Well there wasnt a thread about this so i decided to make one so far: Raptors getting their asses whooped
we expected the loss....c'mon its the lakers....jackson outsmarted mitchell the whole game...thats the truth. we could say we stopped kobe from exploding on us but really, he was more an impact player in distributing and being the PG for a while it seemed. whatever....mike is very very streaky! charlie was off today, hes gotta get more rebounds.....hoffa had none, why does he shy away from the ball??? whenever bosh gets the ball and hoffa is in front, he tends to shy away from getting the ball when he is perfectly on the left side. his good side....anyone else notice this?? whatever the aches and pains aren't going to go away, unless something miracoulous goes down. bring pape back in january
Here's my impression of the Raptors after tonight's game against the Lakers. I see a coach who doesn't take advantage of what the Raptors have going for them ... speed & athleticism. Sam Mitchell is trying to force this team to play halfcourt basketball, but the personnel he has doesn't fit this strategy. Every player on the Raptor needs the ball to be effective. They simply don't have the role players to execute in the halfcourt set, because most of the players are one-on-one types. They don't have the perimeter shooters to spread the floor, and a high energy hustle guy on the offensive end to score from the weakside. On defense they don't have a shot blocker or a defensive stopper to slow anyone down. I think the Raptors need to open up their offense, play small ball and just run teams to death. Jose Calderon is great initiating the offense and makes the right decision with the ball 90% of the time. He reminds me of a young Tony Parker, with his ability to penetrate and beat his man off the dribble. The Raptors are a young, inexperienced team, and Sam Mitchell needs to inspire the youth movement with confidence. He needs to take a page out of the Suns style and not focus on defense for a season. Just let the team run and gun and try to simply outscore everyone. Put Calderon, James, Pete, Bosh, & Villanueva on the court at the same time and take advantage of the speed, youth, and athleticism of the team. This brand of basketball will help this roster win games, have fun on the court, develop chemistry, and gain confidence. Once the Raptors have some cap flexibility they can start tweaking the roster and Sam Mitchell can start instilling defense and halfcourt sets with this team. The Raptors have to get a lot more size on the inside before Mitchell can do the things he wants to do. If you doesn't understand that and continues to force Arajao to play, this team is going nowhere. The five players listed above resemble last year's Phoenix Suns. Calderon - Nash James - Johnson Pete - Richardson CV - Marion Bosh - Amare The Suns didn't play any defense last year, but they couldn't be stopped on offense. Then in the offseason they added the defensive players they needed and kept the core intact. This year the Suns have held teams to under 100 points in 9 straight games. The Raptors need to copy the blueprint of the Suns, there's no reason not to.
Sorry cats. I went to the game straight after my class ended today, so I couldn't make a game thread. I'm so tired right now; I'll write my views on the game tomorrow morning.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post"> The five players listed above resemble last year's Phoenix Suns. Calderon - Nash James - Johnson Pete - Richardson CV - Marion Bosh - Amare The Suns didn't play any defense last year, but they couldn't be stopped on offense. Then in the offseason they added the defensive players they needed and kept the core intact. This year the Suns have held teams to under 100 points in 9 straight games. The Raptors need to copy the blueprint of the Suns, there's no reason not to.</div> so nobody has the ballz in the raptor forum to tell u this, but dude u be delusional. first off, i've been one of the loudest critics of mitchell on the forum so i concur about mitchell not understanding his personnel. however... (1)caledron-nash: nash has a shot, caledron doesn't (2)james-joe johnson:johnson is more consistent and longer (3)mo. pete-richardson:stalemate (4)marion-CV: marion is an all star, charlie is still trying to find himself in the league; plus marion is much more of an athlete, while charlie V relies upon skill which isn't sometimes complimented with work ethic but again he's 21 (5)bosh-amare: amare has much more of a power game and he's got the intangibles; u should really watch bosh at the end of games and u'll see what i'm talking about. bosh for the first 44 minutes of the game is an all star for the last four minutes he's a cba all star.