by Matt Bloom
Raptors NBA TV
September 14, 2006 | Matt Bloom is an associate producer for Raptors NBA TV. For the past two seasons, Matt has produced Raptors Game Day and Raptors Post Up. In his spare time he dabbled in Raptors Today production. This season, Matt will join the Raptors' broadcast team on its traveling road circus. |
The NBA season is more than six weeks away and I am jonesing for some action. The FIBA world championships whet my appetite, but it seems like forever until opening tip-off. Where are the fantasy forecasts? I need some power rankings! This sport is always on my mind, so I decided that an alphabetical rundown of my thoughts would be a great way to prematurely discuss some Raptors Ball.
All Star: How will Chris bosh build on his All-Star performance? Did his experience with the US national team help him in the off-season or possibly hinder him. How will he adjust to such a fast paced offence?
Braintrust: Bryan Colangelo and Co. made great strides with this roster. Now, it’s out of his hands.
Chemistry: Colangelo did his part, now it is Sam Mitchell’s turn. Who will mesh well with whom? How will the minutes be divided? The difficult tasks surrounding a deep roster are more appealing to a coach than lack of depth. How will they be handled?
Depth: Wow! A bench! With first rounder Andrea Bargnani, national teammates Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa, along with one of Fred Jones or Anthony parker- there is not much drop-off from the first unit to the second…
Expectations: Should there be any? If the expectation is 50 wins, is a 35 win season a disappointment? What about the playoffs? If they miss the playoffs but win 50 games is that a disappointment? Who determines these expectations? Based on what? There is a difference between goals and expectations…
Flavour-Internationale. Let’s see, a couple of Spaniards, an Italian, two Slovenians and some Americans- opens the door to some great theme nights at Air Canada Centre.
Goal - After diffusing the expectation bomb, that does not mean this team should not have goals; both individual and team oriented. I imagine Chris Bosh’s goal is a return to the All-Star game. As a team, what are some realistic goals? To hold opposition to under 100 pts? Perhaps Maybe to lead the league in FT%. Wins are products of improvements in these categories.
Highlight Reel: Who dethroned two-time Slam Dunk Champion Jason Richardson? That’s right… Fred Jones. Learn the name and remember it. With TJ ford running the show, I imagine a lot of easy baskets, and we know these guys can finish.
Introductions: I would love to be a fly on the wall the first day of training camp. Nine new players! I envision those ice-breakers you play at summer camp to learn and remember everyone’s name.
Jeopardy: Could the beloved three-point streak be in trouble? With the exit of Mike James, Matt Bonner and Charlie Villanueva, some of the perimeter threats are gone. Though Mo Pete has a knack of knocking down the clutch trey to salvage the streak.
Killer Instinct: 16 of the Raptors 55 losses were by a difference of five pts or less. This team needs that knockout punch this season. Too often we witnessed a crucial opposition run at crunch time, or an offensive blackout. There is no room for giving games away.
Liabilities: Much of the problem last season was on defence. This team ranked in the bottom two in points allowed, and opposition FG%. With such a vast roster turnover, it will be interesting to see coach Mitchell’s defensive philosophy.
Multiple Options: Quick, who are the small forwards on this team? Shooting guards? I would argue that with the exception of point guard, and Nesterovic at centre, each player could play two, maybe three positions. This gives coach Mitchell more flexibility to play with.
National Pride: Canada’s team has not made the playoffs since becoming Canada’s team. It is time for this country to embrace this team. The Raptors not only represent Canada, it represents international success for the NBA. Garbajosa and Calderon represent the 2006 FIBA World Champions. While Anthony Parker (2005-05 Euroleague Champion; Maccabi Tel-Aviv), and Andrea Bargnani (2006 Italian Champion; Benetton Treviso) excelled in international play as well.
Off-season: It will be interesting to see who worked on what during the offseason. It was a treat to see so many Raptors in the tournament. How Parker, Bargnani and Ford?
Pass-First Point Guard: Speaking of TJ Ford, how nice is it to see a true pass-first point guard? The last two starting PGs for this team slid nicely into the SG role when called upon, since neither were shy when it came to jacking up shots. I truly believe that the Ford acquisition will be huge, not just to dictate the pace of the offence, but to get the ball to the right guy at the right time in the right spot. Enough of these short-hop passes, or leaping receptions... Set, catch, shoot. It's that easy.
Question Marks: How is TJ’s back? Everyone says its fine, and it looked good in 72 games (and five games in the playoffs) last season. More interesting to me though - how will Garbajosa fit in? How will the presence of Nesterovic affect Bosh’s game? Will Joey Graham find the aggression to match his athleticism? This team is filled with interesting individual plotlines.
Respect: This team has been to the lottery for four consecutive years. The fan base is amazing (I see you Real GM) and all levels of this team, are committed to winning. It is time for the league to take notice.
Swirskisms: could you imagine poor old Chuck saying Garbajosa, Bargnani and Nesterovic all season? He lost the “Red Rocket” and “Big Smooth”, he even lost the “Brazilian beast.” Who will be his next subject?
Time- How patient will people be with this team? Will coach Mitchell’s job be in trouble if this team starts 0-2? Need I remind you of the horrific start to last season? The team battled and played well in the months leading up to the Chris Bosh injury. There is no need to panic. Keep in mind the schedule this year. Two trips to the West Coast before Christmas will damage any team’s record. This team deserves a learning curve.
Up-Tempo: Who doesn’t love offence? It adds further excitement to the game at no additional cost. This team can fill up the scoreboard, fast. Tell me that Fred Jones isn’t excited to get passes from TJ Ford instead of Anthony Johnson. Tell me TJ isn’t excited to run the floor with Bosh, Peterson and Parker instead of Bogut, Magloire and Simmons (no disrespect intended). These guys are as excited to play together as we are to watch them.
Value: We now what Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson mean to this team. Who knows about the value of Garbajosa, PJ Tucker, or the names mentioned above?
Wishes: Only the best wishes to Pape Sow and his family. All the best, can’t wait to see him back on the floor.
Xenophobia: Fear of the strange, the unknown, the foreign. Avoid xenophobia at all costs. Strange and different in hindsight are seen as innovative and ahead of its time. Bryan Colangelo employs the first foreign assistant general manager, Maurizio Gherardini. He is the first to draft a European with the top pick, and he went against popular opinion by trading big (Villanueva) for small (Ford). Obviously he has the trust of the franchise, the city, and the team’s fan base to pull off such bold moves. The public has been supportive, and all has been merry. The team is undefeated, yet it has not won a game. We know the passion of Raptor fans. Like a family, we stick together through good times and bad, that’s what makes it exciting, and that’s what makes loyal fans loyal.
Youth: Darrick Martin has 11 years of NBA experience to his name. Rasho Nesterovic has eight serviceable years under his belt. Morris Peterson has spent his six-year career as a Raptor. The other 12 players have a combined 18 years of NBA experience! There are four rookies on this team; two of whom played significant roles on their respective rosters last season. The soon-to-be 29-year old Jorge Garbajosa averaged 35 minutes per game for Malaga. This season he expects to be a role player coming off the bench. Andrea Bargnani will have the spotlight shining on him all season as the first pick overall, while Anthony Parker returns to the NBA after a six year hiatus.
Zebras: The referees will have their work cut out for them this season. Gone are the days of relying on the perimeter game. These guys will slash, claw and fight their way to two points and put pressure on the refs to get involved in the game.
