Game Recap: Lakers 121, Raptors 101

Disgusting. The trade, the game, the refs, the dunks. In a very disappointing loss, the Raptors showed fight for three quarters before horrible calls, bad choices by Sam Mitchell and the Raptors, and a guy wearing the number “24” took the game away.

First off, congratulations on the Lakers landing Gasol for basically nothing. In what can be considered an absolutely horribly one-sided trade, the Memphis Grizzlies basically got cap space for their best big man. The Lakers, on the other hand, rid themselves of a perennial turnover machine named Kwame Brown. In fact, not having Brown in the lineup probably helped the Lakers further in the win, as it allowed the Lakers to keep their turnovers to just five for the night.

On this night, though, it was the Kobe and Bargnani show. Just as Kobe got his calls for ticky-tack fouls, he also made a variety of incredible shots. To make matters worse, the Raptors kept playing him to shoot rather than drive, giving him the opportunity for several beautiful dunks throughout the game.  For a while, it looked like a flashback to two years ago as the Raptors had nothing in the interior that could stop Kobe.  Then the rest of the Lakers started making all their shots, and as a result, the Lakers put some distance against the Raptors.

Nevertheless, it’s just inexcusable that the Raptors, and especially Chris Bosh, did not receive the same kind of calls that Kobe was getting.  Within our own building, the Raptors tried to get the ball inside multiple times and were hammered every single time without a whistle.  On one particular occasion, Jose drove to the hoop and was ridden down by a Laker all the way, only to miss the shot and have no call go against him.  With another play, Jose was on the break, pulled up and got smacked in the back of the head as he laid in the basket.  Once again, no foul was called.  Surprisingly, the Raptors still managed get almost double the amount of shots LA was taking from the line.  Largely, this was due to the continued improved play of Andrea as he once again managed multiple trips to the free throw line.  Shooting a high percentage, and playing somewhat adequate defense, Andrea was the consistent bright spot of the night until Sam pulled in in the fourth.

The fourth was when things really came off, and the blame has to go with Sam on this one.  By going small against an already quicker, more athletic, and now bigger Lakers squad, the Raptors saw the Lakers run away with the game.  There’s just really no excuse for having Calderon, Dixon, Moon, Bosh, and Kapono on the floor at the same time.  First of all, none of these players were shooting well except for Kapono and Bargnani, and more importantly, this group would be very weak defensively against a guy like Bryant and taller guys like Odom.  The sad thing was, fans could see that Bosh was gassed before the end of the third, and yet, Nesterovic (playing an excellent first half) was nowhere to be seen to relieve Bosh.

Overall, this outing was a very disappointing loss.  The Raptors had every chance to take the lead at some point, but instead, allowed the Lakers to come back at every turn.  It’s this ability to constantly keep an opponent down in a close game that the Raptors had last year, but seem to lack this year.  People might want to talk about margin of victory and other stats such as those, but in the end, there’s a feeling from those teams that exude the confidence that they can win each and every single game.  That’s just not present in this year’s squad, and will continue to be the downfall for our boys in white and red.

Next Game:  Toronto @ Miami

Blogging with the Enemy: Forum Blue and Gold

We’re starting a new feature here at HoopsAddict.com. Bloggers have quickly become a great resource around the net and we’ll be trying to get in touch with the best blogs around the league as the Raptors play their respective teams.

Today, we have Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold.

Q: How has the loss of Andrew Bynum affected the Lakers?

Being without Bynum has turned this team into the squad Kobe feared last summer. Bynum has developed into the true second option on offense by taking that pressure off the streaky Odom, who when asked to win the game last night against the Pistons shot an airball. Tex Winter’s triangle offense that the Lakers run has one corner of the triangle in the low block, and Bynum has provided that — single cover him, and he can score on just about any big, double him, and he passes out well (and to double him you leave someone like Derek Fisher open). The other thing Bynum did well on offense was play off Kobe. He would come down and set a pick for Kobe out by the three point line, and when the two defenders did the smart thing and made sure Kobe didn’t drive past them for an easy basket Bynum would roll to the hoop for the lob and dunk. The help defender couldn’t rotate off of Bynum without paying a price, and that opened things up for all the Lakers who can drive the lane, such as Kobe, Odom, Fisher, Farmar, and Ariza.