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post"> I think the Raptors need to open up their offense, play small ball and just run teams to death. Jose Calderon is great initiating the offense and makes the right decision with the ball 90% of the time. He reminds me of a young Tony Parker, with his ability to penetrate and beat his man off the dribble. </div> I dunno ... a lot of people were talking about this strategy for us a while ago but i just find we have too many players who really don't run the break effectively in order to get it to work. Bosh, CV, Calderon (obviously)... all good on the break. But i find 1-3 for the most part we really just aren't able to push. Mike James - good pushing the ball in a 1/2 court set.. but has his head down too much on the break and doesn't make good decisions with the ball. Mo Pete - good at finishing on the run ... has a tendency to spot up though rather than take it hard to the basket. No great handles or unwilling to use them (really hard to tell) - slows us down on the break at times. Graham - great athleticism ... not amazing on the break right now b/c of his handles ... but should be strong in the future. Jalen - looks for his own shot too much on the break ... not getting up and back as quick as he used to b/c of his age. Although if he didn't come back on d i don't think anyone would notice. Come to think of it .. i guess it's still workable... i think it would depend entirely on Calderon though as he would have to be the pace setter. I really can't see us running an effective break without him on the floor.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting deception:</div><div class="quote_post">so nobody has the ballz in the raptor forum to tell u this, but dude u be delusional. first off, i've been one of the loudest critics of mitchell on the forum so i concur about mitchell not understanding his personnel. however... (1)caledron-nash: nash has a shot, caledron doesn't (2)james-joe johnson:johnson is more consistent and longer (3)mo. pete-richardson:stalemate (4)marion-CV: marion is an all star, charlie is still trying to find himself in the league; plus marion is much more of an athlete, while charlie V relies upon skill which isn't sometimes complimented with work ethic but again he's 21 (5)bosh-amare: amare has much more of a power game and he's got the intangibles; u should really watch bosh at the end of games and u'll see what i'm talking about. bosh for the first 44 minutes of the game is an all star for the last four minutes he's a cba all star.</div> How's it delusional? I never said these players are just as good, obviously they aren't, but Mitchell needs to take advantage of this teams quickness, especially in the frontcourt. The best way to take advantage is to play an uptempo game and push the ball up the floor. Calderon doesn't need to shoot, he just needs to penetrate and dish the ball off. From what I've seen, he's a good decision maker and has no problem dribbling through traffic. CV is no Marion, but he's a triple threat player and produces when he gets the minutes. He was a decent defender in college, and knows how to use his length to block or alter shots. Bosh might not be as explosive as Amare, but he's far more skilled and would thrive in a fast pace offense. Having him at center would force other teams to play small ball. Forcing a team to play your game usually gives you an edge. If you look around the league, most teams don't have two athletic big men who can run up and down the floor. Joe Johnson was more consistent because of the offense and looks he received from it. Mike James is shorter, but he's still a capable scorer and playmaker just like JJ was. Maybe you start Jalen Rose here instead, if you want a longer player. a13x - Mike James doesn't need to bring the ball up or handle it much. Calderon would be the primary ball handler and you have two big men who can also pass and make decisions for you. Mike James would just have to spot up or slash to the basket.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">How's it delusional? I never said these players are just as good, obviously they aren't, but Mitchell needs to take advantage of this teams quickness, especially in the frontcourt. The best way to take advantage is to play an uptempo game and push the ball up the floor. Calderon doesn't need to shoot, he just needs to penetrate and dish the ball off. From what I've seen, he's a good decision maker and has no problem dribbling through traffic. CV is no Marion, but he's a triple threat player and produces when he gets the minutes. He was a decent defender in college, and knows how to use his length to block or alter shots. Bosh might not be as explosive as Amare, but he's far more skilled and would thrive in a fast pace offense. Having him at center would force other teams to play small ball. Forcing a team to play your game usually gives you an edge. If you look around the league, most teams don't have two athletic big men who can run up and down the floor. Joe Johnson was more consistent because of the offense and looks he received from it. Mike James is shorter, but he's still a capable scorer and playmaker just like JJ was. Maybe you start Jalen Rose here instead, if you want a longer player. a13x - Mike James doesn't need to bring the ball up or handle it much. Calderon would be the primary ball handler and you have two big men who can also pass and make decisions for you. Mike James would just have to spot up or slash to the basket.