'm sure most of you readers are out there yelling: "I agree with Cliff! Of course we shouldn't leverage the good thing we've got going just for a short term rental! Those days are dead!" However, let's consider a scenario that most of us couldn't imagine 5 minutes before the puck dropped in Detroit on opening night: what if this team is juuuuuuust good enough to sneak into that #8 playoff spot? Are we going to be able to keep that level-headed calmness during a spring time playoff push and continue to argue that Gramps (there I go again) stay put and do what's in the best interest of the long term future of the club? Even with the perceived dearth of talent in this year's draft class AND with all that cap space we've got?

I continue to vote for the long term build, but have a feeling I'll be reading plenty of "Trade for Gabby!" and "Trade for Kovy!" postings in the Barilkosphere come trade deadline time.

-----

In that same interview, Fletcher says there isn't much action on the trade front right now. That shouldn't come as a surprise to those who've been reading the blog entries by former NY Rangers GM Neil Smith, who is doing some guest blogging duties over at the very good Torontosportsmedia blog. Smith says that at this point in time, GMs of all teams - rebuilding or contending - are going through the process of evaluating the players on their own rosters to determine who they believe is going to contribute this year and in the years ahead. When Gramps does make the inevitable move - whether it be White, Carlo or whoever else - it'll show us what the club thinks of those guys.

The Leafs and Obama: Work To Do

2008-11-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

By now you all know the big story of the night... the Leafs lost 5-4 to the 'Canes in OT, after attempting, again, to be the comeback kids.

Kidding, obviously. The big story was, of course, the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. To those who think politics has no place on a Toronto-based sports blog: get over yourselves. Elections alone are big news that happen only once every 4 years, and this one in particular was a monumental event. Plus, the reality is that no matter where you live, you are affected in some way or another by the USA. So deal with it.

Now, in keeping with my metaphor, much like President-Elect Barrack Obama's upcoming challenges, the Leafs have got a lot of work to do. While the offense has been clicking, there are a few areas of the club that need some attention:

1) Defence
With a strong goalie in Vesa Toskala, a stable of young and capable d-men and Ron Wilson's system, defense was supposed to be the hallmark of this Leafs team. Unfortunately though, they have given up 18 goals in the past 4 games. Yikes. That's an ugly stat. As pointed out by Cox today, the Leafs "started out the year in the top half of the league defensively but is now tied with Atlanta for the most goals given up (46) by any team in the Eastern Conference." They can't expect to be keep that up and continue to be competitive in games. The offense will, inevitably, go through stretches of drought and the defence will have to carry them. Captain Ron and his crew need to hit the film room and practice ice with a new determination over the coming weeks to tighten up the leaks.

2) Keep Developing the Youngsters
The play of Borat has been borderline spectacular over the early part of this season, and the addition of Hagman has been a revelation. However, the focus can't come off the youngsters. While Stajan and Poni have had their moments, Schenn continues to be steady and Grabovski currently leads the team in goals, we can't forget that Steen continues to disappoint, Kulemin has a long way to go before being able to perform to his full abilities night after night, and Tlutsy was assigned to the AHL. All these guys need to keep seeing the ice night after night and Ron & Co. need to keep working their magic during practice, as well as keeping the kids focused for the long haul. (Note: I still think a vet like Shanny would be a good add if we could get him on a 1 year deal at a decent price. Jason Blake sucks ass and is obviously not providing the kind of on-ice leadership this team needs.)

3) Make a Trade
As noted above, we've got a log jam on the blue line. We can't continue sitting guys like Ian White and Carlo in the press box night after night. While the prospect of being benched is a nice carrot/stick motivator for Wilson, its a waste of resources to sit all those guys on a nightly basis and certainly not helping their development. Grandpa Cliffy has got to swing a deal for a forward who can be a part of this club for the long haul. Obviously Kovalchuk would be an incredible add - but I have no faith in that happening with the parts we have to deal. Next move is yours, Gramps.

4) Forget about Sundin
He's in SoCal right now looking at the Ducks, 'Nucks and even Kings. I can't blame him entirely for wanting to live in a nice climate with no focus on hockey. He gave us his best years and the decision is his to make. Let's all just move on.

---

DISCLAIMER: The following is a rant about U.S. politics and journalism. Turn away now - or rip me in the comments - if you think it has no place on this site.

How about this piece of crap from the Wall St. Journal (a paper I admittedly subscribe to for business news), which goes on to spew about the "disgraceful" treatment current President Bush has received over the past few years. The author's main contention seems to be that simply saying that you're going to be bipartisan, and acknowledging that you'll need the support of all Americans, means you somehow were bipartisan and should somehow be immune from that criticism?!? I think that an illegal and unjustified war, keeping prisoners locked away in Gitmo with no due process rights, torturing other prisoners, conducting warrant-less wire-tapping of your own citizens, politicizing the Justice Dept, overseeing an economic collapse of monumental proportions, etc. etc. etc. might make you deserving of most, if not all, of said treatment. What's been disgraceful is his two terms as President. End of rant.

Leafs bend the Rangers over with 5 goals in the 3rd

2008-11-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

Nice win boys, that was one hell of a game. I don't think anyone expected a 5 goal explosion over 5 minutes and 22 seconds, but we'll happily take it. It's a little worrying that the Buds are developing a habit for coming back from a deficit, but this is a young team and now is the time to learn these sorts of lessons.

Captain Ron has been living up to the hype of being able to develop young talent and rule with an iron fist, and a few weeks into the season I like what I see. He's had the balls to bench underachievers like Blake and Stajan, and it has had a positive impact in most cases. Stajan has been working harder and is not shying away from the front of the net, and even Blake is skating harder in recent games (though I still think that we should trade him for a pick and a reach-around). This team isn't going to be led from the doldrums by some Saviour superstar player, it's going to happen because we've got a young talented core that doesn't EVER quit.

Luke Schenn - Toronto's new favorite son has continued to impress. Time will tell if he can keep up with the rigors of the brutal NHL schedule, but he currently looks like he belongs. He's made a few rookie mistakes, but this is the perfect opportunity for him to get those out of his system with little to no expectations (for the team as a whole). Wilson seems to have his pulse on the situation, so we'll have to trust him to protect Schenn from getting Dan Blackburned (where a player gets burnt out early in his career by getting destroyed night in, and night out).

John Mitchell - This kid has been incredible over the last few games. The 2 goals last night were a great reward for how hard Oakville boy Mitchell has been working this season. This kid just loves to play hockey, and works his ass off every time his skates touch the ice. He's all heart, with what seems to be the talent to back it up. It's nice to see players on the ice this season who really want to be there.

As Leaf fans we've had to accept douche bags like Khristich and Berezin who were more concerned with their personal stats and pay cheques than with bleeding Blue and giving it everything they've got on a nightly basis. A strong young Canadian core of Schenn, Stajan, Steen, Moore, and Mitchell have the future looking brighter than it has in years. If Carlo can find his game, and Pogge can finally make the jump to the next level then I think we're getting closer. It's still early to tell how this core will develop, but last night was another indicator that we're moving in the right direction.

Remember the days with Dougie or Wendal put their bodies on the line to such a degree that you could see them wince? I do, and I hope that they are back.

And on the topic of things that make me wince, please see below.

Got crabs?

View From Above the Tunnel: Pasta Boy to Pasta Man?

2008-10-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hot off the presses right after the game because the Raps are playing again tomorrow. I am so happy the NBA is back, and baseball is over. Onto the triple double:

3 thinks I liked:

1. Andrea: What a game from the Italian big man. Taking it to the hoop, and playing the kind of inside game that none of us thought possible. Yes, he did it against Rony Turriaf, but I give the effort a standing ovation. Il Busto, no more? We shall see, hopefully he can abuse the Bucks tomorrow night.

2. Crunch Time Chris Bosh: CB4 delivering the goods. He is getting the job done in crunch time. Nothing more needs to be said. He looks like he is going to lead us to the promise land (As an aside, for those of you who believe in the D Wade resurrection, why is it so hard to picture Bosh rising that that level as well?).

