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FIBA — A Canadian Catastrophe

Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The coaches who win are the ones who can motivate their players — Vince Lombardi

We may be a month away from NBA action but basketball fans are getting a bonus this year. Across the pond, the FIBA World Championships are underway in Turkey bringing together basketball talent from around the globe. While teams like USA have left some of their star power at home, most participating countries have come fully loaded.

The Canadian team with a fresh new sponsorship deal thanks to Bell Canada made their first appearance in 8 years under coach Leo Rautins. They played well leading up to the tournament and went in with hopes to at the least get through the preliminary round. Those hopes were squashed in a hurry as the team blew leads in the first 3 games and then completely deflated to end 0-5. They could have easily won the first 3, they should have. Instead, they are packing their bags and heading home.

What went wrong though? Who is to blame for this embarrassment?

The first mistake was when Basketball Canada severed ties with former coach Jay Triano and brought on ex-player Leo Rautins to try his hand at coaching. While Leo may have been a good player in his time, he has never coached at any level. There is more to coaching than knowing the game. A coach needs to be able to motivate his players, connect with them and have a plan. Rautins didn’t display any of these attributes in the 5 games I watched, and even though he was working with marginal talents, it seems they were playing on their own. The substitutions were horrible, play calling that resembled that of a high school team and no sign of coach in the final minutes of the game when the team really needed him the most.

Michael Grange of the National Post doesn’t think all the blame should go on the inexperienced coach (link). I agree with some of his arguments but the guys in red and while played their hearts out without having a real coach to steer them in a winning direction. Its a shame that while Leo was strutting the sidelines for Canada the best Canadian coach, Jay Triano, is calling plays for basketball superpower Team USA — blame it on the politics.

Coach Rautins began this coaching stint a couple of years back and very quickly lost one of Canada’s better players, Samuel Dalambert. The two butted heads which led to Dalambert leaving the National team with no intent to return if Leo was on the sidelines. Coach also tried to woo Steve Nash to play for the National team but his allegiance lies with Jay Triano and Nash was not too happy when Basketball Canada made the coaching change. Before the tournament, Matt Bonner had applied for expedited Canadian status but was rejected. All that left Leo with Joel Anthony as his best NBA player along with his son Andy who got injured and was unable to contribute.

All is not lost though, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel — call it, THE FUTURE. With names like Myck Kabongo, Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson coming up, there is hope again that the next crop will take Canada Basketball to the next level… hopefully under a new coach!

02.09.2010 OT 1 Comment

Raptor Report Card – Vegas Summer League

Anytime I can watch some basketball during the long offseason I get excited. Last week I set off for Vegas to catch NBA Summer League, otherwise known as glorified pickup ball. It’s a great opportunity to catch the rookies in action and get a feel of what the youth is going add to a team. In the past, there have been players who have made a name at summer league — some go on to success in the NBA and others remain summer league legends. For me, this was a chance to catch the Young Gunz in action and begin to evaluate the Raptors in the post-Bosh era.

Paired with Sonny Weems, the Raptors had a full highwire act going with DeRozan. DeRozan looked like he was primed for a signicant jump in productivity this season, especially with Chris Bosh you-know-where. He has such great length and his explosion was in the elite class. Averaging 21 points and 4.5 rebounds during Summer League, he and Weems had a plethora of highlight reels and looked like possibly the most impressive sophomore of the bunch. — Matt Moore (CBS)

There was a lot expected of DeMar last summer as he was drafted 9th overall by the Raptors and he had a fairly solid showing. This summer was different as he looked to be a man amongst boys. Right away you could see a change in his body — bulked up his upper half. His focus was there out the gates and it wasn’t long before he had heads turning. His mid-range game seems to have become more consistent, he was more committed to getting to the basket and the rebounding numbers were more in line with what the team needs after losing Bosh this summer. It is no secret that he is more of a quiet guy on the floor and that is something he needs to work on. With CB4 gone, there is a need for guys to step up and even though it may be a lot to ask from a young guy he will be better for it in the long run. Right now he has a comfort zone with Weems, Johnson and Jack but he has a chance to grow into a leader on this team.

