The Past, Present & Future of Raptor Basketball

I’ve been hitting you guys upside the head with entry after entry this week and it seems like the readership has really increased over that span. I don’t know if it’s due to the higher concentration of Raptor-related stories or just the fact the NBA Draft was approaching but thanks to those of you that have continued to read The Raptor Core and make it more popular. You’re in for what I consider to be another loaded entry for June 28.

The title of this entry kind of gives away what I plan to talk about. Basically, the ‘Past’ area will be a review of T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic’s exits from the team. The ‘Present’ will be about the time between now and training camp in October. The ‘Future’ will cover what I envision for this team on the court in 2008-2009. I’ve talked ad nauseum about Jermaine O’Neal this week but it’s time to break that down into X’s and O’s. I’ve also got a lot to say about the media in this city, which I may save for the next entry but we’ll see how this goes. So, without further adieu, we’ll delve into the past two years of the B.C. Era.

The Past: Undoing Colangelo’s First Moves

This probably isn’t a very good sign but regardless of that, writers such as the Toronto Star’s Dave Feschuk and the Globe & Mail’s Michael Grange have jumped at the opportunity to try and bring down Bryan Colangelo. While they also cover themselves by stating that the ‘golden boy’ might not have the Midas touch after all, they attack him for basically changing the vision that he came to Toronto with back in 2006. How accurate is that? Well..

One of the first things B.C. did was trade Eric Williams and Matt Bonner to San Antonio in exchange for Rasho Nesterovic. I think everyone knows this was just a band-aid quick fix to the interior hole the Raptors had on defense. We know now that Rasho didn’t do too much to make it a lot better but he did try and was good on most nights at what he does. At the time he was acquired, Rasho had about three seasons and $23 million left on his deal so it was a financial albatross in the short-term but provided them with a nice piece to move in the final year of the deal. Rasho played his part, he was used how B.C. envisioned and sent out in the exact fashion we all thought he would be – as a throw-in piece of a big trade that could land Toronto a legitimate contributor.

Secondly, T.J. Ford was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks for Charlie Villanueva. CV31 finished his rookie year second in voting behind Chris Paul for freshman honours and he did have a very good season for the Raptors. At the time, Jose Calderon was a shaky player and the Raptors saw the opportunity to acquire a young starter with the potential to be a star. This also opened the door for B.C. to pick Andrea Bargnani #1 overall in the 2006 draft and the jury is still out on whether or not that acquisition will turn out to be a failure. I think both the GM and player have earned the benefit of the doubt in terms of waiting it out a few months into the season considering how good Il Mago was in 2006-2007.

This is my main focus as far as what has happened with T.J. Ford: I don’t think he was given a fair shake here in Toronto. Obviously, Jose Calderon has proven himself to be worthy of starting and whether or not T.J. pouted or there was any ‘controversy’, it would’ve been financially irresponsible for the team to retain both players long-term when they play the same position and there are so many other holes on the team to fill. That would be a gross misallocation of resources by Colangelo. They needed a scrappy big man to defend and rebound. They needed a wing player capable of playing both ways, creating his own shot and scoring 20 points night in and night out from the perimeter and through penetration. This would balance the offense and of course, take pressure off of the franchise, Chris Bosh. With T.J. Ford having an injury history with his neck and spine, having missed so many games in his time in Toronto, I totally understood why he would be the player moved. I would’ve done the same thing.

What I don’t understand is why the fans and media in this city decided to paint T.J. with a villainous brush. Everyone in Toronto knows that the 2007-2008 season went down in flames in December when Al Horford fouled T.J. in mid-air in Atlanta. If Ford pulled up and tried to run the clock out or anything but drive for the lay-up, the Raptors might’ve been on pace for 50 wins this past year and might not have been beaten as badly as they were by Orlando. Instead, he took the shot and missed all that time and the Raptors never seemed to get back on track because it was one thing after the other. Did he pout on the bench upon his return? Yes. Was it the right way to deal with the situation? No. However, I think T.J. genuinely can’t help the fact he isn’t wired to be a bench player. He was obviously a star in high school like most pros were; he was a basketball legend at the University of Texas; and whenever he plays a relatively healthy season in the NBA, his team makes the playoffs. Is it all because of him? It may not be, but there’s a correlation there that shouldn’t be ignored.

Whether it was at the games in the stands, on RealGM’s boards, on the wall of the Facebook group or most other places where fans congregated, T.J. was publicly crucified. I know he has a large following in Toronto and I’m one of the people that enjoy his style of play and swagger. I actually met him a while ago and thought he was a down to earth, approachable person. Yet in the media, he was portrayed as “Me-J” for being selfish and not putting the team first. He was accused of melting down and costing the team games, which I’m not going to argue in a few instances. He has made some bad decisions but he has an assassin in him that Jose Calderon doesn’t. I’m not a Jose-basher because I love his game but he’s just a different type of player and sometimes a player has to have the type of swagger and air of confidence that Ford has.