3. Over time defense: Actually this applies to late in the 4th quarter defense as well. Congrats to Jamario and AP who were able to shut down Corey Maggette in the 4th quarter. The aggressiveness they showed, definitely showed up on the stat sheet through forced turnovers and points of TO. If the Raps keep this up they will be tough to beat.

3 things that made me go hmmmm:

1. Ah, Jason. Just when I thought you turned the corner, there you are trying to drive again. He was ice cold tonight because Golden State sold out on his 3. Give the Warriors credit, they locked down on the Raptors perimeter. Still, why not just hoist a couple up, its not that much worse than eating it from Biendris.

2. Adjusting to the officials. Personally, I thought the officiating was horrendous, but I still think the Raps should have adjusted to it, and started to flop around on defense. This one is on Smitch, he has a team full of Euros, he needs to take advantage of their soccer training.

3. Jermaine O'Neal's focus. Man, JO needs to keep his shit together. He was too thrown off his games by Tim Donaghy (wait, he's in prison? who was that on the court then?). Still JO came back to provide the Raps with some much needed muscle late in the 4th, and Andrea took them home in OT.

All that said, what a game from Andrea. Let's hope he can keep this up.

An Open Letter to Leafs Fans

2008-10-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

[In conjunction with the good people from the blogs listed below, we bring you the following. Read ahead]

Dear Most Valuable Losers:

Yesterday, continuing a long-standing trend, another Toronto reporter took a cheap shot at Leaf fans. This time it was Howard Berger who called us "losers" but we've seem the same cookie-cutter article from virtually everyone who covers the team.

Quite frankly, we've had enough.

As fans, we believe that those most deserving of our praise and our scorn are directly involved in the game, whether it's on the ice, in the press box or in the executive corridors. Fans don't pencil in the starting five, make bad trades, or write the headlines of the day and shouldn't be blamed (or praised) for the totals in the wins and loss column.

Hockey may be just a game but it's also a passion. If you're looking for passionate hockey coverage that offers insight and humour and you're sick of being blamed for supporting a team you're passionate about, you have a better option.

It's time to leave the media superstars behind. There's compelling, timely, wide-ranging content waiting just for you online in the Barilkosphere.

Many have found this better way of following the Leafs, but not every Leafs fan has been so lucky. Please send this message to your fellow Leaf fans via e-mail or postings on message boards and let them know that they do have a choice.

We hope you'll join us here in the Barilkosphere and become regular readers.

View From Above the Tunnel: Rain Delayed

2008-10-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

So I missed the first quarter of the game because the officials in Philly decided to move the game up because of the World Series. You figure after a 46 hour rain delay, they could wait another hour. Anyway onto the very first regular season edition of 6 things. Sorry for the late review, but my job got in the way. Without further ado, 3 things I liked, 3 things I don't:

3 things I liked:

1. 4th quarter Jason Kapono: What's this Kapono decided to just catch it and let'er rip? He also scored 10 pts in the 4th on 3/4 shooting from long distance? This is why the Raps are paying you $6 million dollars. Nice way to close out the game.

2. Defensive Energy: I loved that the Raps put the clamps on Philly whenever they decided to make any attempt at a run. Moon and Parker were extremely aggressive in their perimeter defense, and Bosh and O'Neal protected the rim with abandon. Now, the blocked shots total wasn't that high, but it was clear that Bosh and JO altered plenty of Sixer attempts (36%, damn Philly can't shoot!). Plus the Raptors forced the Sixers into a ton of turnovers, which I think is the key measure of a great defensive basketball team (rather than shooting %)

3. Chris Bosh: Wow, what a start to the year. He had the eye of the Tiger going on last night. Just attacking the rim on offense and he was a beast on the glass and in his own end. You couldn't have asked Bosh to do more, and yet it seemed like he had plenty more to give if the Raps weren't up by 10 with a couple mins left. People have been worried about the Raptors lack of a one on one, drive the lane type scorer. Well, I have a feeling Bosh is going to be that guy for us. His first step looks devastating, in fact, I don't think I can think of one big man in the entire NBA that will be able to take away Bosh's drive.

3 things that made my go hmmmmm:

1. Quarters 1 through 3 Jason Kapono: What the hell Kapono?? 2 travels and a blocked shot!!!! Way to take advantage of the new found space with JO and Bosh. Whenever I see Kapono dribble, I go into a blind rage. Why does JK insist on doing anything except shoot 3 pointers. Sam Mitchell needs to start using a cattle prod on him during practice. Everytime the ball is in his hands, and he takes a dribble and a step forward, he should get tasered. Period.

2. The rebounding disparity: First, I must say that watching quarters 2-4, it didn't seem like the Raptors were being out rebounded. However, after the game the Raps were a steller -14 (or something like that). What the hell? That big of a rebounding differential will get you killed most nights. Now, I have been told that the first quarter was an absolute shit show, but from what I saw, I think that number might be misleading.

3. Total offensive stagnation without Jose: I know, it was Roko's first NBA game, and I should expect too much out of him. I actually thought he did okay, he minimized his turnovers, and he wasn't playing total OLE defense. However, the Sixers felt confident enough to put a full court press on him, which just shows you that they don't think he can play. While he did break the press efficiently (thank God), in the Raps half court sets, there was a lot of aimless dribbling by Roko Ono. Keep your head, son! Hopefully, he keeps improving.

I Can't Believe the Leafs Won That Game (Game 10 Thoughts)

2008-10-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

To bring you up to speed, the Leafs won 6-5 in a shootout last night over the New Jersey Devils. It was a pretty wild back and forth game, with my opinion of this club changing after every 10 minutes of play.

What I was going to write after the first period: The Leafs have lost 2 in a row and looked particularly out-of-sync in last night's game against the Devils. Despite a recent stint in the press box designed the drill the message home, Jason Blake continues to frustrate the hell out of Leaf fans with consistently poor efforts and a bunch of weak shots on net. And, as a result, the lackluster effort led to a particularly quiet first period in the game time chat room over at PPP.

What I was going to write after the second period: Wilson must have screamed at these guys during the intermission because the Leafs rebounded from a bad game against the Lightening and a shaky first period by coming out strong in the second with 3 unanswered goals and a couple of fights (is it wrong for me to love the fact that Hollweg got his ass kicked?!?)... only to see that lead evaporate.

What I was going to write halfway through the third period: This is what we expected. The kind of performance we got in the past two nights is exactly what we expected from this club before the season started: a young team trying to find its way and learning to fight Ronnie Wilon's War. Being the devout fan(atic)s that we are, we got excited after those two wins, and were feeling a bit glum after the loss to the Bolts. Rest easy though Leafs faithful, the sky isn't falling on this team. They are going win some and they are going to lose some - but the key is to see that they are developing, skating hard and learning to play this game the right way. We saw that after the first period.

What I'm writing after the game: Shocked. Not only did the Leafs come back to tie it in the third, but they also beat Marty Brodeur in a shootout, with the Borat-Poni-Stajan line leading the way throughout. Stajan finally had a big night, with 2 goals and an assist, and this team actually clicked on the PP. It wasn't always pretty, but these guys played hard (after the first) and gutted out a win tonight. Color me impressed. [UPDATE: forgot to mention the shootout! The decision to stick with Vesa and not use a defensive d-man as a shooter were obviously a good ones, and they paid off. Its about time we won a shootout. Looks like someone's been practicing!]

Our Luke and Savior: We at TPTFUA haven't weighed in on Luke Schenn yet. Even though its a moot point, let me say that I see the merit in sending him down, letting him play against guys his age and letting him captain Team Canada at the Juniors to develop some leadership experience. But, on the other hand, the guy looks like an NHL player. A young and inexperienced one at times, but he looks like he belongs. Simply pointing to his +/- stats and yelling "See! He shouldn't be here!" as some windbags have done, doesn't do it for me. This kid is getting the best kind of experience you can get in any type of profession - on the job training against the world's best. If he were obviously sinking, then of course you'd have to send him down. But he's not. He's not just keeping his head above water though - he actually looks like he belongs. In fact, Wilson had him out there in final 2 minutes of the 3rd with the game on the line and some crucial moments in OT (you can't pin the penalty he took in OT on him - it was a broken stick and could have happened to anyone). This is a new day in professional sports and simply because you're 18 doesn't mean you can't compete with the big boys. My vote: keep him around.