Davis turned out to be one of the biggest surprises for me at summer league. Not just from the Raptors but almost all the guys I watched over the span of 5 days. Considering that he had not played organized basketball since about February, he was able to make his presence felt on both ends of the floor. He definitely is raw offensively but he already has a couple of go to moves and seems to be a great position player. His basketball IQ is there which helps him be johnny on the spot grabbing boards and swatting the ball into the stands. I didn’t know what to expect going in to watch him play but he really got me excited for the upcoming season. He comes from a good program and its evident that he has focused on the fundamentals. He also has a good frame that will fill out with access to a training staff. His lower body is bigger than the departed star which will help him in the block holding his ground. Again, he doesn’t have that alpha personality but if the other Young Gunz take him in there is a great opportunity for the team to have some serious chemistry that can will a few wins through the course of the season.

Weems surprised Raptor fans over the past season and took his act to summer league. Everyone I talked to wanted to talk about him and how he has found a perfect situation for himself. The jumper was there last season and it complements his high flying act. He had some of the best dunks seen in Vegas but still committed himself to defense. Two things stood out to me — Firstly, DeMar looks bigger than Sonny now and Secondly, he really needs to pass the ball a little more. Maybe it was summer league and he was having fun with it but it sure seemed like he jacked up a lot of shots. I imagine this was his final trip to Vegas in the summer (along with DeMar) and seeing what he brings to the table I see him as a core component to the Toronto Raptors in the future.

One word — RAW. Alabi is a project, straight and simple. He didn’t start playing organized basketball until a later age compared to most and has a lot to learn on a more basic level. I expect to see him in the D League or street clothes but if he focuses, he can learn a lot from observing the other players at his position. He has the length to be a premier shot blocker and rebounder but right now he needs to figure out how to play positionally. He has a butter fingers effect going for him right now which doesn’t allow finishing at the hoop with confidence. His face up game is more developed than the other aspects of his game. Right now the best thing for him is to watch, learn and practice hard. He has a bunch of guys ahead of him at the position so he will not have any pressure, rather just have a chance to develop at a steady pace with good coaching and some cooperation on his end.

Dwight-lite as @stackmack puts it. This guy is massive. Built like a tank with the cantaloupe shoulders, the only thing he lacks is height. With a non-guaranteed contract, Dorsey had to try and impress the Raptors coaching staff. He can rebound with the best of them but it stops there. Coaches were constantly harping at him for not running plays they called or when he was in a position to score he just couldn’t finish. I think if a team is committed to try and develop him as a Ben Wallace type it may work for him. I can’t see him cracking the Raptors roster when the team is already deep at his position making it hard to find minutes for him to develop. There is only room for 1 project at a time and the team has already handed Alabi that pass.

22.07.2010 Raptor Report 3 Comments

Raptor Rave – Live from Las Vegas

This week has been quite the emotional roller coaster for Raptor fans — life without all-star Chris Bosh and a recent botched trade with the Bobcats. Alas there is a silver lining here as we look forward to the “Young Gunz” era.

Bryan Colangelo’s first order of business was to lock up Amir Johnson long term. The last player ever to be drafted out of high school has found a home in Toronto and his brand of basketball has meshed well with DeMar DeRozan and Sonny Weems. The three formed a fun, athletic unit and allow the team to play a much more uptempo game. Just two games into summer league it is evident that Sonny and DeMar have worked on their games and are tearing it up here.

This years draft also saw Colangelo picking up two young, athletic big men. Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi are very raw on the offensive end but have the makeup to run the floor and get easy buckets while paying focus more on the defensive end. Davis known for his shot blocking abilities may see time at the 4 and 5 spot depending on how much C Bargnani has to play during the season. Alabi may spend the season in street clothes but has the potential to grow into a solid Center.

There is a good balance of youth and veterans on this team now and with the departure of much maligned Hedo Turkoglu, the team seems to have good chemistry going forward.

