“I felt really comfortable,” Calderon said, after leading the team with six assists and committing just one turnover. “I’m starting to understand my teammates a lot better.”
Calderon was finding Chris Bosh (a team-high 20 points) and Jermaine O’Neal in his Raptors home debut in the early going and joined in an all-out effort to score that was tainted by some early season defensive hiccups. But Toronto is 2-0 in exhibition play.
“That was our second game, back-to-back and they left some of their key guys on court late into the game,” Mitchell said of looking past the warts. “It was another small step for us.
“Jose played well, but we’re making sure Jermaine and a lot of players take steps to get better.”
D’Antonio was highly complimentary of Raptors president Bryan Colangelo and his father Jerry’s role in getting him a second chance to coach in the NBA in 2003 with the Phoenix Suns after a stop in Denver.
“I owe them everything,” he told the New York media of the Colangelos. “Everything. Just the way they set up the whole thing, the way they were able to get (Steve) Nash and set up the organization, it gave me a chance to get lucky.
“Bryan has done a great job (with the Raps). He’s not afraid to pull the trigger and this last move (O’Neal) was a good move. They probably thought this was the last piece they needed to make the jump up. We’ll see.”
Colangelo and Mitchell didn’t get to see all their players last night. Nathan Jawai still is awaiting test results on a cardiac condition, while newcomer Jamal Sampson, signed to replace Jawai in the short-term, dressed but did not play with a sprained wrist. Hassan Adams was held to four minutes with a bruised leg.
There was an almost muted response when O’Neal was introduced, but his potential to take the Raptors to another level cannot be overstated.
Clearly, the guy isn’t quite in game shape and his late rotation on a Wilson Chandler dunk underlined that fact.
Later, when O’Neal attempted a mid-range heave off the dribble, it drew iron, one of the few shots Toronto missed en route to its 113-111 win over the visiting New York Knicks.
But the fact remains that O’Neal is a game changer, someone whose presence will change the way opponents defend the Raptors. When the Raptors want to run their high screen and roll, a bread and butter play, they now have both Bosh and O’Neal.
With Jose Calderon running the show from the point, the Knicks had no answer, whether it was Bosh or O’Neal flashing.
Teams, once they get to see the set with more frequency, will try to disrupt the play by trapping Calderon, by picking up Calderon at half court or even applying full-court pressure. No matter how teams adjust — something that won’t be known until the regular season tips off — last night’s glimpse, no matter how brief, shows just how lethal Toronto’s three-headed monster will be.
Basketball has seen all kinds of unstoppable sets, be it on the perimeter or in the paint.
But the Raptors have the potential to show the NBA something it hasn’t seen.
“For me, it’s perfect, just pick me up (full-court),” Calderon said before the Raptors topped the Knicks 113-111 in their pre-season home opener last night. “It doesn’t matter to me at all. I can go by (him) or I can keep running the plays.”
There were some significant Raptor defensive lapses but the pre-season is a time to work on things, as they’ve been saying for a week.
“We made a lot of mistakes, we’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us but to win a game like that … ,” said coach Sam Mitchell. “They left some of their key players (four starters) on the court until late in the game and we were able to leave our guys on the floor who were playing (five reserves) and they played well enough, made some plays to let us win the basketball game. Just another small step, like we have to continue to take.”
Calderon is looking more comfortable each day but Mitchell knows the tough assignments are coming.
“I’m sure there are nights where people will try to pick him up but I’m sure there’s going to be nights where Jose beats them,” said the coach. “That’s what we’ve been working with Jose on. He’s probably going to turn the ball over a bit more than he would like but I understand that because the thing he has to understand is, if they’re going to pick him up, if that’s how they feel they can play him, he’s got to dispel that early.”
There’s a natural way for Calderon to find some space and scotch any notion a team has to press him.
“All you’ve got to do is beat a guy once or twice and make a play and that coach who’s been yelling and screaming, `Pick him up’ is (going to be saying), `You’ve got to judge it,’” said Mitchell. “We (coaches) are always going to change our minds.”
But the coach wouldn’t concede that Colangelo’s acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal marked a philosophical shift.
He said he’d be surprised if the Raptors are “not up-tempo.” Perhaps he hasn’t met Sam Mitchell, the Toronto coach among those who believe in the ultimate superiority of teams that value defence and rebounding over run-and-shoot flash. (And obviously there is a middle ground, a style of play that’s neither particularly fast nor slow, where most NBA teams reside).
Still, with a hulking O’Neal in town, Mitchell, who had previously complained about his roster’s lack of oomph in the paint, will have the chance to prove he can coach the way he’s talked about coaching his first four years in Toronto.
And if he can’t – in this season in which Colangelo seems convinced there’s enough talent in the locker room to make a credible run at something bigger than a first-round playoff knockout – surely Mitchell, like D’Antoni, will come by a chance to prove it elsewhere.