Question: Brendan Shannahan doesn't want to wait around for the Blue Shirts anymore. If Mats won't come back to TO (and I believe he won't), does anyone want to add Shanny to the Leafs this year (assuming he would sign)? My gut says NO - give that PT to the young guys and continue to help them develop. But part of me wants to say YES - his veteran leadership and tutelage would go a long way for some of these young guys and he would add some grit to the lineup. We've got plenty of cap space, why not take a 1 year flyer on the guy? Please discuss in the comment section!

NBA Predictions

2008-10-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

Yep, better late than never. Can't wait to check on these in June.

Hinske the Meathead

2008-10-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so maybe it wasn't the Jays that won the World Series, but lets take what we can get eh. Tonight has been stellar for Toronto sports. Big wins from the Leafs and Raps on the road and Mr Shitface himself, Eric Hinske, was immortalized as the final out in the World Series.

And a fuckin awesome guy by the name of Matt Stairs got to celebrate a championship. Congrats.

Raising the Titanic? Atlantic Divison Preview

2008-10-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

5. New Jersey Nets - After trading away Kidd and Jefferson, the Nets have begun a rebuilding process with Vince Carter as their veteran leader. Whoa, whoa, whoa... they did whaaaat??? Didn’t they see what happened last time that prima donna was involved in a rebuilding project? If he starts claiming he doesn’t want to dunk anymore, or tipping off other teams about what plays his team is running, I don’t suppose anyone in Toronto will be too sympathetic. Wince Carter as a veteran role model? HAHAHA! Suck it up you whiny little bitch, your team blows goats!

The core of the Nets for the foreseeable future will be Chairman Yi, Devin Harris and Brook Lopez. Wowee wow wow. Brutal! Is Rod Thorn fucked in the head?

Well, I suppose not. Apparently the super top secret blueprint (that we all already know) for the team is to dick around for a bit, move the club to Brooklyn, then sign Lebron. Time will tell.

4. New York Knicks - Where to begin? The team Isaiah built is a wreck and his personal life is in even worse shape after he attempted suicide then tried to pin on his daughter.

Out on the hardwood their monster frontcourt duo of Eddie Curry and Zach Randolph will be paid about 25 million combined this season – not to mention the fact that they are both on the hook for next season too. Hypothetically, would you rather pay those two players such exorbitant salaries or take on a frontcourt duo of Oliver Miller and Sharone Wright in the present day and pay them the minimum? I'll take Sharone and the Big O anyday!

That goes without mentioning the further dead weight on the roster that includes Jerome James, Malik Rose, Jared Jeffries and of course Starbury. Together those four count for more than 40 million and contribute virtually nothing to the team.

The bright spots will include Nate Robinson, David Lee, Jamal Crawford, Danilo Galinari and I personally like Wilson Chandler. I don’t see Mike D’Antoni being able to squeeze much more that 27 wins out of that atrocious core though. This season is all about unloading as many bad contracts as possible and getting a good draft pick.

3. Toronto Raptors – What can we say that hasn’t already been said? Here is the recap of the five most salient Raptor worries:

-Jermaine O’Neal’s health is a mammoth question mark
-Will Bargnani ever become useful?
-Can my Roko Ono effectively back up Calderon?
-Is Kapono actually going to start shooting threes and stop driving?
-Will the perimeter defense ever be fixed?

To these concerns I would predict: O’Neal plays 70 games, Bargnani will never justify a first overall pick, Roko struggles mightily as a rookie, the small forward situation will need to be solved by a trade and the perimeter defense will be better as a result of the strong new interior defense.

Lets temper our expectations a bit and give them a close third in the division with a win total in the high 40s. The possibility of moving up certainly exists if major injuries hit Pierce or Brand. Also, lets keep in mind, ultimately the most important thing is getting a favorable first round playoff matchup - not who wins this division. (Disclaimer - if the Raps win tonight, Championship!)

2. Philadelphia 76ers – This team went from being a bottom feeder to a fairly serious contender almost overnight. The scary thing is that this team is looking even stronger. There is no denying the fact that the starting five of Miller, Iguodala, Young, Brand and Dalembert looks imposing on paper. It has an intriguing construction with a good mix of youth, experience, rebounding, athleticism, shot blocking, and clearly defined roles. The only slight weakness appears to be in the 3 point shooting department.

Then when you look at the bench, they continue to impress. Lou Williams, Willie Green, Reggie Evans, Mareese Speights and even Theo Ratliff will all likely contribute good minutes.

The one massive question mark for the 76ers surrounds the rehabilitation of Elton Brand’s achilles tendon. He looked iffy in the preseason. If he is not healthy, this team definitely drops a notch behind the Raptors. However, assuming Brand is good to go, I’d say this team that finished one game behind the Raptors last season has the horses to finish just ahead of them this year. Will they be able to run with the Celtics though? Something tells me Rocky ain’t ready to go toe-to-toe with Apollo just yet.

1. Boston Celtics – You gotta give it to them, the big three of Garnett, Pierce and Allen made a remarkable run last year for the title in beating some tough teams in the Cavs, Pistons and Lakers. (Not to mention those tricky Hawks who stretched them to 7 games) They made teammates with serious deficiencies in their games like Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo play at levels that even their mothers couldn’t have expected. Most amazingly, they stayed healthy. For players who had been banged up in the past like Paul Pierce and especially Ray Allen, this was the key that allowed them to win it all.

They have lost a key playoff contributor in James Posey. That subtraction likely won’t play much of a factor in the regular season, but it may do come April and May when they need a clutch performer. They added a couple of rookies with undeniable talent, but suspect characters/work ethics in JR Giddens and Bill Walker which made me jealous that the Raps still have no young talent at those positions. Then again, those guys won’t likely see the court much in the upcoming season. Overall, no major additions or subtractions.

Two major problems do lie in their future though. The first is that they are the World Champs and will have a huge target on their backs – especially after Paul Pierce has been chatting so much crap. The second important question for the Celtics again this year will be whether they can continue to outrun Father Time. My instincts tell me that Garnett and Pierce will be fine, but I am highly suspicious of another standout season from Ray Allen. He is getting close to that "Dell Curry as a Raptor" stage of his career where he will only be on the court because he has a sweet jumper. Forget defense and driving ability. Based on these two problems, combined with the lack of depth behind their big three, I foresee a fall in the win column. Look for them to slightly edge out the 76ers and Raps for the division title with a win total in the low 50s.

Something for the Sports Bitch and the Haters: 2008 Raptors Predictions

2008-10-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

So I have read what Sports Bitch has to say about the Raps, and I am angry. He was the straw that broke the camel's back. I have heard to much hatin' on the Raps big trade this year from too many sources and people. Is Jermaine O'Neal a huge injury risk? Yes. Is JO going to average 20-10 ever again? No. Are the Raptors chances of advancing in the East (playoffs and standings) infinitely better with JO? Hell Yeah. In fact, I am writing these predictions for all the haters out there.

1. Jermaine O'Neal will average 15 points, 9 boards, and 1.5 blocks a game. I believe that this is an extremely realistic prediction for JO. He averaged 13-7 last year for a team that had Frank Lucas at the point.

2. Chris Bosh will make First Team All-NBA this year. Every sports writer out there seems to cream their pants when they talk about D Wade's summer in Beijing. Do you know who was the best big man for the US? Chris Bosh. Everyone acknowledges this, but no one assumes that CB4 will make the leap back in the NBA. Hater talk. Bosh is going to rip the mantle of "Best Skinny PF" from KG's cold dead hands this year. The future is here.

3. Jose Calderon is going to be an All-Star and top 5 PG in the NBA. Insane? I don't think so. When TJ was out last season, Jose averaged 13 points - 11 assists (0.5 tunovers), and I think he has more scoring upside this year. So my prediction for Jose this year - 18 pts and 12 assists. There is no depth behind him, and with the added minutes, he's gonna shine.

4. Joey Graham and Jamario Moon will be totally frustrating to watch, and will make you want to throw things at your TV. There is no getting away from this. The Raps will live and die with these 2 manning the 3 spot. I have no idea what they are going to bring to the table offensively, but one or both of these guys better be ready to play some serious lock down, he's so in his grill I thought he was the dentist, defense. Anything else is unacceptable.