I will be at the next 3 summer league games so make sure you follow me on Twitter – @Nat77 and check back here as I will post a daily recap of Raptor games as well as some early looks at other rookies in the league

14.07.2010 Raptor Raves 2 Comments

REACTION 2010 – A Twitter Timeline

Decision 2010 has come and gone. After creating a spectacle few will forget, LeBron chose Miami (or rather SOUTH BEACH). Thanks to twitter the reactions were instant and raw coming from fans, players and media — everyone but Miami Heat fans. Are there any out there??? The most extreme reaction came from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert who seems to have a case of verbal diarrhea. Talk about transparency. If there is one thing you need to read this AM it is this — Open letter to fans. While you are at it… may as well check out the Twitter meltdown from LeBron’s former teammate Mo Williams. Epic.

There are enough amazing columns about the whole ordeal from the leadup to the letdown (see below for a few selections). Everyone has an opinion and on this night in particular — they had jokes. One of the things that grabbed my attention was seeing how other athletes reacted to the news. I selected a few and formed a timeline as the events unfolded. Here goes…

THE HYPE…

Anthony Morrow – If LeBron leaves Cleveland they may as well go back to wearing those black unis wit the orange rim on them like back when bob sura played LOL

Sean May – Just got finished hoopn headed home to see what LBJ gone say! I say cleavland! Lol! This is kind of wild how everyone is waiting to see what 1 person does

Chris Bosh – Finally done with my physicals! I have to hurry so I can get in front of the TV and watch “The Decision”

Aaron Brooks – Lebron will start his own team in the state of Akron. Obama and Stern have approved the expansion of NBA and USA. Akron Kings

Larry Fitzgerald – Maybe Lebron should do like his commercial from last year & just announce that he’s gonna play WR for the Browns this season lol

Jordan Crawford – This is not about where bron gonna go… This is just a step for him to see if he can take over the world smh.. First step COMPLETE

Nate Robinson – Where is this dude LeBron going? He needs to hurry up B

Chris Bosh – I’m suited up and ready! Bout to watch ESPN. This is sports history we’re watching tonight!

TJ Ford – Who watch’n the decision.. Didn’t think I would be tune but I am.. This season will be off tha chain.

Anthony Morrow – “The Decision” LOLOLOL this sh*t is ridiculous!!!

Jordan Crawford – Bra it’s 9:03 we need the answer… What’s good

James Harden – HURRY UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jalen Rose – I’m glad Darko didn’t make us wait this long to get drafted or to sign this summer…HA!

DeJuan Blair – Lebron James is going to Chicago and Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are coming out of retirement. Steve Kerr will be coach!!!

Charlie Bell – The world is at a stand still. Lol

JaVale McGee – R we seriously waiting for Lebron to say 4 words… I’m going to Miami/Chicago/New York/Cleveland

DeMar DeRozan – I wonder what’s the ratings on this? Lol

Jonny Flynn – Every follower I have is talking about LeBron. The world is In a stand still! Lol

DeJuan Blair – I’m nervous like I’m makin the decision lol!!!!! Well everybody I’m goin 2 da spurs thanks everybody 4 watching lol!!! Hahahahhaha!!

Andy Roddick – lebron is working an awesome abe lincoln beard in this interview!!! tight!!!

DRUMROLL….

Jason Thompson – WOW

DeMar DeRozan – Knew it….

JaVale McGee – R u still a nail biter…r u serious?…and Miami wow

Sean May – Wow!!! Didn’t think he’d pull the trigger

DeJuan Blair – WOWWWwwwwwwwwww!!!!!! No REsPECT!!! SMGDH!!!!

Marcus Williams – Sucker move.

DeMar DeRozan – What’s next Melo and Dwight to the Lakers?