But the bigger thing Bynum did was on the defensive end. He was a shot blocker in the paint who could also alter shots. That allowed the wing defenders to play tighter, jump passing lanes, and be more aggressive. When the Lakers play well, they are playing good defense, and Bynum had become a big part of that.

Q: Is Kwame Brown the Laker version of our former draft pick, Rafael Araujo? And will he ever become the player that GMs seem to want from him?

The worst thing to ever happen to Kwame was being drafted #1 and coming with all that hype. What we’ve learned over the years of watching guys come out of high school is that the ones who are really driven to improve (Kobe, KG, Jermaine O’Neal) become good players, but the ones who quickly become comfortable never reach that level. Kwame Brown is the latter. My suggestion is to read this story from Kevin Ding in the OC Register. The fact of the matter is, despite what is expected of him, Kwame is quite happy being who he is. And that is the role of a backup center in the NBA. You just can’t look at him as a #1 pick overall or as a guy who is making $9 mil this season. He should never have been asked to be that guy. He just is what he is, and that is pedestrian.

Q: What move do the Lakers need to make to get to the championship?

A little more maturity, allowing them to play better in tight situations. A little more depth and talent, particularly along the front line. More consistency. More Time. To stay healthy.

Now even with all of that, winning the West right now is all about match-ups. The Spurs can beat the Suns, yet struggle with Dallas. Phoenix has days where they look like they can’t be beat, then they lose to teams with good scoring centers. (They even lost to the T-Wolves because they couldn’t stop Al Jefferson.) Nobody is sure what the Hornets and Timberwolves will bring to the playoffs this season. It’s going to be interesting.

HoopsAddict.com would like to once again thank Kurt for his time. Please don’t forget to visit Forum Blue and Gold!

Just in, a Bonus Question:

Q: What are your thoughts on the Gasol Trade?
YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!!

On a more rational note (and, by the way, Laker fans are not rational right now, exuberance has run amok): Gasol is a great fit for the Lakers offense. He’ll play the four where he’ll get the ball in the high post or low post (depending on matchups), be asked to move without the ball (something he does well) and will get good looks inside and out. Gasol’s well-rounded Euro game is a great fit at the four for the Lakers offense. What are the knocks on
him?  He’s not an intimidator in the paint on defense and not great on the boards?  Well, with Bynum back he doesn’t have to be.

Think about the Lakers starting five once healthy: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum. Off the bench comes Vladamir Radmanovic, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf for energy, Sasha Vujacic for shooting. That’s a title contender in a big way.

Game Recap: Raptors 122, Wizards 83

One hoarse throat, a Raptor Bobblehead and a nice, full, energetic arena later, the Toronto Raptors found themselves on the favorable end of a complete routing of the Washington Wizards. It wasn’t even close, and it makes you just wonder how the Raptors played so poorly only 24 hours ago? Was it the crowd consistently shouting “d-fence” (while I shouted “Re-bound” off beat) from the get go? Was it really just better shooting from a team that usually shoots great? Or was it just destiny that a depleted Wizards team was going to lose the tail end of a back to back?

Turns out the Raptors were just plain angry.

While there’s still no excuse for Tuesday’s let down, the complete team win on Wednesday, I’m sure, cleansed the palette for some.  For the second time in a week, the Raptors managed to hit for above 70% from beyond the arc, which is a ridiculous number for sure.  AP, Bargs, Juan Dixon, Jose, and Delfino all found the bottom of the basket from beyond.  Notice, though, that Jason Kapono didn’t make a single three last night.  That’s not to say he didn’t play well, but it’s pretty surprising that he didn’t even attempt one.   Nevertheless, it was easy to say that the entire team was extremely productive, but there are a few things to point out.  For one, Bosh didn’t seem aggressive during the game.  Yes, his shot was falling fairly consistently, and Rasho came in and gave lots of energy and help, but it was a matter of fortunate circumstance.  Bosh got to the line twice during the game and pulled down only four rebounds in just under 20 minutes of play, and to be honest took the night off.  Jamario, while it looked like he had a pretty efficient night, also had difficulties as he wasn’t putting a body on a man or going and attacking the rim with any consistency.