5. At the trade deadline, Colangelo Jedi mind-tricks Pat Riley into trading Matrix to the Raps for Il Busto, Hump, Graham, and a hug. When this happens, this team is going to the Finals. Book the tickets. Oh, you can also file this prediction in the Complete Fantasy file. How unlikely is this? About as unlikely as Smokey hooking up with fellow Van City resident Laura Vandervoot (j/k Smokey, just needed to get a pic of a hot chick in this post).

Its time to get in the bunker for 2008-2009. Season starts at 7 tonight. I am pumped.

Cream of the Crop - The Pacific Division Preview

2008-10-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

5. Sacramento - Do I really have to write about this team? Artest and Bibby are gone, and frankly the rest of these stiffs just aren't that interesting. Kevin Martin is a pretty good scorer, but unless you have him in a fantasy pool, why the hell are you still reading this paragraph?

4. Golden State - Monta Ellis broke the cardinal rule of riding a Vespa and in the process screwed over G-State. What's the cardinal rule, you ask? Well, riding a Vespa is like nailing a fat chick - fun to do, but you can't let your friends see you. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Monta got busted and that secret love of his is going to cost him a couple of months on the sideline. This team has a few decent pieces in guys like Harrington, Maggette and Jackson, and will try to play some uptempo Nelly Ball, but they just aren't on par with the class of the Western Conference.

3. Clippers - Not sure if you saw this on your sports ticker over the summer, but Elton Brand stabbed the Clippers in the back and jumped ship to the 76ers. Personally, I have no idea why Elton would do it. Have you ever been to Philly in the winter? Have you ever been to LA in the winter? MLB just had to postpone the World Series clinching game in Philly for 2 days because of inclement weather involving a mix of snow and rain, while I'm sitting here looking out my office window at 73 degree weather and constant sunshine in SoCal. Elton is an idiot. With that said, the Clips have some talent in Baron Davis, that handsome fella Chris Kaman and an angry Marcus Camby, and I would have put this team second in the division if Brand hung around, but he didn't so they're getting the #3 spot. Oh, and here's my obligatory reference to Baron Davis making movies in Hollywood.

2. Phoenix - They should rename this team the PHX Sunsets, because this is a group that is on the brink of going down. Nash, Shaq and the walking infirmary known as Grant Hill are on their last legs as players, and seem to be more interested in owning the Suns these days. I was going to spend my time writing about my serious concern for Shaq's motivational levels - but he showed in MIA that he's usually good for one final push during his second season in a new town. Like the Beatles, these guys are an oldie but a goodie, and if Shaq can give them that serviceable season, I think they have one last run in them before breaking up the band.

1. Lakers - Pretty simple pick. Much to my own personal chagrin, the Lakers are the consensus favorite not only in the division, but also in the Western Conference after the robbery of Pau Gasol and a trip to the NBA Finals last year. With Kobe, Pau, Bynum, Lamar and co. on the roster, its hard to justify picking against this team, ASSuming of course Kobe doesn't rape anyone this season. Actually, as much I want this team to lose, there are some real questions, such as Kobe's stamina and injured pinkie finger after a trip to the Finals and playing in the Olympics all summer, Bynum's ability to sustain the high level of play he showed in all 6 of those famous games he played last year, as well as Phil's ability to appease Lamar in a contract year (hint: he's going to sulk if he's coming off the bench all season and not playing a key role). Unfortuantely for me, Phil will probably give these idiots a text from some ancient French philosopher and this team will go on to win the title. FML.

TFC Season Review Part 1

2008-10-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

It started off so well. Thousands of pissed up TFC fans invading Columbus for the season's opening game and setting a league record for away support. The Crew won that day (2-0 supposedly, but I can't confirm anything after halftime, the "Crew Lager" being deadly stuff), but we were all ready for the season of glory that awaited

Despite finishing 10 points better off than the inaugural campaign (not to mention ahead of David Beckham's Galaxy), Toronto FC again missed the playoffs in their sophomore year. A promising start to the season gave way to a series of underwhelming results throughout the summer, only to be followed by a Leafs style late season run to get everyone's hopes up. Given the support, cap room, draft picks and deep pockets that the MLSE owned TFC has heading into the off season, a playoff game in Toronto next October is a must. Work is needed all over the pitch, so in part one, we look at goal keeping and defence.

In Greg Sutton, TFC has a solid MLS keeper; he's had one or two shocking errors, but he's kept us in more games than he's lost, despite the fact that the team sometimes seems to be running the "Gongshow Defence" style favoured by under 10 house league teams every where. Backup keeper and Wake Forest product Brian Edwards looks promising enough to hang onto for now.

One of the major priorities in the off season is to acquire a top quality center back to partner Tyrone Marshall in the middle of the defense. Too often there has been a lack of communication at the back, and TFC's dubious distinction of conceding the most goals after 80 minutes in MLS shows a tendency to switch off. Marshall is OK on his own, but an experienced, vocal John Terry style CB would eliminate the pant-shitting moments that came whenever Marco Velez was left one on one with an attacker.

In Jim Brennan, Todd Dunivant and Marvellous Marvell Wynne, TFC doesn't have to envy any other set of full backs in the league. This is of course contingent upon Wynne not getting picked up by a European team in the January transfer window. Hopefully his poor positional sense and a concussion picked up in the season's penultimate game will outweigh his league leading pace and new found goal scoring ability in the eyes of the Euro scouts.

Overall 2008 Grade - Defence: C-

Top Priorities for the Off Season: Signing a top quality, experienced and vocal Center Back and hanging on to Wynne for another season.

Jays Rumours and a Review of the Bullpen

2008-10-27T13:50:00.001-07:00

Lets start things out with a quick recap of recent Jays news.

-On Friday the Jays nabbed former pitcher Adam Loewen from the Orioles. He has been through some major ordeals with his pitching elbow over the past couple seasons and is now attempting to reinvent himself as a positional player a la Rick Ankiel. Being a native Canadian, he saw no better place than Toronto to try to realize this bold project. It is costing the Jays next to nothing to make this move, so why the hell not? The best part is that the Orioles wanted to keep him, thought it would be easy to do so, then dropped the soap and took it in the ass.

-AJ Burnett rumours are all over the place and they all contradict each other. First he doesn't want to play for the Yankees, then he does, then Ricciardi is making progress to keep him in Toronto, then he is not, then the freakin Orioles are in the bidding to keep Mrs Burnett happy. Who knows where the truth lies, but ultimately, more than 16 million a year for that guy seems absolutely ludicrous.

-If he does leave, JP assures the Jays faithful that the cupboard is not bare. The Jays have a stable of lefties who may be able to contribute in the majors in the near future. Remember the names of Brett Cecil, Ricky Romero and Brad Mills when you are having Jimmy Key flashbacks.

-Also, when Burnett's cap space gets freed up then the possibility of Manny Ramirez is not a complete pipe dream. (nor is it likely, so don't plan on being invited to his barbeque just yet) Ricciardi tried to hide his boner in this interview.

Now, the Bullpen

While I heaped a great deal of praise on the starting pitchers last week, the bullpen deserves an equal amount of positive reinforcement. Those getting the call from the pen in 2008 were every bit as good as their starting counterparts. So what can we look forward to in 2009 from this group? Lets take a closer look at the individuals…

Jeremy Accardo – Lets assume the innings he pitched in 2008 don’t count since he clearly was not 100% healthy. Back in 2007 Accardo was outstanding when forced to step into the closer’s role when BJ went down. If he can pitch at a similar level next season he will definitely be a contender amongst the ranks for the role of set-up man - or even the closer again. More on that possibility further down…

Scott Downs – Also known as the Roy Halladay of the bullpen. He had a miniscule ERA of only 1.78 in 2008. To think that it was actually lower for the majority of the year before he tried to pitch through a late season injury makes it even more impressive. The guy was money in the bank and gave the Jays countless stress-free innings of set-up work before bringing in BJ Ryan to get the fans pulses racing. There is one major question surrounding Downs and that is whether he was so good that he will be promoted to start? Could he hold up as a starter? That’s a toughie. The last thing I want to read next year is about another major pitching injury. However, with the uncertainty surrounding the starting rotation right now, there is a good possibility that he may be asked to make the jump.