When Andrew Bogut shoved Chris Bosh last season, who stepped in? It was the smallest guy on the court. When Bosh was out late in 2006, who stepped up and led the team in his absence – on a West Coast road trip no less? T.J. Ford. At the end of Game 6 in the 2007 playoffs, who threw the lazy lob pass inside to Bosh that was easily picked off by Richard Jefferson? Jose Calderon. If that pass was as high as it needed to be, the game would’ve ended on a dunk and the series would’ve headed back to Toronto tied at three games apiece with New Jersey having little to no chance of winning a Game 7 at the ACC. Both Calderon and Ford struggled in the playoffs but Jose was expected to be poised and ready to contribute in Game 5, which he didn’t. Both players have their flaws but the general theme of this past season was all of T.J.’s were magnified by the fans and media, while all of Jose’s were swept under the rug. He was the innocent angel, the team-first guy that gave out Gatorade at halftime and never thought of himself. T.J. was the selfish guy only out to fulfill his own agenda, even if it came at the expense of the team’s chemistry.

What’s the truth? Neither of those options is. It’s somewhere in between. T.J. Ford was a much better person than he’ll ever get credit for in this city. Jose Calderon’s comments once the season ended and he was in the Spanish tabloids shows that he isn’t as selfless as he was portrayed to be either. The only difference between the two scenarios is T.J.’s displeasure showed in the season, while Jose’s came later. Nothing is wrong with wanting to start in the NBA. That’s what every player should strive for once they get into the league, so why was T.J. the only one that got publicly tarred and feathered for his comments about not seeing himself as a bench player for 82 games? I guess everything we’ve learned about honesty being the best policy isn’t exactly what helps your public image.

In closing, everyone should check out T.J.’s final interview with Chuck Swirksy on the Fan 590 from earlier on Friday if you haven’t already. The link to the audio file is http://www.fan590.com/media.jsp?content=20080627_153102_8048 . Was T.J. immature at times? Yes, there’s no denying that. However, on a personal level, I’ll still miss him and I wish the best for him in Indiana. That team fits his style of play a lot better than the new one that’s about to be implemented here in Toronto. My only hope is that when he returns to the Air Canada Centre with the Pacers, he isn’t booed mercilessly by some of the ignorant fans that seem to attend games. T.J. still competed every night and he doesn’t deserve that type of reaction when he comes back. However, the sad truth is that’s exactly what’ll end up happening. Surprise me, Toronto, and prove me wrong.

The Present: Continuing To Build The Roster

The NBA Draft is over and now free agency begins on July 1, which is next Tuesday. However, even though those negotiations will take place, no transactions can be official until July 9 because of the league’s moratorium on player movement while they calculate the new salary cap figures, etc. Here is a breakdown of the contracts the Raptors currently have on the books for 2008-2009:

Jermaine O’Neal: $21 million

Chris Bosh: $14.4 million

Jason Kapono: $5.8 million

Andrea Bargnani: $5.2 million

Anthony Parker: $4.5 million

Jorge Garbajosa: $1-2 million (TBD)

Kris Humphries: $3 million (Est)

Jose Calderon: $8 million (Projected)

Joey Graham: $2.5 million

Jamario Moon: $0.7 million

Carlos Delfino: $2.7 million (Restricted FA, tendered qualifying offer)

Assuming those players are on the roster, the Raptors have salary obligations around $70 million. That’s 10 players out of 15. I’m thinking Roko Ukic would be headed over from Europe and the Raptors still have their mid-level exception worth roughly $5.5 million but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to spend it. A few days ago, Doug Smith wrote that he had acquired official figures from a team executive and the Raps would be able to spend the MLE without going over the projected luxury tax threshold. However, I’ve done some extrapolating and estimating based on this past season’s salary cap numbers and this team might already be very close to going over the cap with only two-thirds of their roster filled out. That’s a very dangerous situation because I don’t think Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is interested in paying a dollar-for-dollar tax that could end up in the neighbourhood if $10 million if the Raptors really want to bite the bullet. We’ll have to see how this plays out over the next two weeks or so. The good thing is minimum contracts don’t count against the cap so they can fill the roster out with two or three scrubs like Nathan Jawai if need be.

As I mentioned earlier, the Raptors need a back-up point guard. I think Roko Ukic is an option but his buyout in Europe might be too rich right now. With Seattle acquiring Russell Westbrook with the fourth pick in the draft, he joins a guard corps of Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour. If the Raps could get their hands on Watson as a back-up here, that would be a significant coup because he is a sparkplug scorer off the bench. That’s exactly the type of aggression that would help make up for T.J.’s loss. The downside is he’s owed $6.2 million this coming season, which may be too rich for Toronto. They will probably have to go pretty cheap at that position but it’s dangerous because they’re looking for a solid #2. After him, there would be no clear point guard option.

