Tag Archive for Jose Calderon

Bulls @ Raptors – 2 for the price of 1?

November 13, 2009 Nat Heels at the Game

IMG_0769The title of this post is exactly how I felt leaving the game. It was like I watched 2 for the price of 1. Coming back from a West Coast road trip, this could have played out like a trap game. The Bulls were tired after losing a heart breaker the night before and the Raptors made things easy on them in the 1st half. As the buzzer went off to end the 1st half, I looked up at the LED Ribbon that goes around the arena with game stats. Just one stat stood out. 2nd chance points… Raptors 0, Bulls 14. 2nd half came and went and when the final buzzer sounded I looked up to see the 2nd chance points. Raptors 14, Bulls 18. Did the halftime Jay Triano speech wake them up? Were they still in jet lag mode for the 1st half? There probably isn’t one answer. The Raptors did get better but the Bulls were the ones who ran out of gas.
IMG_0756Ole Jose: Jose has already missed more free throws than he did all of last season. He had no legs in his shots but over the last few games that has changed. He had 18 pts and 6 ast last night, blowing by Derrick Rose (yes you read that correctly) and swishing his jumper every time his defender went under the screen. The Raptors need this Jose if they want to win. Jarrett Jack is a solid addition to this team but it has almost feels like he is playing out of his element. He has been trying to be the guy who makes the big plays but with Jose settling down, maybe the pressure will be lifted off Jack and start to create a better balance.
IMG_0723I see flashes: DeMar DeRozan had arguably the best game of his young NBA career. Maybe it was the extra hype of going up against his ex-teammate Taj Gibson or a jolt from a miserable road trip. He started the game crashing the boards and even got to throw down a high light reel dunk in the 2nd half. Fans will have to remain patient with him. For every good night there maybe 2-3 filled with rookie mistakes. Reality is he is still a kid and was drafted on his potential. Last night we got a glimpse of what this potential may pan out to and I for one am excited!
IMG_0764Scoring Punch: Luol Deng has had a couple of injury plagued seasons. Seeing him on both ends of the floor in this one, he seems to be back at 100%. He was hitting the jumpers and staying active off the ball. Salmons was a good addition to this team as well. A lot of people thought last season was like a one hit wonder for him but he will make up for a lot of the scoring the Bulls lost when Gordon left. These two guys are going to have the ball in their hands a lot and with still no real post presence for the Bulls on offense teams are going to have to heavily game plan for both of them.
IMG_0730Mr. Do-It-All: He started off strong last season and everyone said it was lingering effects of winning gold at the Olympics. This year is no different. Sure he is in a contract year but Chris Bosh is playing out of his mind and I am just taking it in game by game. Am I worried he will get burnt out? YES. There is no way he is going to be able to sustain this level of play if he doesn’t get some help from teammates on the glass. Going up against 3 guys each time to grab a board is going have a toll on his body. He added on muscle this offseason and it has helped him finish at the rim against the bruising big men. Reality is though, if he has to do this on his own for much longer the team may not have this version of him available down the stretch for a playoff push.
IMG_0731Mirror Effect: While most people love comparing Bargnani to Dirk, I couldn’t help but think about his game compared to Brad Miller in his prime. Sure the rebounding numbers are a bit off but Brad has that passing ability that comes up when talking about Bargnani. I don’t think anyone expected Andrea to come out the gates as a scoring machine but he has been running up and down the court with a new sense of confidence. This confidence also flows over into his awareness of where his teammates are and he has made some nice passes in the first 8 games. Brad Miller has aged and lost a step but in his prime, he was the guy hitting the long jumper and passing down into the post — Bargnani is giving his team similar production at this point even though the rebounding will be closer to an average of 7 than 10.
IMG_0763Heart & Hustle: Amir Johnson was drafted as a project and now in his 5th season is still trying to “get it”. He picks up more phantom foul calls than the Rookie version of Andrea but no matter what he doesn’t stop trying. On this night it paid off as he got on the glass, provided the team with 2nd chance points and was a big part of the run to get the lead. Coach Triano rewarded him by giving him some important minutes late into the 4th Q. If he can keep giving the team 10 productive minutes a night they will not have to rush Reggie Evans back on the court prematurely.
IMG_0737Leadership: As a rookie you want to keep growing. The game is coming at you fast and DeMar has shown his willingness to listen and learn. I kept an eye on the bench a lot in this one and noticed Demar actually pull Bosh aside to ask him a few questions. All those who knock Bosh about leadership need to think of what he provides not only in the locker room but on the floor. He may not be the guy in everyone’s ear but he has shown a ton of emotion early in the season and on this occasion was more than willing to help out the rook.