Still, it’s really just nitpicking at the details.  Juan Dixon showed for one night that he could be a pretty good point guard, which will be important as TJ Ford is slated to make his return soon, but not immediately.  With four very good steals, Juan showed that he could be active on the defensive end as well as make some good decisions on the offensive side of things.   Bargnani managed to get fouled consistently and drive to the basket before shooting the lights out from beyond the arc.  Finally, every Raptor managed to pick up a rebound except for Juan Dixon, so there was at least some kind of effort to crash the glass for the entire game.

Was this a “statement game” as that guy Paul Johnson said on the air? Sure, but the statement seems to be “We can beat up a depleted team that beat us up the day before.”  It’s a bare minimum to expect from our Raptors team, but it still hasn’t washed the bad taste from our mouths from the effort in Washington.  This is a team that we’re chasing in the conference and to split a a pair of easily winnable games due to unfortunate injuries on the Wizard’s end could come back to haunt the Raptors.  Nevertheless, this win allows the Raptors to go into Friday’s game with some confidence and momentum and may have even given some GMs a look at the end-of-the-bench players on the squad that Bryan Colangelo is looking to parlay into a rebounding back up.  At the end of the day, that’s all you can really ask for.

Next Game: Los Angeles (Lakers) @ Toronto

Game Recap: Wizards 108, Raptors 104

History felt like it was about to repeat, but some days, you just don’t deserve to win. In what can be called a great last minute effort, the Raptors came up with too little in the second half and overtime. And that was with a lot of calls going their way.

With the Raptors shooting high percentages in their past two games, it was not surprising to see them fall back to Earth for this one. A three day break can give a team a lot of time to recover, but it’ll also mean that any momentum or feeling of consistency will disappear. Carlos Delfino, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and Andrea Bargnani all had horrible shooting nights coupled with poor decision making. From this game alone, it shows how vulnerable the Raptors can be when they rely solely on hot outside shooting. There just isn’t anyone on the team willing to consistently take it to the basket on this team, with the exception of Kris Humphries, who was the lone fighter in the post.

That’s not to say a guy like Andrea Bargnani didn’t do some work in the game too. Bargnani, even though he was plagued with foul trouble, attempted to rebound in this game, giving the team a solid effort for the first half. However, as the shots started bouncing off the rim, Toronto couldn’t buy a rebound in the second half. Being out rebounded by 13 against another Eastern Conference team is simply inexcusable, especially with the Raptors shooting around 30% in the third. The combination of Blatche and McGuire completely out hustled and outplayed a Raptors team that had a full compliment of players.

With Caron Butler being a scratch and the Raptors having a few days off leading up to this game a second half let down was just that much more puzzling. By shying away from the foul line and jacking up outside shots, the Raptors allowed the Wizards to run up the lead after being unable to score for almost five minutes. It was here Bosh needed to take control of the team by going to the line and showing his teammates what to do. Yes, the Wizards made large adjustments on Bosh after the first half, but that just meant that he has to try that much harder to keep a consistent effort. Frankly, it should be a slap in the face that Joey Graham was the most active player going to the basket in that quarter, and despite last second heroics by Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, the game should have never come down to those final shots.

However, there has to be a lot of respect given to this Wizards squad for not folding. With a bunch of backups, a thin bench, and without two of their top players, they managed to come out with a win despite the Raptors’ final second comeback. There is no greater proof of this Wizards team than their display of mental toughness in the overtime period. Theoretically, Toronto should have had all the momentum thanks to their repeat performance of the improbable shot made by Mo Pete last year. Instead, the Wizards took the game to the Raptors and pulled down rebounds, attacked the interior, and made some timely three pointers as well. It’s no surprise then, that Washington beat a team like Boston twice in a row, and if the Raptors aren’t careful, the same fate could await them.

Nevertheless, the Raptors are on their way back to the ACC today. Toronto should be pretty riled up about their poor performance and hopefully, they will take the fight to the Wizards physically. It’s the tail end of the back to back, and there’s just no excuse for at least splitting these two games with Washington.

Next Game: Washington @ Toronto

Before the Trade Deadline: Kris Humphries

As the trade deadline approaches, it’s important to take a look at some of the so-called tradeable assets on this Raptors team. What are the strengths and weaknesses of a player, looking at the current and future possibilities, and of course salary situations.

Salary: $2.5 million this season with an extension through 2010-2011 season.