“A lot of times a coach will come in and players will just connect with him and that’s a big part of a coach’s success,” second-year Raptors forward Jamario Moon said. “[But] that’s why coaches get the finger pointed at them because [people] feel they don’t connect with players.”
No evidence of that in Toronto, and no one will be looking for it as long as the Raptors come out of the gate in a hurry.
There are some positive signs that Mitchell has his most talented roster yet on the right track, albeit based on just two exhibition games, though O’Neal, having missed 40 games last year with knee problems, is still looking for his finishing touch.
Mitchell’s prescription is an increasing dose of minutes for the veteran centre as the exhibition season unfolds.
“We’re going to use the whole preseason to get him where he needs to be,” Mitchell said after O’Neal counted eight points and six rebounds in 18 minutes of floor time. “But I’ll play him 25 to 29 minutes against Philadelphia [on Sunday].”
More encouraging was the second strong showing from Andrea Bargnani in as many nights. Looking measured and confident, Bargnani connected on five of 12 shots, nearly all them in the rhythm of the offence, while again looking decisive on defence, moving crisply in his rotations.
That can only be good for his coach.
Among the positives from the first two games is enigma Andrea Bargnani. The 7-footer scored 15 points for the second straight game, and he did most of the damage from 18 feet in. Bargnani used mid-range jumpers, one good post move, a pair of self-aware drives to the hoop, and one single three-pointer – as per coach’s orders. He looked much more like the natural scorer of his rookie season, rather than the seven feet of shattered confidence of his sophomore campaign.
“The shots he missed are the shots we really want him to be aggressive taking,” Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell said. “It’s important that Andrea understands that he can score in a lot of ways. And by taking the three-pointer away from him in training camp, the light came on. The three should be a part of his offensive game, but it should not be his main option. You take that security blanket away – you take Linus’s blanket away from him – he’s got to do other things.”
A Raptor who has yet to fully explore his repertoire is newly acquired big man Jermaine O’Neal, who had a quiet eight points and six rebounds last night in 18 minutes. O’Neal still seems to be easing into his physicality, which would be natural if not for the uncertainty regarding O’Neal’s recovery from two seasons of knee problems.
O’Neal was happy to hear he will play more minutes – when a reporter said he had played 18 minutes, O’Neal corrected him with a grin, saying, “17″ – and admits that he and Raptors star Chris Bosh have yet to fully mesh.
“Personally, great. Basketball-wise, I haven’t quite gotten there yet,” O’Neal said with a smile. “It’s quite an adjustment. You saw me and CB make some passes today that showed that we’re not quite used to playing with each other yet.”
As for his health, O’Neal repeated that he is healthy – he is just rusty.
“It’s not about my knee any more,” O’Neal said. “It’s about making sure … [I'm] comfortable out there.”
Well, he’s not Chuck Swirsky, which, depending on how you believe a basketball game should be called, is either good or not so good.
Matt Devlin made his debut as the Toronto Raptors’ television voice last night and, in a smooth, easy style, made a strong first impression.
Based on his play-by-play for the New York Knicks-Raptors exhibition season game on Raptors NBA TV last night, Devlin will never overwhelm us with fancy terminology or dazzle us with signature sayings. There will be no “onions, baby, onions,” and that’s a good thing. The closest we heard to standard exclamation was “How about that?”
Still, he knows the game, projects an affability, can make a big call when it is required and provides plenty of information.
He clearly likes to talk basketball and didn’t shy away from an opinion. He noted at one point that drafting forward David Lee “was the one good thing that Isiah Thomas did” as Knicks president.
Time will tell if he is similarly critical of front office decisions made by the Raptors.
The knock on Devlin is that he’s a bit dull. We didn’t notice that last night. His rapport with Sherman Hamilton, who’s usually in the studio, but provided game analysis, was fine. And he showed plenty of enthusiasm.
video – Game Hilights
Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon were among the top 10 most popular jerseys sold in Europe over the last year, according to numbers released by the NBA on Wednesday.
Bargnani, a forward from Italy, came in at No. 7 while Calderon, a guard from Spain, was 10th. The Raptors held training camp in Europe last season before playing pre-season games in Italy and Spain.
“The last couple of years we came up here it’s been embarrassing,” Lee said. “We showed pride. It’s a good first step, but let’s not get carried away.”
The Raptors improved to 2-0 in the pre-season with a 113-111 win over the New York Knicks last night. And here’s my take on how Toronto looked:
Perimeter defense is still an issue, the Knicks moved the ball around far too easily, and always found a WIDE open player on the wing, who more often then not, clanked a jumper off the front of the rim. Worked out tonight, but going forward isn’t a good strategy. Can’t even call it a strategy as it is more a lack of defensive talent, strategy and execution. Looks like Bosh/O’Neal will be rotating to stop the penetration more then they should be.
