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The Official 2006/2007 Toronto Raptors & NBA Thread (pg. 31)
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| SuperJimbo |
| quote: | Originally posted by slingshot
tj ford ed that game up for them. he tried to be a hero too early on....his ability to score outweighed his discretion as a point guard and unfortunately the toronto offense suffered as it's expense....it took them too long to get it going and get back into the game.....
bah :( |
While I don't think TJ is to blame, I do think you are on to something re: his shoot first, pass second mentality early on. It totally screwed up the flow for the other guys. Time and time again we have seen that when Toronto is at it's best, they are sharing the ball. That said, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Colangelo trades TJ, or possibly Calderon, this offseason.
Given the fact that they have both had career years, and their values are at an all time high, this may give us the perfect opportunity to acquire that top notch rebounder we so desperately need. You have to give up quality to get it, and for us, having two starting point guards just doesn't make sense. And you can't win a championship without rebounding.
For the record, I would trade TJ before Calderon, partly because I think we could get more for him, and partly because I think his mental makeup is inferior (i.e. more insecure, more selfish, less of a team guy, etc). Watch how TJ sulks when he is on the bench -- that tells the whole story. His body language is so negative, I am sure that it has an impact on the other guys. You don't see Calderon pouting like TJ. Ever.
Finally, ask yourself this: If Nash is gold standard by which all point guards should be compared, which guy is more similar to Nash, TJ or Calderon? And which guy has a better chance to grow and become more like him (Nash)? For me, it's Calderon, hands down.
P.S. Graham, Dixon and Bargnani all sucked hard on Sunday. I expect at least one or two of these guys to step up on Tuesday, which should make a huge difference. Official prediction: Raps in 7. |
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| Sly_Guy |
Yeah, Toronto fans are pretty pathetic. Richard Jefferson put it best:
"I think this is the first time I've ever seen an entire stadium come dressing in the colour of the opposing team. I know it gave me a boost of energy and I'd just like to thank them [the fans] for that."
I personally was expecting us to lose one of the first two games. Playoffs are a different beast. Those 11-0 runs don't happen come playoff time, and the Raps have to recognize that. They need to focus on transition d, and rebound off nets' shots a helluva lot better. Stats going into the second half were that we were being outshot, outrebounded, and outscored by a huge margin of points in the paint. That's a sure-fire way to lose a game.
But if Bosh stays out of foul trouble, we'll have a settling influence on the interior, and as long as we keep attacking the paint and finding open men on the perimeter we'll be fine. This is going to be a long series. Hell and if you don't believe me, Bill Walton predicts a long series, and we all know what a guru of basketball he is. |
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| infinity HiGH |
| quote: | Originally posted by SuperJimbo
While I don't think TJ is to blame, I do think you are on to something re: his shoot first, pass second mentality early on. It totally screwed up the flow for the other guys. Time and time again we have seen that when Toronto is at it's best, they are sharing the ball. That said, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Colangelo trades TJ, or possibly Calderon, this offseason.
Given the fact that they have both had career years, and their values are at an all time high, this may give us the perfect opportunity to acquire that top notch rebounder we so desperately need. You have to give up quality to get it, and for us, having two starting point guards just doesn't make sense. And you can't win a championship without rebounding.
For the record, I would trade TJ before Calderon, partly because I think we could get more for him, and partly because I think his mental makeup is inferior (i.e. more insecure, more selfish, less of a team guy, etc). Watch how TJ sulks when he is on the bench -- that tells the whole story. His body language is so negative, I am sure that it has an impact on the other guys. You don't see Calderon pouting like TJ. Ever.
Finally, ask yourself this: If Nash is gold standard by which all point guards should be compared, which guy is more similar to Nash, TJ or Calderon? And which guy has a better chance to grow and become more like him (Nash)? For me, it's Calderon, hands down.
P.S. Graham, Dixon and Bargnani all sucked hard on Sunday. I expect at least one or two of these guys to step up on Tuesday, which should make a huge difference. Official prediction: Raps in 7. |
I agree with everything you've said here. Calderon > Ford any day of the week. Notice how when we're behind, it's Jose that's at the centre of a comeback? It's like he has a bird's eye view of the court in his head when running plays.
Oh ya, and those red shirts....Bahahahahahah. Way to embarrass everybody you fools. |
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| MarkT |
I repeat my trade request...
TJ, Graham and Rasho for Kevin Garnett.
Toronto needs a guy who can rebound, defend and block shots...Minnesota needs to rebuild and could use help at every position. |
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| infinity HiGH |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
TJ, Graham and Rasho for Kevin Garnett.
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Nah man...that seems like a move the Leafs would make. If they would have to trade those 3 away, then I'd prefer someone younger. No disrespect to Garnett though. |
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| jon jon |
| hah am I the only one that likes TJ? |
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| SuperJimbo |
| quote: | Originally posted by jon jon
hah am I the only one that likes TJ? |
Don't get me wrong, I actually like TJ. He's probably better that 80% of the point guards in the NBA right now. I just don't think we have the luxury of having two starting-quality point guards. Especially when we need a guy (or guys) who can rebound the ball. For reasons listed above, if I had to choose one point guard, I would pick Jose. |
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| MKpacha |
| quote: | Originally posted by jon jon
hah am I the only one that likes TJ? |
yepyepyep:whip: |
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| slingshot |
| quote: |
TORONTO -- Sam Mitchell was honored as the NBA coach of the year Tuesday after leading the Toronto Raptors to a franchise-record-tying 47 victories and their first Atlantic Division title.
Mitchell won the Red Auerbach Trophy in a decisive vote over Utah's Jerry Sloan. Mitchell picked up 49 first-place votes for a total of 394 points in balloting by 128 basketball writers and broadcasters. Sloan had 301 points, followed by Dallas' Avery Johnson with 268. Johnson won the award last year.
Mitchell is the sixth coach in the Raptors' history. He guided the Raptors to an NBA-best 20-game improvement (27-55) over the 2005-06 season. The Raptors trail New Jersey 1-0 in a first-round playoff series; Game 2 is tonight in Toronto.
During a 13-year playing career that ended in 2002, Mitchell was held in high regard around the league as a student of the game. Following two seasons as an assistant, he was hired as the Raptors' coach on June 29, 2004.
"He's done a great job with the ball club," forward Morris Peterson said Monday. "He's really grown a lot over his first couple of years coaching. If anybody in the NBA deserves it, it's him. He's proved a lot of people wrong."
Guard T.J. Ford said Mitchell puts his faith in the players.
"He's going to give us the structure offensively and defensively, but it's up to us to go out there execute," he said. "He puts it in our hands and lets us control it. He's been great in that aspect."
Mitchell is finishing the final season of his contract, but there has been ongoing discussion of an extension.
"I think he does [deserve a new contract]," Raptors All-Star forward Chris Bosh said earlier this month. "That was the question. Can he win? And he's shown he can." |
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| Sly_Guy |
^^^
I knew that was going to happen. Sloan and Johnson are good coaches, but considering the circumstances in which Toronto turned around their club, he was head and shoulders above the rest. |
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| exstasie |
| quote: | Originally posted by jon jon
hah am I the only one that likes TJ? |
I got your back haha. I love TJ! Great player!
Can't wait till tnogiht!!! woohoo |
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| MarkT |
| well deserved award for Mitchell...now give him a fat new contract at the end of the season, along with bringing in a rebounder/defender, and I'll be happy :P |
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