Brian Wolfe – While the sample size of work upon which there was to judge him was small, he did prove to be more than adequate in the innings he pitched. Hopefully he can build off of this solid campaign and earn more work with the big club next year.

Brandon League – He has always had the “stuff” to be a ball player at the highest level. Sadly, he had fallen into the category of guys who couldn’t seem to get his act together. Was he lacking confidence, or did he simply have no control of his pitches? Well I think he answered all the doubts with an outstanding second half of the season. Now the question becomes, “was it a flash in the pan?” I’m going to sit on the fence for the moment, while quietly hoping that the guy in the glasses becomes our Ricky “the Wild Thing” Vaughn.

Jesse Carlson – Yet another Jay in the bullpen to enjoy a super 2008. If it weren’t for the play of Downs, maybe Carlson would be the pitcher to rave about. At the very least, he might have had some horseshoes strategically located in his caboose because he somehow racked up seven victories on the year. That ranked him fifth on the entire pitching staff.

Shawn Camp and Jason Fraser – These two get reviewed together because they share the common trait of being god awful. I would prefer to never see either one of them pitch for Toronto again.

Brian Tallet – He has been decent for the Jays for a few years now and reminds me a bit of Dan Plesac. In other words, a giant, left handed freak. While he undeniably gets the job done more often than not, I wouldn’t want to venture to this well too often, or for very long. Luckily though, he is not one of the primary options. In fact, to say he was the Jays fourth best leftie in the bullpen shows the luxury that Cito was working with in 2008.

BJ Ryan – On the positive side, 32 saves is nothing to sneeze at. It was also good to see him bounce back from a year off and pitch as the Germans say, “quite ok.” However, it was abundantly clear that he has not regained the velocity he had before Tommy John surgery. He sorta gave me flashbacks of Randy Myers during his tenure in Toronto. In other words, a chunky left handed closer with mediocre stuff. He used every shred of veteran savvy and junk balling techniques to rack up those saves and was far from the lock you would like to have trotting out in the ninth. Will he regain the zip he needs to dominate again next season? I hope so, because that may be the only thing that can erase my painful memory of watching Giambi golf a walk-off shot into the upper deck in right field at Yankee Stadium. That one might still be in the air as we speak.

Rumours have been swirling in recent weeks that Ryan may be a trade chip that Ricciardi tries to cash in this offseason. The Blue Jays are currently blessed with an uncanny amount of depth in the bullpen and it is not difficult to imagine the trio of Downs, League and maybe Accardo taking the reins from Ryan. Now the interesting question becomes - what is BJ worth? He does still have 2 years and 20 million left on his contract. Would he be a hot commodity?

Will continue to follow these developments and review the rest of the Jays team in the upcoming weeks. Oh and on a final note, Mike Timlin is going to retire. Which begs the question - how did he ever last 17 years? But alas, it was Timlin who earned the save to clinch 1992 World Series - not Henkenstein or Duane Ward - thus he is above any crticism. (even if he did spend too many years as a member of the Red Sox)

Boston the Redux? No, How about New Orleans East

2008-10-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

So I was asked to do a quick write up about the Raptors front court for our friends over at Bleacher Reports (definitely go and check it out, should be up on Tuesday). While I was musing about the potential impact of JO on CB4 and Andrea, my brain went on a total tangent about the overall Raptor offensive philosophy.

After watching the Raptors in the pre-season, I am very confident about their upcoming defensive prowess. However, I am also very concerned about their disjointed play on offense. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Sam Mitchell needs to make a couple of adjustments, that in my opinion would let the Raptors offense operate at full throttle. Basically, I think the Raptors should mimic the New Orleans Hornets' offensive scheme. Now before all of you laugh at me and try to dunk my head in the toilet and flush, let me explain.

First my entire theory is based on the premise that Jose, on offense, is able to put the same kind of pressure on a defense that Chris Paul does, but not to the same extent because Paul has a flashier handle and is much quicker into the hole. Jose, like CP3, is able to pull up, drive to the hoop, or throw up very pretty lobs to the screener off every pick and roll that he runs. This triple threat that the PG presents is the essence of the Hornets' "playground" philosophy. I know the what you guys are thinking, thanks Doug Smith, but the entire offense already runs through Jose, got something a little more insightful?

Well actually yes, and this is the crux of my entire offensive design. The Raptors need to start running a lot of back screen action along the baseline for Joey or Jamario to compliment that Jose-Bosh pick and roll. If they can get that kind of movement in their offense it will make them an elite scoring team. Putting JO on the low block as the back screener forces the defense to make a decision every time Jamario or Joey makes a cut. The opposition has to decide whether they should switch or try to fight through the screen. At this point 2 very positive things can happen:

1) On the Switch, JO is guarded by a much smaller player that the Raps can exploit (while having Joey or Moon crash the offensive glass, if the big man decides to help).

2) The defense decides to fight through the screen, and Joey or Moon has an open alley oop, if their man gets caught up, OR they are left unmolested underneath the hoop where they can dunk with abandon.

Of course, defenses will adjust, but with AP hanging around the 3 point line, there is only so much the other team can do without giving up a WIDE OPEN trey. Anyway, I like Sam's focus on defense this year, but he needs to spend some time coming up with a new offensive game plan. The current plan of AP/Joey/Moon hanging out in the corner while Jose and Bosh pick and roll at the top of the key is so played out that Mike Brown is laughing at us.

Let's just hope that Sam can make the Raptors offense sexy like Megan Fox this year. I have a feeling that if he can, there are big things in store for this Raptors team, but if it isn't, he better start polishing up his careerbuilder.com profile.

Raps Injury Concerns?

2008-10-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Doug Smith from the Star wrote this article today stating the Raptors cannot have a normal scrimmage in practice due to the fact that they are down to only nine healthy players. Implicitly, he is criticizing management for taking the budget route and only signing the NBA minimum of 13 players to the roster, rather than the normal 15 players.

More importantly, is Smith right to be concerned?

Well, considering the fact that the four guys injured at this moment are:

-Jamario Moon (day-to-day, sore achilles)
-Will Soloman (day-to-day, sore hamstring)
-Hassan Adams (day-to-day, sore shoulder)
-Nathan Jawai (mysterious heart/respiratory problem)

I'd say it's time for Doug Smith to simmer the hell down.

Missing those four characters for a Sunday afternoon practice is no need to push the panic button, let alone write an article about the team's early season injury concerns.

I realize that he gets paid to write stuff, but this story ranks incredibly high on the "who-gives-a-rats-ass?" scale. Real concerns, like the fact that there is no proven backup point guard, there is a lack of talent on the wings, or that the second unit has been abysmal in the preseason, all seem slightly more pressing. I suppose he'd already beaten the dead horse with those ones though.

If the team goes an extended period of time with only 9 players then there will be cause for concern. As of right now, this is a non-issue.

Gateway to the Lottery - Southeast Division Preview

2008-10-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

Our NBA preview continues with the Southeast and just like its NHL brethren, it is arguably the worst division in the league. For 2009 draft lottery picks, I highly recommend you spend some time this year reading up and acquainting yourselves with 4 of these 5 cities just to be safe.

5. Charlotte Bobcats – The worst of the worst. I watched this team play a preseason game last night in which they only scored 30 first half points. No wonder they went 0-8! The only things that kept me mildly interested were 1) J-Rich’s dazzling array of circus layups that didn’t even hit the rim, and 2) figuring out who the new uber-feminine Euro ponytail guy was on the Bobcats. Did Walter Hermann, the basketball Fabio, come back for a second stint? So I nearly crapped my pants when I found out it was the immortal stiff, Adam Morrison, whose new pedophile look should do wonders for keeping little children and the next generation of fans away from watching this awful team. I mean, did Jordan and Co. just assume they were drafting a team of collegiate all-stars for another March Madness run? Because a core of Felton, Okafor, May, Augustin, and Morrison just ain’t gonna cut it in this putrid division, let alone the NBA. This is the most forgettable franchise around. Can we fold them or at least move them to Seattle or Vancouver already?