Strengths: Perhaps the toughest “big body” on the Raptors squad. A banger who has some hops and can hit some shots. He’s able to grab rebounds on both ends of the floor as well as block shots. Able to get to the line.

Weaknesses: Has some tendencies to disappear in games for stretches. Takes some bad fouls, even worse shots. Has a “black hole” complex.

Comments: As an intriguing prospect, Kris Humphries has already paid dividends for the Raptors. First, as a great trade that brought him to the Raptors for basically nothing, and then to give the Raptors an aspect of what they need from the 4-position. It’s definitely not a stretch to say that Kris is our most effective rebounder and the trail of sweat that he leaves on the floor is proof positive of this fact. The question is, on a team so desperate for rebounding, why doesn’t Kris Humphries get more minutes?

Part of the problem is that the thinking is that Kris is still mainly a power forward, which means that Chris Bosh is ahead of him on the team. Granted, he has played minutes with CB4, but his role seems to be to back Chris Bosh up. The other difficulty is that you’re never quite sure about what you’re going to get from the man known as “Hump”. As a rebounder, Kris definitely excels, but there’s always the question of his offense.

The fact is, when Kris is on fire, he looks like the second coming of Karl Malone. He can hit the outside shot, both from standstill and from a pull up, he can drive the ball inside, he can post up, and he definitely finishes strong around the basket. Kris has had far more off-days than spectacular ones, which isn’t a problem, as he’s a bench player and can’t be expected to pull the team all the time. Nevertheless, there’s just no excuse for his lack of passing and his need to always try an offensive move or two before passing the ball out of a difficult situation. As a result, Sam’s had to bench him as he completely pulls the offense into a stand-still due to his belief in his offensive prowess. Add to the fact that he’s wildly inconsistent from the free throw line, and you wish Kris would kick the ball out of the post more often.

Nevertheless, Kris Humphries is as close to an untouchable as you’re going to get from a Raptors’ bench player. Even though the final details of his contract extension aren’t publicly available, the estimates are that he will receive somewhere between $2-4 million through 2011, which is a very manageable contract for such a young player that can still give the team unexpected rebounding. As a cheap, physical presence who isn’t a bad influence in the locker room, and one of the best interviews on the entire Raptors’ squad, Kris’ value will continue to shine through in upcoming years.

Verdict: Highly unlikely due to his valuable low contract and necessary abilities. The Raptors should only trade Humphries if it is to upgrade their rebounding situation.

Game Recap: Raptors 106, Bucks 75

Get the job done quick, shut everyone done. Sounds like a very workman night, doesn’t it? In what can be called a total dismantling of the Bucks, the Raptors managed to get double digit production from four out of five starters plus Carlos Delfino, finally got Andrea Bargnani to display some of his successes on the road at home, and probably most importantly, showed that they could put the hammer down on a sub .500 team in the East who was playing the tail end of a back-to-back.

To start things off, the first half of the game was a very sloppy affair. In all honesty, the Raptors had ample opportunities to begin to pull away from the Bucks, but due to careless passes, dribbling in a crowd, and other factors, the Raptors had great difficulty building any type of lead. In fact, after committing eight turnovers in the first half, the Raptors only committed three more for the rest of the entire game. And while Andrea Bargnani scored most of his points in the second half, he did manage to get on the boards as well as draw some fouls on the Bucks in the first half. Those are the kinds of plays that we should be looking for from Bargs as he tries to get out of his funk. It’s the kind of production we don’t see much out of him, and the type that shows he’s getting the hang of something other than scoring.

As the second half rolled around, the Raptors were shooting a fairly good percentage, but were having lots of trouble keeping the Bucks off the board. Charlie Villanueva and Bobby Simmons especially became a handful for the Raptors, but what was surprising to me was just how long the Bucks allowed Villanueva to sit on the bench in the third. By the time all was said and done, the Raptors managed to completely shut down the Bucks through turnovers and scoring efficiency. They also managed to get some good rebounding from just about every player on the team as every player had at least one rebound. Combine these two factors and the Raptors managed to outscore the Bucks by nearly 300%, and it was lights out.