One name that I’ve thought about in the past two days is Ron Artest. I know people will call me crazy but Peter Vescey and then a reporter for the Sacramento Bee broke the news that he would indeed opt out of his deal with the Kings to become a free agent this summer. Earlier in the week, he said he wouldn’t opt out because teams on the market didn’t have money to offer and he didn’t see himself playing for the MLE. However, he changed up on that position, citing the fact he didn’t know so many teams were interested in his services. I find that a little funny because he’s been linked to the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers for months now. He’d also love to be at home in New York, although I doubt they’d bring him in right now when they’re trying to unload useless deals. The best way for him to end up on a good team would have been to stay with the Kings and get traded in the last year of the deal because the best teams out there are over the salary cap and don’t have money to spend except for the MLE – which he said earlier he wouldn’t take. Could this mean he’s willing to take a significant pay cut in order to compete for a Championship? I think so. People label him as a head case but the fact is, Artest is fiercely competitive and driven and if he sees a chance to get back on that level again after playing on such bad teams the past few years, he might take it.

This is where the Raptors come in. It was right around the time the Jermaine O’Neal trade became the hot topic of the NBA that Artest had his change of heart. I know I’ll sound like a conspiracy theorist and I’m not trying to be or even saying this is the case but is it in the realm of possibility that Jermaine O’Neal might’ve put in a call to his old Pacer running mate to join him in Toronto and barrel through the weak Eastern Conference all the way to the Finals? They have noted they’re good friends on and off the court and definitely enjoyed their time together as teammates in Indiana. Is it that farfetched that Artest might take the MLE to come to Toronto rather than L.A., San Antonio or Dallas? All of those teams are significantly over the cap so they only way they could acquire his services is through a trade. As far as free agent spending money goes, all the good teams are on an even level and one advantage T.O. has is J.O. and such a promising line-up that would definitely be Championship-calibre if he was added to it on the wing. He’s also close to Kobe Bryant and there have been talks about being swapped for Lamar Odom for weeks, which could still be possible through some type of sign-and-trade but the wishful thinking in this corner is that Artest has talked to O’Neal and has at least entertained the thought of coming to Toronto. Jose Calderon, Anthony Parker, Ron Artest, Chris Bosh, Jermaine O’Neal as starters with Roko Ukic, Jason Kapono, Jamario Moon and Andrea Bargnani off the bench? You still have Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai and even possibly Carlos Delfino on the team as well. That is definitely the best top-to-bottom roster in the East. How likely is it? I’m guessing not likely at all. We can dream, though, can’t we? Maybe B.C. will surprise us with one more..

Other than that, the Raptors aren’t working with much. The three most tradeable assets they had were T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic’s contract and the 17^th pick in the draft – all of which were used in the same deal. That leaves the expiring contracts of Anthony Parker and Joey Graham – worth a combined $8 million. I don’t think people will be knocking B.C.’s door down for Joey any time soon..

The Future: The Impact of Adding J.O. to T.O.

I’ve said it so many times – this acquisition does so many things for the Raptors. If they got Boris Diaw, they would’ve been a bit more versatile. If they got Richard Hamilton, they would’ve been more balanced. If they got Gerald Wallace, they would’ve had a scrappy scorer on the wing. If they got the Portland package, they would’ve added youth. In the end, Jermaine O’Neal makes the biggest single impact possible.

[Credit to Birdman]

Offense:

He touched on this in the Associated Press story that ran on Thursday: How will teams be able to contain two bigs with such similar skill sets? If O’Neal is as healthy as so many people swear he is, how can he be left alone on the block? At the same time, how can you afford to leave Bosh alone, either? If you have to constantly worry about double-teaming them, there are three of the best long-range shooters in the league wide open to hit shots. Will teams be able to stick on Kapono next year like they did this past season? Not likely. Look at the 2005-2007 Miami templates for proof. With Shaquille O’Neal in the middle, Kapono actually got those shots. Maybe he got a few more than he can expect now because he was a relative unknown at first and had to keep proving he could hit it but even then, two post threats will give Toronto’s shooters many opportunities. It’s almost like what Orlando did this year with Dwight Howard. They had him in the middle and then Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Maurice Evans and Jameer Nelson outside gunning. Toronto could be a serious offensive machine if they get the spacing down so those two don’t get in each others’ way like Bargnani did at times. Also, I’ve heard people knock Jermaine’s offensive rebounding totals and he doesn’t have to go get them all himself now. He can box out and Bosh or someone else can chase them. It’s not all about the numbers – it’s about the intangibles and overall impact. I picture Jermaine on the low block posting up with Chris on the opposite elbow just a few swing passes away. It may be a challenge for Sam Mitchell and his coaching staff but it’s a welcome one. Like someone else mentioned, it’s time to watch vintage tape of how San Antonio got it to work with Tim Duncan and David Robinson, strategically.

