<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Raptors have tried pretty much everything with Joey Graham this season ? they have scolded him and cajoled him, tried tough love and attempted coddling, they've let him start and let him sit and nothing has worked so far. Time, it seems, is the only hope left. The rookie swingman, whose up-and-down season has mirrored that of the franchise as a whole, remains very much an enigma to his coaches and teammates, a 23-year-old possessed of great natural ability who can't seem to get a consistent hang of the NBA game, a 6-foot-7 specimen who all agree should be better than he is. And they hope he will be. Eventually. "We still have a lot of confidence in Joey," Mitchell said yesterday. "He has unbelievable ability and we're not going to stop pushing." Graham's inconsistencies have been frustrating for all concerned and Mitchell and his coaches have yet to find precisely the right buttons to push to get to him. Mitchell is as hard on Graham as he is on anyone; one only has to sit courtside to hear the constant, intense verbal lashings Graham takes on a nightly basis to know that Mitchell is demanding of his rookie swingman. But is he too demanding? Is Graham one of those players who needs reassurance rather than criticism? Do coaches get to Graham with love rather than anger? Or does nothing work other than time? "I've coddled, I sat him down, we show him film, but like Brian (Colangelo) said and like Wayne (Embry) said, with some rookies it just takes a little bit longer," said Mitchell.</div> Source
Is Mitchell for real? Wasn't he the same guy who put Eric Williams ahead of Joey for about 10 straight games? He sure did outplay Eric despite the fewer minutes. I still believe in Joey though. You can see flashes here and there. Hopefully with the work of English and Triano, he can develop quicker.
Well maybe if Mitchell gave in some consistent minutes..... Graham's playing time for February: 20, 18, 28, 7, 3, 11, 0, 20, 10, 6. How do you expect someone to be productive with those kind of minutes?
I dont' think Mitchell gets it. You can't develop if you don't get minutes, and can't focus on the game because you're always wondering when tthat horn blows if it's you that is coming out. Why does Mitchell bash Graham, yet give Eric Williams 22 of Joey Graham's minutes. Graham has yet to recieve a stretch of consistent playing time and I can't blame him for not playing up to expectations. We have seen flashes of what he could become, and hopefully he will become Artest-like but we will never know if Mitchell keeps up.
Mr.Wade, the closes Graham will ever come to Artest is in weight. Lets get real, the reason Graham does not get minutes is because he clearly did not earn them. He has been passive in a lot of his games and playing time when he was considered a big tough bruising player. This is what the Raptors expect out of him and they are not getting it. I don't agree with Erik Williams playing but Graham can not play PF in the NBA either. Graham can develop into a solid player if he fixes these problems that a lot of people are seeing. Then and only then can he be a good player in this league, to compare him to Artest however is off.
How can you say the comparison to Artest is off when Joey hasn't been playing. He was a tenacious and great defender at Oklahoma State, and if you watch the Raps you certainly have seen glimpses of his defensive prowess, though his foot quickness certainly does need some work. Also, at the beginning of the year when Joey was getting consistent minutes, he showed solid offensive potential, as he has a solid mid range game and showed spurts of ability to drive to the basket with no fear and finish well with good body control. Though I do agree that the comparison of Graham to Artest is well off right now, I do see how the comparison can be drawn and certainly don't see how you can say that it won't happen when he is only in his rookie season and has had very inconsistent playing time.