Again, its tough to read too much into this game, you have to like the way Chris Bosh played and its easy to appreciate what Jermaine O’Neal brings to the table. Somewhere in the muck that is our roster there could be a good 7-man rotation. It’s exciting to see Ukic and I can see him being a good solid NBA player, he might even take less time to develop than Calderon. So there’s another reason to thank Rob Babcock. The defense was a big mess, close-outs were non-existent, pick ‘n roll defense was bad and the concentration level wasn’t there. The offense basically worked through one-on-one moves and the pick ‘n roll wasn’t featured as much as we’re used to but even so we managed to score rather easily. Again, its the Knicks and its the preseason so I’m willing to let a lot of things slide.
* Something that really impressed me tonight is the way new Raptors announce Matt Devlin carries himself. Even though it’s been months since we talked (and he was in Beijing for the Olympics where he must have met countless media members and fans) he still remembered my name and struck up a conversation with me. On top of that, whenever he would meet someone new he’d shake their hand and get their name. I could be wrong, but if I was a betting man I’d wager that if Devlin were to run into that person a couple months from now he’d still know their name.
* The Raptors were using Trick Daddy’s song “Let’s Go” for their intro before the game. The video was a training camp montage so I’m not sure they’ll use it during the season, but I have my fingers crossed as it’s a great song to get the players and fans hyped before games. The song did the trick tonight as Nate Robinson couldn’t help trying to dance close to one of the Raptors dance pack members…
If Humphries and Bargnani could consistently play 15-20 minutes and average 16 points combined this season then it would give the Raptors one of the deepest and most diverse front courts in the entire league. Solomon meanwhile, would add valuable scoring off the bench, as well as an experienced point guard to back-up Jose Calderon.
These three players could very well be the keys to Toronto’s season, and after two preseason games all looked to be pretty solid, but consistency killed the Raptors bench last season and just because they did it for two games doesn’t mean they’ll do it for the entire season.
But if these two preseason games are any indication of how Solomon, Bargnani, and Humphries will contribute this season than things might actually be looking up for that bench.
Video:
http://nba-tube.com/toronto-raptors-08-09-pre-season-intro/
http://nba-tube.com/raptors-vs-knicks-breakdown-oct-8-2008/
http://nba-tube.com/matt-devlins-first-vlog-oct-8-2008/
Toronto made a big move this offseason to improve. Yeah, they had to give up T.J. Ford, who when healthy is a very talented guard, but they got Jermaine O’Neal. The oft-injured big-man can rejuvenate his career in Toronto, and I really think he just needed to get a start in a new city. Add O’Neal to a team with Chris Bosh, Jason Kapono (who I think will have another break-out year), and Anthony Parker and you have a playoff team.
Before the Celtics acquired Pierce and Allen, the Raptors won the Atlantic. The talent is still there. Toronto has been in the playoffs for the past two years, but have had very little success. This won’t be a year where the Raptors make a deep run, but they could be a threat to a higher-seeded team like Cleveland or Detroit, which they could see in the playoffs.
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NOTE: Monday will be the last day of Linkage here at AltRaps. Linkage will be back, but somewhere bigger and with a new team. Exciting days ahead. Stay tuned…you will want to be there.
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Spudzs last blog post..The Satanic Verses | Salmon Rushdie
???
Jeff Ws last blog post..Trying out my new toy
what’s happening to linkage?
Scott’s leaving to another site.
Spudzs last blog post..The Satanic Verses | Salmon Rushdie
Yup. Picking up my toys and my nerfs and playing in a different sandbox. You finally get your wish, e. No more Scott to toy around with…
(until I return to the NG. How is that place, anyway? Last I looked, there were less messages there than in our forums. Whatever happened to that guys idea of a big huge web based portal into NG land?)
Anyway, I digress. If anybody wants to pick up the Linkage ball here at AltRaps, feel free.
Scott.
Scotts last blog post..toronto raptors linkage – oct 6
Can someone let me in on what “the NG” is? There are three pages of this stuff.
Jeff Ws last blog post..I won another Create-a-Caption
I never wished anything like that.
You did a great job here and I’m happy that you got a new gig out of it. That’s pretty awesome..
So, what’s up with the newsgroup? Any big plans? Gonna prop up the death of Usenet using the all mighty Quirk and the power of raptors fans who can’t get to it to post anyway?
Scotts last blog post..toronto raptors linkage – oct 6
..and that is a legit question. I’d actually head back there if it had some sustainability.
Scotts last blog post..toronto raptors linkage – oct 6
No, it’s done.
Though at this point you might say it’s hard to tell, but preseason’s begun and there’s still nothing going on. I mean you can try in a few years but honestly there’s nothing there. Quirk seemed like such an advocate of Usenet, but after pretty burning every possible bridge he had with us (altraps members), he disappeared. It’s a shame, really.. he seemed to have so much passion.
A lot of people there did. Unfortunately, I guess pride and stubbornness went and ruined it.
Jeff: NG = NewsGroups. Back before there were the RealGMs of the world, we’d all meet on usenet:
http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.sports.basketball.nba.tor-raptors/topics
The majority of us here met there. Hence the name “altraps”
Scott.