Damian Goddard has been part of the Toronto sports landscape for almost a decade. The Humber graduate has worked with 680 News, Rogers Sportsnet and is now a member of the Raptors NBA TV team. You can catch more of Damian hosting Raptors Game Day and Raptors Post Up each game day on Raptors NBA TV.

by Damian Goddard
raptors.commentator
February 1, 2005

(TORONTO) -- Portland head coach Maurice Cheeks turns to self-help books.

“The way things have been going this whole month, I need something that can pick me up.”

And that is why you can find a myriad of self-help books on Cheeks’ office desk at any given moment. One book he’s been flipping through in particular – “Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow's Success” – is keeping the embattled Blazers bench boss on the right side of sanity in an otherwise insane situation.

Just last week, Cheeks got into it with Darius Miles. What ensued was a two-game suspension of the former third overall pick in the 2000 draft out of East St. Louis High. The fallout also included an offer of resignation from the head coach that was promptly denied by management.

Rafer Alston and Sam Mitchell talk over a play earlier in the season. (Andy Hayt/NBAE/Getty Images)

What was also revealed in Jason Quick’s article from the Oregonian was an outline of reasons why the NBA’s hot-spot of the Pacific Northwest finds itself in such a dire situation of missing the playoffs for the second straight season after 21-consecutive trips to the dance floor.

Injuries are partly to blame. A horrid shooting slump from the backcourt has played a significant role. Oh, and Mo admits he waited too long to make line-up changes. It’s hardly fair to kick a franchise when it’s down, but I’m just going to throw this out – is there a chance that maybe Cheeks and Blazers management have played more of a significant role than what we’re led to believe regarding the club’s current predicament?

And while Mo is certainly not the first and won’t be the last coach to be victimized by player rebellion, once again we are seeing here in Toronto the willingness of a former Bucks assistant to buck an awful trend.

Sam Miitchell’s old-school tactics – with the full backing of Rob Babcock – have ruffled Rafer Alston’s feathers and vice-versa. Yet, accountability continues to be the theme throughout this most-trying campaign of winning games, winning fans and winning respect. While this ‘slippage’ in the relationship between head coach and starting point guard has been on a rocky continuum, it’s just another step toward building a better program.

If it sounds like I’m doing a fair bit of massaging here, that’s just ignorance blinding the essence of the situation. Can we agree that Rafer Alston is a good guy who made a bad decision at a Saturday afternoon practice? The parameters of said ‘decision’ are unknown and for obvious reasons, will stay that way. All we need to know is that there are rules in place at Raptors practice and one player over-stepped that boundary.

As Raptors management has stated over the last few days, Rafer’s passion can be a plus and a minus. Do the Raptors cut ties with one of the hardest-working players in the NBA? Well, how many of you have “cut bait” (a term I’ve heard too many times over the past few days) with your kids when they talked back to you?

Without a doubt, the Raptors fail when Rafer doesn’t run the offense the way it should. But despite his importance to the club, Mitchell and Babcock aren’t afraid to make difficult decisions. And that’s why the Raptors were behind the eight-ball even before they took to the court with Phoenix Sunday at Air Canada Centre.

As for Cheeks and the Blazers, regret has run its course. Regarding early season line-up changes, Mo told the Oregonian "I waited too long, and that's one of the things I can beat myself up about right now.” Cheeks also got caught up in the talent of Zach Randolph. And the man who scored an $84 million contract extension days before the start of the season, has failed to live up to expectations. Yet another reason why GM John Nash is pressing for deadline deals in order to get the Blazers back to the playoffs.

But the Raptors have got it right with accountability and perspective presiding. And at this stage of growth, that must be paramount. Babcock and Mitchell will be the first to tell you that's definitely one of 12 daily practices to guarantee tomorrow’s success.