Talking about leadership, not sure how much it comes across on television but Reggie Evans coaches this team through every play. He has words of advice for every player when they check out of the game. He is what you want a bench player to be. He observes the game and as a player you are best equipped to point out what your teammates can do to improve. This is the first time in a while the Raptors have had a player who just speaks up be it to Bosh or to Amir. Some deem it him being a “cheerleader” but to me he has been one of the best things that happened to this team this offseason and we have yet to see him play a minute in a game that matters.

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A 6’10″ Forward, The Turkish Michael Jordan… Hedo Turkoglu!

November 2, 2009 Nat Cartoon, Humor, Raptor Raves

You can follow Ian on Twitter @Vulcanoboy and check his website www.iancartoons.com
Thanks to @TasMelas and @Stackmack for some great feedback along the way.

- Jose Calderon Cartoon
- DeMar DeRozan Cartoon

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Introducing a 6’3 guard from Spain, Numero Ocho… Joseeee Calderon!!

October 28, 2009 Nat Cartoon, Humor, Raptor Raves

A little background…

During the so called “off-season”, I relied on Twitter to get my basketball fix. Along the way I came across @Vulcanoboy who had won a contest run by Charlie Villanueva. We get to talking and he informs me that he is a cartoonist in his down time. With that said, I came up with the idea to run a series introducing the Toronto Raptors and here is the start of what I hope becomes something epic. The plan is to have the Raptors staring 5 introduced and if all goes well we will try to bring you once each month recapping how the team does on the court.

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Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s New Orleans Hornets

October 21, 2009 Nat Raptors Report

Running a little behind on these previews but the plan is to have them done before the season gets started. Today the focus is on the New Orleans Hornets. What’s not to love about this team led by Chris Paul. For the guest preview I recruited one of the best Hornets blogger, Sarah.

Sarah owns and writes for Hornets Hype. She loves small market teams, David West’s jumper, Twitter – @Ticktock6, and being That Girl.

What do I know about the Raptors vs. the Hornets? I know that the Raps are one of my fave teams out East. I know they will be improved this year. And I know our game there will be at an absurdly early hour of the day. (Let it be said that I wrote that without checking. And sure enough, I just looked, and it is at 11:30 AM CST. The reason I knew is that for some reason the Hornets at Raptors game is always at an absurd hour of the day.)

On the Hornets side, this is a season of questions. After making a slew of offseason moves, we are looking at potentially 3/5 of the starting lineup being new. The Hornets lost Tyson Chandler, Rasual Butler, and Antonio Daniels, but added C Emeka Okafor, F Ike Diogu, F Darius Songaila, G Bobby Brown, and rookies G Marcus Thornton and PG Darren Collison. Will the Hornets be able to swallow a disappointing year and move forward? How will superlong and athletic multi-tasker Julian Wright play after being moved to the starting lineup? How will Peja play off the bench? Can Okafor add a little more post scoring that Tyson Chandler didn’t have? Can he equal the positional excellence of Chandler on defense? Will Ike Diogu finally live up to his talent in New Orleans? Can the rookies keep up? (If we’re going by the preseason, Thornton can more than keep up.) Does the team have enough depth to give Chris Paul and David West some rest this year? Who will start at the 2? (We don’t know yet. Former Toronto fan favorite Morris Peterson? — had the job two years ago and went into camp as the favorite. Bobby Brown? — too short. Devin Brown? — shudder. Marcus Thornton? — he’s been impressive in preseason and he just seems to get better every game.)