4. Washington Wizards – Sure, the Wiz had some bad injury luck the last couple of years just before the playoffs, but are they that disillusioned to think their core would have competed anyways? Because not much has changed except that Arenas is out indefinitely and Jamison is older, banged up, and recently paid. Sure the Caron Butler trio is a nice player, but I’ve always felt this troika has been way overrated and overpaid. Plus Deshawn Stevenson is still a bum, Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood are not developing after 8 years of mediocrity, and if Andray Blatche is your future, you might as well start counting your ping pong balls now. And have fun with Agent Zero’s $111m broken knees over the next 6 years. Does Hibachi also mean deadweight in Japanese?

3. Atlanta Hawks – “Big beats, hit streets, see gangsters roamin. And parties don’t stop till eight in the mo’nin.” Well, I hope the Waffle House is good to this year’s Hawks because last year’s playoff parties may be a distant memory in mere months. Seriously, leave it up to their idiot management to immediately derail any momentum from the Celtics series by stalling forever on Josh Smith’s contract and low-balling Josh Childress to the point he’d rather go to Greece for his paycheck and a bucket of gyros. C’mon, really? Shouldn’t Atlanta be the last franchise trying to call a player’s bluff? The Atlanta Spirit Group makes MLSE look like Google to their Worldcom.

While Childress’ departure hurts a lot, it does open the door for Marvin Williams to prove himself. Does he succeed? I’m undecided but I don’t think he provides enough to unequivocally say this team is significantly better from last year’s 38 win team that snuck into the playoffs in a pathetic conference that should be improved this year. I think for that to happen, Bibby will have to summon his inner Andre Miller in a contract year, Joe Johnson will have to play every game like he did Game 4, Josh Smith will have to restrain himself from assassinating Coach Woodson, and they all have to stay healthy to cover up a bench that has less depth than Michael Vick's bank account. I’m pulling for them but sounds like a lot, eh? At least they’ll take solace in Al Horford’s development and finding new ways to screw the Raptors every time they visit. Plus, you don't mess with the Zaza.

2. Miami Heat – I don’t get why everyone automatically assumes this team is going to internally combust and become the felons of South Beach. I see a lot of talent at the 2-4 positions that’s not unlike an upgraded version of the Hawks. D-Wade was killer at the Olympics and I’m seriously hoping his body holds up the whole year. The NBA needs the 2006 Flash back and without that bumbling moron Shaq around, I can actually root for him now. Beasley is going to be awesome and average an 18/7 while Marion will still be one of the best small forward rebounders and defenders, even if his offensive flaws are exposed without Nash to feed him alley-oops all game. The Heat are still fast and will run and gun, which is to his and the rest of the team’s strength. And if Chalmers can put down the bong and become a decent PG, I totally feel this Heat team can make the playoffs. Love the gamble on Shaun Livingston too. The big question is if at the trade deadline, the Heat are hovering around .500 or lower, will they move Matrix? If so and they get shit all in return, then I’m not guaranteeing anything. Also true if Stephon Marbury shows up to South Beach in a truck.

1. Orlando Magic – They’re here by default even though I’m not a huge fan and think they should be much better than they are. Honestly, why doesn’t the whole team just share turns lobbing 12 foot passes in the vicinity of the rim for Howard to throw down? Oh that’s right, they still have that afterbirth Jameer Nelson running the point and thinking he’s a first team all-star. Hedo Turkoglu was a revelation last year, especially in crunch time when he seemed to clear out defenders and create space with his huge schnozz. The Magic better hope it wasn’t an aberration and that Rashard Lewis becomes more multi-dimensional, or else their fate is looking similar to last year – just good enough to make the 2nd round but clearly inferior to the conference’s elite. I’ll also be interested to see what Pietrus does with a more featured role and inspiration from his new coach (sorry, redundant joke, but always humourous).

The Birdman Flies Again - Northwest Division Preview

2008-10-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

I was pretty happy when I found out that I'd been assigned the Northwest Division for the 2008/9 season. So here it is, worst to first baby!

4) Minnesota Timberwolves
Last season: 22-60
Wow, this team sucks. This team has been working on rebuilding since Garnett moved on, and it hasn't been easy so far. Jefferson banged up his knee in September, so he might not even be starting the season with the Wolves. There are high hopes for rookie Kevin Love, and the pickup of Mike Miller should help distribute the 'scoring' load a bit more, but this team is still destined for the basement. Like I said, this team sucks.

On another note, nba.com shows Mark Madsen as having no team for this season. The Wolves need to bring this guy back. He's always reminded my of "Lenny" from Of Mice and Men, but on Red Bull. Always wanted to do right, but just a bit simple.

3) Denver Nuggets
Last season: 50-32
I have wanted to get behind the Nuggets for a few years now, but I honestly have no idea what the hell this team is up to. For anyone who caught a Nuggets game last season (especially in the playoffs) you will remember that their defense resembled a high school team. It gets better, they got rid of their best defender (Camby) to save a little bank. I understand that they have a great duo in 'Melo and A.I, but it's not going to be nearly enough in the West. I love the way Iverson plays the game, but he's getting older and I think that this is the season where it really starts to show. This guy has more miles on him that most players with the same amount of games because he's a warrior. With 'Melo flossing some new Gold, he might be inspired to take this team to the next level, but I just don't see it happening. However, they DO get the award for the most team tattoos, so that has got to count for something (not much).

On the bright side, The Birdman (Chris Anderson) is back in the NBA after a 2 year drug induced hiatus. This guy fucking rules. First of all, I've got to support any white dude that has the sack to enter the Dunk Contest at all, let alone twice. Then, to TOTALLY shit the bed during the actual competition to the point where other players were laughing made it that much better. I'm with you Birdman, but let's see if you can fly as high without your "special pipe".

2) Portland Trailblazers
Last season: 41-41
This team surprised everyone last year by going on that long winning streak. Most of all, I think that the Blazers surprised themselves. With Oden going down before the season started, things were looking pretty bleak for this team. They stepped it up a notch with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge leading the charge. Brandon Roy had a great season and really came into his own. No one wants to see a player get injured, but Oden being injured last season gave Roy the room to grow, and it will help the team in the long run.

Oh ya, and Greg Oden is going to play this season. I've been waiting patiently to see this guy in action, so personally I can't wait. I think that he will live up to the hype, and it will be great to have another young big man in the league with so much potential. For a guy who was born in 1988, he looks kinda old but I like his hat.

1) Utah Jazz
Last season: 54-28
The Jazz will be winning this division again unless the Blazers decide to go balls out and take over the NBA this season instead of one of the next few. Deron Williams performed well again last season, and continues to look more and more confident running the team. Jerry Sloan has been a great coach for the Jazz, and I don't expect that to change this season. The Jazz have a decent 3 ball game with Korver and Okur, and the pickup of Brevin Knight will provide some much needed rest for Williams at PG. Boozer continued to be dominant in the post again last season, and after tasting a little Gold of his own expect him to work even harder. I'm not really sure what to say about Kirilenko. I love the nickname AK-47, but he's been all over the place in recent seasons. AK-47 needs to start playing a little dirtier (see Bruce Bowen), get more aggressive on D, and turn himself into a stopper. If he can grab a few board as well and score a couple points, that would be a bonus.

You have probably noticed by now that there are only 4 teams in this divisional review. That's because in my NBA, the Seattle Supersonics still exist. I think that Shawn Kemp should step up and start a new Sonics franchise using his own children.
It's funny to see how things work out sometimes. Aubrey McClendonn is the guy behind moving the Sonics out of Seattle, and it seems that the people of Seattle will be able to sleep a little better at night now that karma seems to have slapped him around a bit after losing $1.86 billion in recent months. Eat a dick buddy.

This review wouldn't be complete without some words on Kevin Durant, but I feel that he requires his own post on account of a shitty owner and shitty teammates.

Next Column: "A Letter to Kevin Durant"...

Happy Anniversary, Joe

2008-10-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, Joe. On this day 15 years ago - October 23, 1993 - you hit a home run that will stand the test of time not only in our city's sporting history, but in all of Major League Baseball. Head on over to Sportsnet.ca for a great photo gallery from that night.

