Okay, here’s more Moon, although it was also explained over in the comments section yesterday.
I was told by a very senior, disappointed member of the basketball braintrust that he wasn’t in town to work out due to unspecified “passport problems” which I’m sure is true but probably something that could have been worked out earlier.
No one’s saying he has to be here (and by contract he doesn’t have to be), it’s just that he should, because a second-year player coming off a so-so end to a rookie season who figures to be in a fight to retain his starting position should be in town a week before training camp begins. He doesn’t have to be here, and players have been returning in dribs and drabs since early September but, and trust me on this, people in the organization notice these things.
It’s not a huge deal, but it is a deal. The guy I talked to was disappointed and if the bosses aren’t happy, it can’t be a good thing.
I’m sure he’ll be in this week – there was some suggestion he was going arrive last night – and things will get back to normal.
Abdur-Rahim came out the same year as Marcus Camby and there was some debate on who would be drafted second and third (after Allen Iverson went No. 1). I remember sitting in Isiah’s office about a week, maybe 10 days before the draft and he told me, in no uncertain terms, that Camby was his guy, regardless. I know those are the days of disinformation but the conviction Isiah showed telling he was taking the consensus college player of the year made it clear to me he wasn’t blowing smoke.
But out in Vancouver, they weren’t sure. I remember being in my hotel room the day of the draft (it was in Jersey) and getting a call from someone at the highest level of the Grizzlies who was sure the Raptors were going to take Abdur-Rahim.
In fact, the guy gave me his direct phone line into the Vancouver draft-day war room so I could call if I heard anything other than what I’d told him, that I was sure the Raptors were taking Camby.
Let me preface this article by stating that these are purely potentialities, and are not predictions.
The Toronto Raptors certainly had a busy offseason and coming off of that, their possible upside is certainly high. The Raptors solved their PG crisis, have more power down low, and their guard game is smooth—but with it all came a host of new potential problems.
Let’s take a glance at what could possibly pull the Raptors organization below their less-than-stellar .500 season half a year ago.
PG – Jose Calderon
SG – Anthony Parker
C – Jermaine O’Neal
SF – Jason Kapono
PF – Chris Bosh
The toughest – and possibly only – challenge in camp will be for that SF spot. Andrea Bargnani is probably not the greatest fit … given that I don’t know if he’d have the speed to keep up with other 3’s around the league … and having him on the floor with O’Neal and Bosh might be too much. Bargnani would be a better fit as the 6th Man and the first big – for Bosh or J.O. – off the bench.
And while Jamario Moon had a fantastic rookie season – starting 75 games – I think Kapono will be given the shot based on how he performed against the Orlando Magic in the first round of last spring’s playoffs.
Plus, with O’Neal AND Bosh attracting a ton of attention down low, I expect the perimeter to get a ton of open looks … which could mean BIG things for Kapono (as well as Parker, Calderon, etc).
In sharp contrast to what you might think, and what the Raptors’ organization might WANT their fans to believe, Chris Bosh’s optimal position in the NBA is CENTER … the position he just played for the Redeem Team.
This is the position which best suits his character, his unique skill set, and at which he can take best advantage of the mis-match possibilities he presents – offensively, defensively and rebounding-wise – for his team, in the NBA [as well as, in the FIBA Game] … not the Power Forward spot.
While the Raptors’ basketball braintrust, and the majority of their fans, might now be enamoured with the option of playingJermaine O’Neal at Center for their team, in place of Chris Bosh, it seems they will need to learn the hard way that … all is not as simple as it looks, at first-glance, and … there are some things in this world which, might be delectable to the eye but, are in need of avoidance, at all costs, as a violation of straight-forward ‘Foundation Principles’ of the game …
The Toronto Raptors head into this season looking very different than the team that lost in 5 games to the Orlando Magic. It was clear to anyone that watched that series that changes were needed and were coming to Toronto. Some of the media suggested that the first change that would come would be the firing of Sam Mitchell. But that was not the case. Bryan Colangelo instead decided to re-build the team that Mitchell had to coach. If anyone questioned that Bryan was behind his head coach it should be a clear message that is the truth. Colangelo has decided to stick with Sam despite a lot of speculation on a couple of occasions.
Toronto has also gotten bigger and stronger inside by swapping expendable point guard T.J Ford for center Jermaine O’Neal. This is a moderate upgrade immediately, and if the Raptors’ physicians can keep O’Neal on the court most of the time, Toronto will improve markedly at both ends of the court.
He is looking for a big year now that often-sour T.J. Ford is in Indiana, clearing the way for Calderon to get more playing time with the Raptors. The addition of Jermaine O’Neal also will help him. If Calderon has a big year, the Raptors could be the surprise team in the East.
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In a similar way to the claim made by Doug Smith … I, too, can verify that I was told by a senior member of the Raptors’ brain-trust, at that time, in advance, that drafting Marcus Camby was an almost certainty for the Toronto Raptors.
IMO, clarity of purpose and an acute vision for the franchise permeated from the Raptors’ Head Office back then.
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