If these Hornets gel and the younger guys play to their potential, this team could ride favorable matchups through the second round. If there are injuries or the chemistry falls through or the older swingmen have a drop off in playing level… it could get ugly. It’s hard to predict because there are so many factors that could come into play. This team is a playoff team– Chris Paul and David West alone should guarantee that. I think it could be a high playoff team.

As far as the matchup with the Raps goes, last year the Hornets won both games. David West and Chris Bosh usually both play well and cancel each other out. Also the Hornets usually shoot the three very well against Toronto for whatever reason. (Funny aside, earlier tonight I was trying to remember which game it was that Peja hit 7-11 from three, five of the threes occurring on almost consecutive possessions from the exact same spot on the floor. Thanks to having to look up the Hornets/Raptors boxscores from 2008-09 for this preview, now I know. It was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen in person.) Toronto’s new additions (Hedo!) should make these fun to watch.

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hornets-raps

Last Season Record: 0-2
The Hornets made quick work of the Raptors last season. They didn’t even need the services of Chris Paul in the 2nd meeting. The 37 three pointers made by the Hornets tells the story of the Raptors defensive woes. No matter how many points were scored by the Raptors front court, they were always playing catch up. The Raptors were out rebounded on both occasions (no surprise) but even missing CP3 the Hornets managed to dish out more assists in the 2nd win.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: The Hornets traded away Tyson Chandler this off-season and replaced him with Emeka Okafor. While Okafor is a great player, it is still to be seen how he settles in with Chris Paul who had great chemistry with Chandler on the court. Bosh and Bargnani are a handful for most teams and on the offensive end both should have ample opportunties to get to the rim in this series. Emeka is a shot blocker but he is not as athletic. The rest of the Hornets front court seems to be a makeshift group and the Raptors should have the advantage on both ends of the floor.
Edge: Raptors

The Wings: Hedo Turkoglu may not be a defensive stopper but in this one he should be fine matching up against Peja Stojakovic. While Peja is still a big threat from beyond the arc, he does a lot less moving without the ball making it easier for Hedo to stay with him. When Posey is on the floor at the wing spot, the Raptors may want to try to put a more athletic guy on him because he will put the ball on the floor if needed. I have been saying this for a lot of the previews but the key is to be able to close out on the shooters. Offensively, the Raptors should be fine getting points where they can but the scoring load will probably go on the bigs while the wings will need to impose their will on the defensive end.
Edge: Even

The Guards: Chris Paul is the best PG in the league right now. That said, it’s his basketball IQ and ability to make quick decisions that make him a tough cover. Jose has a tough task laid out in trying to stay in front of CP3 and the Raptors will need to soften that blow by sending out a double team early to force the ball out of his hands. Paul is also an underrated defender who is able to use his strength and quickness to keep his counterpart from blowing past him. The Hornets SG spot leaves much to be desired but playing alongside a guy like CP3 elevates all the players around him. He has the ability to make the average guy look good and the Raptors need to make sure not to ignore those players as offensive threats.
Edge: Hornets

Predicted Record: 1-1 (Home court advantage in full effect)

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Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s Houston Rockets

October 19, 2009 Nat Raptors Report

With 10 teams to go in the Match Up series, this felt like the perfect time to do this Raptors-Rockets preview. The teams went head to head a few days ago in a pre-season game where the Rockets came out victorious. Many thanks go out to Mark for the guest preview.

Mookie (@ASternWarning) writes for A Stern Warning, a site devoted to all things basketball worldwide. He enjoys long walks on the beach and singing the praises of Greg Oden.

Injury Central is once again the story of the Rockets’ season.

The Houston Rockets’ Big Three from a season ago, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest will all be elsewhere when the team suits up for their October 27 matchup against Portland. Artest flew the coop for the Los Angeles Lakers, whilst Yao will be sitting in mothballs once again for the majority of the season, as will McGrady who is scheduled to miss at least November.