I was lucky enough to be present for that moment. I was 13 years old and sitting with my parents [full disclosure: in a corporate box] at the SkyDome. The box was about half way down the third base line, and to this day I can close my eyes and literally watch as Joe's homerun ball sailed over the wall - seemingly in slow motion - and landed in the bullpen as Joe started leaping around the bases.

Its my greatest sports memory, and along with the '92 Jays, was the only time a major professional team in Toronto has won a championship in my lifetime. I was too young at that time to get involved in the parties that erupted around the city, but I sure got a taste of the honking horns, cheering fans and general revellry as we made the trek from the SkyDome to our hotel. The only thing that can come close for me in my adult life was sitting in a Toronto sports bar watching the Canadian men's hockey team win gold at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Following the win, me and 5 friends (some of whom are contributors to this site) went to Shopper's Drug Mart, bought red lipstick, took our shirts off in the dead of winter, wrote the letters C-A-N-A-D-A on our respective chests and proceeded to run up and down Yonge St. high-fiving total strangers and leading an impromptu rendition of "Oh Canada" from a construction site on the corner of Yonge and Dundas.

"Planning the parade" might be an overly used quip in our city's sports lexicon - but as we look back on this anniversary I sincerely hope we all get to experience that kind of collective joy again soon. I'm sick of the Santa Clause Parade.

NBA Preview: Central Division

2008-10-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

So it has fallen to me to write the preview for the Central Division. Let's be honest, no one really cares about 99% of the teams in the division. If/when LeBron goes to NJ/Brooklyn, will anyone actually watch games that involve any Central teams?

(Also, I am writing this preview while watching our plucky Raps close out the pre season in Edmonton. Matt Devlin just pointed out that the maintenance crew had to put masking tape down on the court to show the NBA Key and 3 Point Line. What the hell? Double lines? What is this, high school? Fucking Ghetto. Back to the preview.)

1. Detroit: Once again the old men from "Deee-Troit" will probably win the division. They will take care of business and pound the teams they are suppose to. They will play some close games against the best in the league, and they might even win a few. Most of the ESPN commentators will spend the year convincing us that the switch from Flip Saunders was the shake up that these guys needed. But guess what? They will lose in the 2nd round of the playoffs. They will mostly likely lose 4-2 to one of (Cle, Tor, Orl, Bos, Phi. I mean is there any prediction that is easier to make? Why people keep calling Detroit a contender is beyond me. Regular Season Overachievers that lack the heart to close it out in the playoffs? Sure, but title threats they are not. In fact, they should probably talk to the Shock to get a few tips on how to get out of the 2nd round.

2. Cleveland: Ah, Danny Ferry, you get a gold star for trying to convince LeBron to stay in a city that counts Drew Carey as one of its beloved sons. I don't know how I feel about the Mo Williams trade. On paper, it makes sense. LeBron needs a second scorer to take the pressure off him, and Mike Brown is just incompetent enough of an offensive tactician, to let Mo and LeBron take turns running iso plays while everyone stands around and watches. At the same time same Cleveland is a total grave-yard where marginal 2nd/3rd options to go to and die. I suppose Mo and LeBron will score enough to allow Cleveland to be very competitive. However, their upside is limited because Ben Wallace and Big Z will continue to fossilize before our eyes on defense. One cavat, I will take back all of this negativity if LeBron has developed a reliable mid range jumper than he can hit 50% of the time. If he has done that, all bets are off, I could be the second option in Cleveland, and LeBron is still gonna win the title.

3. Indiana: My sleeper Eastern Conference Playoff Pick. With the addition of TJ Ford, I think the Pacers have enough pieces to be competitive. An interesting point, TJ has never missed the playoffs in his NBA career. Anyway, Jim O'Brien likes to push the tempo and have his teams run with abandon on offense, which plays perfectly into TJ's strengths. TJ, Dunlevy Jr, Granger, Murphy/Foster/Rasho, Rush Brother 3, will probably jack up enough shots to average 100+ points a game. Indy is going to be super fun to watch, lose a ton of games 110-109, and they will sneak into the 8th seed. Indy is the new PHX/Denver/G-State East (well Mid-West, but Eastern Conference at least). This all goes out the window if TJ starts rollin' with Jamaal Tinsley, and TJ discovers his inner thug.

4. Chicago: Derrick Rose welcome to the LOTTERY! Seriously, I think Chicago is probably going to play better than they did last year. Deng got paid this summer, so I am predicting a big bounce back year for him. If Kirk Hienrich shoots as bad as last season, someone needs to put his picture on a milk carton. Ben Gordon is gonna be...well I don't know what he is going to be, I mean, I have never lost $50 million dollars before, so I don't know how you comeback from that. I find the Bulls to be a fascinating team. On talent alone, this team should be one of the best up and coming teams in the league, yet, they seem to be a pack of unmotivated underachievers, perhaps Tyrus Thomas really is that much of a cancer. Anyway, I wouldn't be shocked if the Bulls ended starting the season on a MAJOR losing streak since their coach is the incomparable Vinny Del Negro (who they hired because they were too cheap to buy Mike D'Antoni). My secret wish for the Bulls? That they do go into the tank for the first 20 games of the season, so Paxson makes a PANIC trade with the Raptors to get JO because his team desperately needs an inside presence, and he overpays by moving Deng and Noah to us.

5. Milwaukee: What can I say about this team? Probably nothing. They moved Chairman Yi for Richard Jefferson and promptly drafted his white clone in Joe Alexander. Ironcially, TJ Ford is EXACTLY the PG that this team needs right now, but he got traded for Charlie V a few seasons ago. Bogut, Charlie V, Redd, Jefferson, Ridinour seems decent enough, but we all know that it won't be, and the Bucks are destined for yet another lottery finish. However, and I can't believe I am about to say this, but the Bucks have a ton of players that I would love to see in a Raptors uniform (c'mon Colangelo, there are many many East GMs waiting to be fleeced!)

On a completely random NBA note. SOMEONE NEEDS TO SIGN DARIUS MILES. If Miles plays in 10 games this year, the Blazers lose $10 million in cap space. Someone better sign him, I don't even care if he plays a total of 10 minutes for the season. The Blazers must be stopped!!!!!

How to Fix the Toronto Maple Leafs: Add a Second Team to TO (and Game 6 Recap)

2008-10-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

"Of all human powers operating on the affairs of mankind, none is greater than that of competition."

-Henry Clay

Lots of talk yesterday about this article from Dave Shoalts in the Globe and Mail about an expansion NHL team in Toronto. [Update: interesting to see the Toronto Star trying to grab some of the publicity away from Shoalts by immediately putting out its own report that pours cold water all over what The Globe had to say.]

For those who missed it, Shoaltsy throws around a lot of interesting ideas. The basic premise is that "NHL governors are talking informally about placing a second hockey team in Toronto alongside the Maple Leafs." It mentions that the franchise could go to RIM founder Jim Balsillie, and the NHL could charge him a franchise fee of $700M (spitting up my drink as I laugh at that last part). The article also suggests that the idea of a team in Hamilton is DOA for two simple reasons: 1) that it would kill the Buffalo Sabres since Canadians wouldn't have to line up to cross the border for a hockey game; and 2) that a team from Hamilton wouldn't be a draw in U.S. arenas.

We all know this city could support another hockey team, and we can debate the likelihood of whether this really will happen all we want, but as I write this from my mother's basement the reality is that I have no inside info and can't bring you anything other than my uninformed opinion on that issue. BUT, what I can tell you however, is that if this did ultimately happen, the biggest winners in the whole thing would be us: the Toronto Maple Leafs fans. Talk about a novel idea.

A second team in Toronto, even if they were the worst in the league, would create instant competition with the Leafs. Plenty of long-suffering fans tired of their current hockey overlords would immediately jump ship, if for no other reason than to be contrarian (I'm guessing a few of the contributors to this blog would be among them). For too long the Leafs have had hockey fans by the balls. A new club (hopefully owned by an aggressive, potentially Cuban-like individual such as Balsillie) would give fans the ability to choose which team to root for, which team to go and see, which team's garb to buy and wear around town - and ultimately would give incredible leverage to the average fan. [NOTE: Take a moment to vote in the poll at the top of the sidebar to the right --->]

Going further, as the new club improved over time, advertisers and corporate sponsors would be drawn to the better product, whichever club that might be. The sell outs and huge corporate profits would no longer be simply guaranteed to MLSE. As competition began to increase, and profits began to disappear, it would force the suits to innovate. How, you ask? Well, for starters, they could hire a competent and capable GM (like Yzerman! Burke! Rutherford! the list goes on), could invest in scouting, and could put the club on a fast paced rebuilding project, similar to what was done in Philly. Ultimately, through increased competition, the fans would be rewarded with a better product on the ice. Imagine the embarrassment if that expansion club won the Cup before the Leafs? I think that kind of threat posed by a second team in Toronto would be enough incentive for MLSE to fix what we all know to be wrong, and to do so on an expedited basis.