Andy Roddick – cue will smith “welcome to miami”

Jared Dudley – WOW Miami! I can’t believe it!! Who would of thought D-Wade Lebron and Bosh on the same time..I really believed it was goin to be the knicks

Chris Bosh – Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jared Dudley – Lebron at the end of the day makes his own decisions.. He could of had a change of heart.. I feel bad for Cleveland and the Knicks

Chad Ochocinco – I just purchased courtside tickets for the #HEAT games once football season ends, my judgement was wrong, but this finna be #awesome

Sean May – I don’t know how they goin do next year! But I know they goin be nice on NBA 2k11 ! Lol

Jalen Rose – I don’t want to see fans of the Knicks/Bulls/Nets/Cavs/Clips/Heat(esp celebs) RUNNING to the camera on the Heat bandwagon.

Kyle Lowry – Dont everybody jump on!!

Reggie Bush – I know one thing, Miami gonna be crazy now!!!! Lol!!!

Sean Singletary – He said Miami n every girl n south beach jus got thirsty…

Chris Douglas Roberts – Ok….so it’s obvious that the Bucks will win the Central Division. What else do you guys see going on in the East?

Kyle Lowry – The heat will have 82 national tv games!!!

Jalen Rose – Pat Riley is the GODFATHER of the league.. All he needs now is talk w/a cottonball in his mouth.

Terrence Williams – Kobe would have never done nothing like that, an he’s the best, now if they don’t get a ring how sick would they B. I def will be playing with the heat on 2k11 tho

TJ Ford – That’s crazy.. Shouldn’t burn his jersey but that’s why we luv our family & talk about our familys so much” ain’t no luv in tha city ” jay z

Dwight Howard – Cmon cavs fans don’t do that. That man went hard for y’all for 7 yrs. He doin what’s best for him burning his jersey is messed up. That’s bs. Burning his jersey. That man tried. Wow

Matt Barnes – They bought there self a DREAM TEAM over in MIA. This will be interesting!!

Kevin Durant – …bron dwade n bosh are gonna b tuff…we gon see them on campus at Thunder U. this season…shuld be a fun game!!! #thunderup

Chris Paul – Glad bron finally got that off his chest…NO ONE can possibly imagine how tough that decision was for him…wish him all the best!!!

DeSean Jackson – This shit crazy Lebron signed wit miami with d wade and c bosh.. They tryn do somethangs huh?? Tryn buy a championship.. LAKERS.. Kobe24

Donte Stallworth – The focus should be on how SELFLESS these 3 guys are in taking LESS $ to try to win a championship… The media is funny!

Dwyane Wade – MIAMI. Welcome my brothers @KingJames and @chrisbosh to YOUR city.

Martellus Bennett – I know who I’m picking on NBA 2K11 lol. Heaaaattttt.

Jonny Flynn – Does ppl really think he wanted to disappoint CLE? He made HIS decision. What made HIM happy. Ppl have to respect it

Nick Collison – DECISION 11′ has officially begun!!! 365 days until Nick Collison announces his free agent decision in a one hour special live on PBS!!!

JR Smith – And the games begin!! Don’t get me wrong they are going to be a good team but I think we going to be ready! #trust

Jalen Rose – LBJ might as well put his house in Ohio on the market…it will be the biggest celeb mansion on the market since 50 Cent in CT.

Charlie Villanueva – Miami just more brought more attention and hyped entertainment to the @NBA league. I think it doesn’t hurt the game, it helps majorly.

Manu Ginobli – Rumor: @LScola4 to Miami? They say they need at least one explosive athlete in the team…

Rod Benson – CODDAMN DAN GILBERT. Man that’s true anger right there. Today has been absolutely nuts.

Kyle Lowry – Cavs owner snap!!! That’s crazy how you see people real side when things dnt go their way!!!! Wow!!!!!!

Chris Bosh – It’s madness out here! I’m on cloud 9 right now! This is like a dream come true to play with @dwadeofficial and @kingjames!