Defense:

This is probably the most noticeable change for the Raptors. I’m not about to say J.O. is Kevin Garnett but he could have a similar impact. When your anchor is solid and mobile and opposing teams make all their moves with the thought in their mind that he’s waiting back there, it’s in your favour. The Raps are still relatively weak defensively in the backcourt so when blow-bys occur, O’Neal and Bosh will be there with the help to swat shots away or just alter them to increase the degree of difficulty. If their mere presence can make teams second-guess themselves, that’s a good thing. If they get past the first line, they’ll probably end up encountering Bosh. If he can’t stop them but slows them down, there’s a good chance J.O. will be on the scene to clean it up. It can be a beautiful thing if this team dedicates itself to playing sound defense. They could learn a thing or two from the Boston Celtics and how good they were this past year. The rebounding will obviously improve any time you add a guy that has had pretty much double-digit averages in the category. I can’t see how the Raptors don’t improve in that area to at least the middle third of the league rather than being hammered on most nights. The East is about toughness and grit – not finesse, so rebounding against the likes of the Cavaliers and Celtics will be of utmost importance. Again, maybe J.O. will infuse everyone with a feeling that they can each play better individual defense. I doubt it, since he doesn’t have the same aura of KG but he does lead by example and he can be considered a warrior. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to say Jose Calderon is a scrappy defender but if he improves even a little, that’ll mean a lot to this newly-designed team. It takes some of the pressure off of Bosh in every conceivable way.

Overall:

This move is big. It’s up to the coaching staff not to mess it up and to find a way to make it work. They can still be that ball-swinging team we saw in 2006-2007, but now it’s going to be a little different. There needs to be an emphasis on J.O. not being a ball-stopper and just pounding it for his post moves, despite his success down there. His skills can be used within the system already implemented in Toronto. They don’t have to be the ugly half court team some people think they’ll be. Just tune in and enjoy.

The Toronto Media

I went off about this a little bit earlier regarding the T.J. Ford thing but I’ll conclude the entry with this: Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange specialize in negative sensationalism. Feschuk is the same guy who found it necessary to write a story using Vince Carter’s grandmother for quotes about his personal life a few years back. It’s the same guy who seems to think he’s a great writer for using all the flowery language, breaking out the thesaurus and finding new ways to be negative every time he covers the Raptors. I realize writers are there to report and offer their take on things, especially in this age of blogging and such. However, the constant negativity really doesn’t make sense to me. The two articles I’m talking about can be found at the following links:

Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/Sports/NBA/article/450196

Globe & Mail: http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080626.w-grange27early/GSStory/GlobeSportsBasketball/home

Grange is the same guy you always know is asking the question during media scrums without even seeing his face. Yes, if you watch Raptors Today on RapsTV, you can probably identify him with ease as well. He’s the guy stuttering through each question with the obligatory “like” and “you know”, not to mention at least ten ‘Uhhhh..”’s per session. It’s more painful than watching Shaq shoot free throws. But after he’s done that, he opens up his laptop and begins writing story after story knocking the Raptors. It’s not the media’s job to love the team – that’s for fans like us. On the other hand, it’s also not their job to constantly shine a negative light on the club. With Grange, he’s had a recent run of bashing T.J. Ford, Andrea Bargnani and now Bryan Colangelo. He may have reasons for it but for as often as he does it, it’s a little ridiculous. I check the basketball headlines online every day and it’s beginning to look like the New York tabloids when I get to these dramatic titles and poetic stories from Feschuk. I understand the season is over and we’re heading into July, so you’re short on news, but seriously, ease up. You guys should be called Maytag because you’re constantly on a spin cycle with the news. Acquiring Jermaine O’Neal isn’t a bold move that has future financial upside even if it doesn’t work out – it’s a move of desperation from a man abandoning his original plan! Well, first of all, I don’t see the trade sending Rasho out of here as anything to cry about and the 17^th pick wasn’t going to get us a player to help right away in most cases. We knew T.J. wasn’t going to be in the long-term plans and O’Neal made the most sense to have the biggest impact so doesn’t it show foresight to stop pushing ahead with the same style if you have an opportunity to shake things up? Should B.C. have just continued to go the rout he laid out back in February of 2006 when he took the job? Please, you guys are jokes. It’s called adjusting. I just had to vent there and I’m sure people disagree with me but that’s fine – I know there are many more who see it this way as well.

Anyway, that’s it for this very long entry. I think it was one of my most in-depth so hopefully you guys enjoy it. Until next time..

-Mark R.

[The Raptor Core]