Of course, that kind of competition is exactly why MLSE will fight tooth and nail to make sure this never happens, despite Peddie's assertion that MLSE wouldn't "automatically reject the idea...."

----

Game 6: Ducks 3, Leafs 2 (shootout)

As for last night's shootout loss at the hands of Gordon Bombay and the Ducks, what do you want me to say?

Our guys were in this thing right to the bitter end. In fact, it was more than that, they actually had a shot to win this thing by completely shutting down the Ducks in the 3rd and allowing NO shots on goal. None in 20+ minutes of play! Defense is supposed to be the hallmark of the team this year, and they showed up last night - lead by almost 30 minutes of ice time from Kaberle. Throw in Borat's 2 goals, including 1 with less than a minute left in the third to tie it, and Leafs faithful had reason to be hopeful. However, once again the shootout - the Achilles heal of the club last year - is proving to be more like a malignant tumor, as they've now already lost 3 of their 6 games in shootouts this year.

The worst part? Just when I start thinking the Leafs are going to give themselves a chance in the shootout by NOT sending stiffs like Kubina out there (Kulemin and Kaberle took the shots) - they instead outsmart themselves by yanking Vesa, pulling a stone cold old man Joseph off the bench (thereby interrupting his nap) and sending him out there to face Selanne and Perry. Uhhhhh, Ron? Suffice it to say, that was not your smartest coaching move ever. I know he was "playing the percentages," but let's try to put those percentages in context next time: a 40 year old goalie who's been sitting on the bench for 60+ minutes OR your starting goalie who hadn't given up a goal since the halfway mark of the 1st period. I think its now officially time to end EVERY SINGLE practice from here on out with a shootout. In fact, I think Gordon Bombay and Charlie Conway could show our guys how its done...

The bottom line is that we haven't won since the opener, and you better get used to it. This is a young team that's still learning how to play Wilson's system, let alone learning how to win close games. Losing in this manner is going to be a common theme this season, but on the bright side, just consider it putting us one step closer to winning the John Tavares lottery.

NBA Southwest Division Preview

2008-10-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

We will start doing NBA divisional reviews today and start it out in the West.

5. Memphis Grizzlies – Clearly a team going absolutely nowhere this season and is simply cutting salary in an attempt to be sold by Michael Heisley. In other words, their 2008 basketball venture will not be a magic kingdom of fun like his Disney business was. Before we completely write them off though, let’s take a closer look at the roster, as they do have some talented young players.

The young core to build around is currently composed of: Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Mike Conley, Darrell Arthur and the “other” Gasol guy. There are also some fairly solid pieces surrounding them including Hakim Warrick, Kyle Lowery and Javaris Crittenton.

The dead weight on the roster comes in the form of their three highest paid players, those respectively being Marko Jaric at 6million, Darko Milicic at 6.5million and Antoine Walker at 8.3million. What a horrible group of vets to mentor the youth movement! Clearly, the quicker they can dump any of those three the better.

Ultimately the core has an impressive level of talent and could be a competitor in 2 years with the right moves. They will be a fun team to watch this year and I think it is reasonable to assume they will win about 28 games.

4. Houston Rockets – The next four teams could all quite conceivably win the division and it’s fairly certain that all four will be playoff teams again this year. Houston is my pick to finish fourth in the division for the same old reasons. Those being:
A) Yao Ming will get hurt and miss 20 games.
B) Tracy McGrady will get hurt and miss 25 games.
C) Ron Artest, Steve Francis and Rafer Alston are nuts. At least one of them will have a nuclear meltdown during the year, with the overwhelming favorite being Artest.

In spite of these problems, they will show resilience thanks to the steadying influences of unspectacular role players like Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Brent Barry and Carl Landry. They have a lot of talent and depth but they really seem stuck in a rut. They are not good enough to be in the Western elite and will be treading water until they ultimately make the tough choice to get rid of McGrady next season. I'm going to pencil in a disapointing 47 wins.

3. Dallas Mavericks – Speaking of teams in a rut, here come the 2008/9 Mavs. It is obvious that Nowitzki probably missed his only real shot when they choked against the Heat in the Finals a few years ago. It is also obvious that re-acquiring Jason Kidd from the Nets is not a move that will put them over the top, although a couple of years ago it may have. I wonder how Toni Braxton’s conscience is feeling after she singlehandedly broke up Dallas’ “Three J’s” in the early 90s. Does she feel as uncomfortable as I do watching the current incarnation of Kidd in the twilight of his career struggling to try to regain his former skills in the same uniform he never really should have stopped wearing more than a decade ago? I doubt it. She’s probably too busy hanging out with Whitney Houston and wondering where it all went wrong.

The issues surrounding Josh Howard vis-à-vis his lack of patriotism and smoking habits are overblown in my mind. He will likely be fine as long as he simply learns to keep his mouth shut.

The problems with Dallas continue with the rest of their role players though. Do the names Erik Dampier, Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse or DeSagana Diop provide the Mavs “big three” with the depth or talent necessary to compete in the playoffs? I think not. This team will need to be blown up sooner rather than later, but I still think they can grab about 50 wins though during the year.

2. San Antonio Spurs – They are old. Like really, really old. How evident will the rust become on Duncan Finley, Bowen, etc? How much will Ginobli’s prolonged absence hurt their team? How much will they coast through the regular season, knowing how unimportant the records are once the playoffs start?

Let’s just say that Tim Duncan’s sheer willpower alone will be enough to get them a decent seeding. The Spurs know what they are doing and will try to execute that plan starting in April. In the meantime, at least they have the Red Rocket to keep the regular season amusing. Am I living in the past to think they will be able to grind out 52 wins?

1.New Orleans Hornets – Make no mistake, these are not the same old Hornets, the underachieving legacy of Grandma-ma is over. This was a team just beginning to hit its stride last year. With Chris Paul and David West elevating their games to new levels, the Hornets were a revelation in the Western Conference where they proved they could go toe-to-toe with the big dogs.

They certainly also have a deep pool of talent with the rest of the starting unit including rebounding machine Tyson Chandler, Mr Clutch James Posey and the sharpshooting David Schwimmer. The bench has some solid characters with MoPete, Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright who can provide solid minutes. It is a young and hungry team that looks to have the pieces in place to finish above the three tough teams from Texas that they are stuck in a division with. Expect a win total in the range of 55.

Hope you didn't invest in Mike Nolan

2008-10-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Flipping through an old issue of Time this morning, I found something that may be of interest to all 5 readers of this blog – OneSeason.com.

SI has a blurb in each issue called “Signs of the Apocalypse”. I don’t know if this should make that list or Wired’s Top 100, but I feel there’s at least progress being made towards geeks, jocks, meatheads, and yuppies co-existing.

My financial advice for the upcoming NBA season:

Buy low on CJ Watson, Rodney Stuckey, Ramon Sessions, Hakim Warrick, Al Thornton, Thaddeus Young, Zaza Pachulia, Matt Barnes, Devin Harris

Short sell Baron Davis, Allen Iverson, Andre Miller, Chaucey Billups, Amare Stoudemire, Yao Ming, Marcus Camby, Andrew Bynum, Shawn Marion, Corey Maggette

Bid for IPOs on Rudy Fernandez, Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose, damn this rookie class blows

Don’t believe the hype on: Mo Williams, John “Turncoat” Salmons, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, Marc Gasol, Russell Westbrook, Andray Blatche, Marcus Williams

Smoke a doob with Josh Howard, Mario Chalmers, and Darrell Arthur

As mentioned before, NBA division previews coming soon...