Suddenly the Rockets find Australian David Andersen coming in as a likely starting centre, a mid-range jump-shooting 6’11″ big man with a very different look to Yao. Instead of defensive bulldog Artest, Trevor Ariza will be the wingman charged with providing excitement on the break at the small forward position — almost a straight swap with the Lakers. Without McGrady, suddenly the Rockets will be forced to rely on the likes of Brent Barry at shooting guard, a huge step down from the former all-star that is T-Mac.

Who will form the identity of this Rockets team and be the newly-fledged stars to step up? That responsibility likely falls to Aaron Brooks (who exploded onto the scene in last season’s playoffs), Argentinian workhorse power forward Luis Scola and Ariza, with the dregs of Shane Battier’s talent picking up the scraps. This team has proven in recent years that they can be a scrappy team of bit-players that come together to form a team greater than the sum of its parts. Once again, that will likely be the way in which the Rockets win games. Whilst Brooks, Scola and Ariza will take on much of the scoring responsibility, players like Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry and Kyle Lowry will do the little things which push games in favour of the Rockets, as they try to playoff teams.
Will Houston find themselves in the playoffs? In the stacked Western Conference, the answer to that one is in the negative, but they will certainly claim some scalps along the way when their opponents don’t turn up ready for a fight.

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rockets-raptors

Last Season Record: 1-1
The teams split the series with each winning at home. The Rockets came into Toronto and got blown out by a 12-20 team while playing with a full roster. Good D forced 21 turnovers and kept the Rockets shooting under 35% from the field. Good enough to get the job done. In the second meeting there was no Tracy McGrady but the Rockets were already adjusted to playing without him. 20-10 games from both Scola and Yao were too much for the Raptors to handle even though the Rockets were playing with a short bench. 16 assists from Jose Calderon was the highlight of the game for the Raptors in the loss.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: The loss of Yao Ming for the season greatly changes the look of this Rockets team. The front court is made up of athletic guys who make up for their lack of height with some good basketball IQ. Bosh and Bargnani should have the advantage here offensively. Will proper spacing on the floor the two can run the pick and roll and the pop still leaving room for the guards to cut to the basket with no real shot blocking threat on the floor. The Rockets front court doesn’t seem to be very intimidating on the offensive end. They key for the Raptors will be boxing out. If the Raptor bigs are unable to do so, the Rockets will do most of their damage with 2nd chance points and run outs from a grabbing easy rebounds.
Edge: Raptors

The Wings: The Raptors got lit up by Shane Battier in the pre-season game last week. I did a preview for that game and my only concern was the perimeter. Seems my concern had some validity as the Rockets got 39 points from beyond the arc. Hedo Turkoglu was exposed badly for his lack of commitment on the defensive end. I expect to see more of Antoine Wright who has slowly been building a reputation of a defensive minded player. The wings have to be able to run out on these shooters and force them to put the ball on the floor. Hedo will have a tougher time on the offensive end as well because Ariza and Landry make great use of their athleticism to build an advantage on the defensive end. If McGrady is back to even half strength, I forsee the Raptors struggling mightily from this spot.
Edge: Rockets

The Guards: The wing spot is solid for the Rockets but their guard rotation is pretty thin. Aaron Brooks relies mostly on his speed to get to his spots and Kyle Lowry has yet to show consistency. Jose may not be able to out run either guy but his basketball IQ should give him the edge. Its a pretty simple task for him in this one – keep feeding the ball to Bosh and Bargnani. Teams have picked up that you can’t run under the screen because Jose will torch you but with the Rockets they will have to pick their poison. When the Raptors need some toughness they can bring Jack in who can be a bit more physical against a guy like Lowry. I can’t imagine the Raptors go small ball because they would be playing right into the hands of the Rockets with that approach. Demar and Belinelli should get lots of lanes to take it to the hoop and need to make good on those.
Edge: Raptors

Predicted Record: 1-1 (Road game is the 2nd game of a B2B)

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