</div> (1)caledron gets anxious with his decision making in crunch times. (2)cv isn't dedicated to the grind of defense consistently (3)johnson still is better than rose+james; both i think are on the downside of their careers who still have flashes of themselves sporadically (4) u really have to watch bosh over an extended period of time and our concerns with him will become salient
shape, I hear you, but that's one thing that makes D'Antoni special as a coach. He's a players coach, he focuses on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Look at Boris Diaw, in Atlanta it was he couldn't shoot, blah blah, in Phoenix it's this guy is a great drive and dish player and has very nice courtvision, let's have him be a main guy offensively. Look what's happened, 11-6-7 averaging 8.4 APG in the last 5. Barbosa last year was running point, and wasn't too comfortable. He's always been a natural scorer. This season he moves to SG offensively, and is given the green light to shoot [like everyone else]. What happens? Barbosa is putting up Ben Gordon like numbers with higher efficiency till he got injured. Not many coaches are like that. Give D'Antoni Stromile Swift, and the guy will be averaging 18 PPG because he'll focus on what he can do, score inside, finish plays, and block shots. Give him to JVG, and he struggles to get consistent PT. Sam Mitchell is not Mike D'Antoni, not many coaches are to tell the truth, so while in theory is could work, it wouldn't work for us. Also their's the having Marion part that helps a lot since he rebounds, scorers, steals and blocks, and gives you a presense on offense, defense, on the glass, and outisde of this season an outside shooting threat. Charlie isn't close to giving the same effect Marion does, and Bosh isn't close to giving the finishing and inside scoring ability of Amare, but he can work because he can score. We could play a game similar to the Suns this season with a lot of outside shooters and Bosh as the finisher. I think with Pape that would work even better. A shot blocker and additional rebounder defensively, and Pape can finish too.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">shape, I hear you, but that's one thing that makes D'Antoni special as a coach. He's a players coach, he focuses on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Look at Boris Diaw, in Atlanta it was he couldn't shoot, blah blah, in Phoenix it's this guy is a great drive and dish player and has very nice courtvision, let's have him be a main guy offensively. Look what's happened, 11-6-7 averaging 8.4 APG in the last 5. Barbosa last year was running point, and wasn't too comfortable. He's always been a natural scorer. This season he moves to SG offensively, and is given the green light to shoot [like everyone else]. What happens? Barbosa is putting up Ben Gordon like numbers with higher efficiency till he got injured. Not many coaches are like that. Give D'Antoni Stromile Swift, and the guy will be averaging 18 PPG because he'll focus on what he can do, score inside, finish plays, and block shots. Give him to JVG, and he struggles to get consistent PT. Sam Mitchell is not Mike D'Antoni, not many coaches are to tell the truth, so while in theory is could work, it wouldn't work for us. Also their's the having Marion part that helps a lot since he rebounds, scorers, steals and blocks, and gives you a presense on offense, defense, on the glass, and outisde of this season an outside shooting threat. Charlie isn't close to giving the same effect Marion does, and Bosh isn't close to giving the finishing and inside scoring ability of Amare, but he can work because he can score. We could play a game similar to the Suns this season with a lot of outside shooters and Bosh as the finisher. I think with Pape that would work even better. A shot blocker and additional rebounder defensively, and Pape can finish too.</div> Actually the architecture behind the scenes for the Suns is, assistant coach, Marc Iavaroni. He tested the coaching waters over the summer and is willing take a head coaching job if the money is right. Don Nelson's name is also floating around again, and he could possibly replace Adelman in Sacramento. I do agree, Sam Mitchell is not getting the most out of his players and if he doesn't figure it out and continues to be stubborn he has to be replaced. One other canidate would be Eric Musselman who got the most out of a young Warrior team when he was coaching there. He's very intense and competitive, I actually wanted him to be the Lakers head coach this season.