CJ Watson – Dan Gilbert went in on bron bron lol he’s hot

Mario Chalmers – All I can say is this is gonna b a fun and exciting year. Can’t wait till oct 1st. Somebody tell Lebron to hills at me bout #6 lol

Jared Dudley – Wow!! U see what the owner of the Cavs said about Lebron.. Crazy!! I know he’s from there but DAMN!!! I never heard a owner talk like that

BEGIN: Mo Williams Meldown

- Well fuck, I gotta be honest. I’m sick ass a dog. I feel like my heart has been pulled out. But I’m happy for my friend. Shittttttttt
- I can’t believe this is really real. This is surreal. So many emotions on one man decision. I wonder what is our next move.
- The only thing, and I mean the only thing I disagree with is…. If he knew somewhere else was the destination. He should have spared cle on National TV
- But this was history so we might not understand the magnitude today. But when we look back on this, we might not see this again.
- I still can’t believe he gone y’all. 4real no bs. I think we all took it for granted and thought it was a no brainer and he was resigning
- The person that I feel most sorry for is mike brown. He is a really good coach.

END: Meltdown – The King has spoken… SIGH

LeBron James – What’s up yall. Just landed in my new home. Thanks to all the fans and Miami organization who greeted me. The Road to History starts now!

Other must read articles on Lebronapalooza

Henry Abbot @TrueHoop (ESPN): Name the crimes of LeBron James
Bruce Arthur @bruce_arthur (The National Post): James makes ruthless play for Miami
John Krolik @johnkrolik (Cavs: The Blog): We Are All Witnesses
Will Leitch @williamfleitch (NY Magazine): LeBron React: Never Has Being A Sports Fan Felt So Stupid
Joe Posnanski (Curiously Long Posts): The LeBron Decision

09.07.2010 NBA Observations 10 Comments

Destination: Miami — Scattered thoughts on Chris Bosh

The signs were all there but the biggest may have been when Bosh cropped his locks to prepare for the Miami HEAT! (yes, that was my attempt at a play on words) At some point Bosh realized he can’t do this on his own, he had earned his right to choose his destination and South Beach seemed to be the perfect fit. Earlier today he confirmed his decision on ESPN — already getting the national exposure he so desired. He was giddy as a school girl as he reveled his choice and so was his girlfriend who moments later tweeted that she is looking forward to the year round tanning *Le Sigh*.

Fans in Toronto can be angry about how he handled free agency but there are two parties involved here. Colangelo an Raptors management as a whole tried to play hardball and that may eventually cost them. From the looks of it, Bosh has decided to take less money to play where he wants. If that’s the case — good on him. He has stressed for a long time that he wants to win (3 playoff games won in 7 years is hardly a resume to boast about) and going to Miami where Pat Riley has shown he knows how to put together a winning team confirms that. The fact that Miami has just 4 players under contract is a whole nother story and should be interesting to see the pieces placed around the two stars.

Along with the winning, Bosh had said in the past that he wants to be the man somewhere. I guess no one told him that Miami is Wade County. Nonetheless, he has a better chance of being in the spotlight with Wade than with King James. Bosh never got the National exposure playing north of the border, but the losing didn’t help his case. Maybe if they won a series or two things would have been different. That’s as much on the Raptors organization as on him, the captain of the Toronto Raptors.

Right now that is my concern — The Raptors organization. They had plenty of chances to surround Bosh with good players but always picked the wrong guy. Colangelo tried to bring in friends of Bosh (see: TJ Ford and J Jack) to keep him happy but he would have been better off getting real talent around the 5 time all-star. Bosh walking and leaving the $30million is a big time blow to the Raptors. Bosh can make up some of that lost money on piggy back endorsements with Wade maybe and the face that Florida has no state taxes. The Raptors meanwhile can be blamed for Miami having the room to sign him in the first place. Colangelo did the Marion trade which allowed for Miami to clear space with the expiring Jermaine O’neal contract. Major OUCH.

There is still time for the Raptors to work something out and for the teams sake I hope they do. As stated many times on this blog — I am a season seat holder and my dedication is to this team (not an individual player) but when things like this happen I feel like I am being robbed in plain daylight. I have no ill feelings towards Bosh. Rather, a lot of great memories in 7 years with the Toronto Raptors. I will be one of the fans rooting for him as he continues his NBA journey and apologize in advance for all the fans at the ACC who will boo him.

Picture Above is via @sportscenter

07.07.2010 NBA Observations, Number Crunchin, Raptor Ramblings 6 Comments

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