One thing to really note is that the Raptors managed to score above 100 points yet again, but with only a 50% shooting percentage. Three point shooting was still incredibly higher than the regular shots, but the Raptors managed to get about 75 shots up this game, which is a more respectable number. However, how many games can we expect Carlos Delfino to go 4-for-6 from downtown? Nevertheless, the most encouraging aspects were the fact that the Raptors hit the glass six more times than the Bucks and got to the line a healthy 25 times thanks to the efforts of Bargnani, Calderon, Humphries, and of course, Chris Bosh.

So what exactly is the recipe to getting the Raptors scoring consistently above 100 points. The fact of the matter is, the Raptors are a good 3 point shooting club, and if they’re on their game, they have to rely on their strengths. However, as was evidenced with the Boston game, the Raptors have to shoot incredibly well just to keep up with an elite team. It’s therefore got to come back to rebounding and getting to the line. The Raptors, afterall, managed to get seven more possessions without playing their best players consistently for the entire game and it’s games like this that truly prove how dangerous the club can be.

Next Game: Toronto @ Washington

Before the Trade Deadline: Jason Kapono

As the trade deadline approaches, it’s important to take a look at some of the so-called tradeable assets on this Raptors team. What are the strengths and weaknesses of a player, looking at the current and future possibilities, and of course salary situations.

Salary: $5-6 million guaranteed through 2010-2011 season.

Strengths: The best pure shooter on the Raptors’ squad. He is able to take shots from just about anywhere on the court and has some surprising ability to shoot off the dribble. He also is not afraid of taking the ball to the hoop and has adequate ball handling skills to do so.

Weaknesses: Although he is not a terrible defender, the Raptors defense relies a lot on player judgment and Jason Kapono sometimes makes improper decisions. More importantly, his foot speed is often not quick enough to match up with most other SFs in the league. Has difficulties rebounding.

Comments: As the Raptors’ big off-season signing, Jason Kapono came into Toronto with a lot of hope and attention. The reigning three point shooter, Jason Kapono has kept his shot accuracy in the high 40’s for most of his career before leading the league last year. The idea was that having Anthony Parker on one side and Kapono on the other would decimate teams. The question is though, how has this plan fallen apart so terribly? Even in the days of Dell Curry and Dee Brown, the Raptors never had difficulties getting the ball to the appropriate three point specialist and still found a place for them on their roster despite their defensive ineptitudes. Jason, unlike those two other shooters, can actually defend a little due to his size and youth. However, this year, they have encountered a lot of difficulties getting Kapono a lot of good open looks.

Accuracy-wise, it hasn’t been a problem, but it’s just the volume of shots. In recent times, Kapono has only managed to get two or three shots within his time on the floor. More concerning is that while he’s an important offensive threat, the Raptors continue to try and use defense to beat teams. Therefore, is Jason Kapono an unnecessary commodity? As the other bench player with a huge contract, Jason’s name is going to come up as fans envision ways to balance out contracts.

The fact is, I like Jason Kapono’s game and what he brings to the table. The Raptors, in the best of nights, do not have many players that can create their own shot off the dribble. Surprisingly to me, Kapono is one of those guys. It’s unfortunate, though, that the Raptor’s defensive rotations are so poor on some nights that help defense doesn’t come often enough to bail Kapono out of a situation. Add to the fact that he’s often playing with a second string point guard who’s very poor at recognizing open shooters that are two or three passes down the line and you have a recipe for disaster for our guy from UCLA.

So what’s the deal? The fact is, Jason Kapono has not really gotten a good shake as a Raptor so far. He managed to get into a rhythm at the beginning of the season, but being dumped on the bench and now without a good point guard playing at his side, he’s had to find some way to get playing time and shots up without ruining the chemistry of the bench. More importantly is Jason’s ability to shoot off the dribble. It’s not something that anyone else can do on the Raptors’ squad except for TJ Ford and Jose Calderon. He’s not prone towards turning the ball over when driving to the paint, which is a great sign. In the end, he just needs to work on his rebounding and his defensive intensity. Although this year might be a struggle for him, I believe that in the next few years, he could develop into an essential part of our Raptors squad, especially on a bench that will continue to struggle to score in the immediate future. If a team is interested in his new contract, I don’t see his loss as being completely detrimental, but I also think that he’ll prove to be more valuable than most people believe in the future.

Verdict: Pretty much an untradeable contract, being that it’s the first year of a four year deal. Only worth trading if a strong wing player comes back.