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Raptors have plenty of O, not enough D
Game Time: Raptors 110, Pistons 99
On the positive side of the ledger:
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| Chris Bosh gained about 20 pounds over the summer to gain strength. (Ron Turenne / Getty Images) |
On the other side of the ledger, the Raptors showed several critical vulnerabilities.
In sum, the Raptors' excellent offense, plus their poor defense, equals a low playoff seed and an early vacation.
Straight Shooting
Granted that the season is only a week old, several players are already proving to be surprisingly successful while others have been dismally disappointing.
The first category includes:
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| Carmelo Anthony is leading the league in scoring. (Garrett W. Ellwood / Getty Images) |
Carmelo Anthony: For sure, he's always been a dynamic scorer, but so far, he's been literally unstoppable.
Trevor Ariza: Looks like me and everybody else except Ariza are the ones who are delusional.
Andray Blatche: It's about time this young man got serious about his game and his livelihood.
Aaron Brooks: Rafer who?
Channing Frye: Thank you, Steve Nash.
Larry Hughes: Risen from the dead.
Kris Humphries: He's developed a reliable jumper and has actually become a valuable player.
Jermaine O'Neal: But how long can he go without breaking down?
Rasheed Wallace: Born to be green.
Lou Williams: Andre who?
Leading the patsy parade thus far are the following:
Ron Artest: Maybe he'll eventually get there, but it will probably take much longer than expected. Perhaps he never will.
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| Carlos Boozer is off to a slow start for Utah. (Rocky Widner / Getty Images) |
Mike Bibby: Absolutely cannot get to the basket.
Carlos Boozer: His habitual discontent has infected his entire team.
Tyson Chandler: Already buried deep in Larry Brown's doghouse.
Baron Davis: Playing like he'd much rather be doing something else. Anything else.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: The older he gets, the faster he gets old.
Stephen Jackson: All of his offseason complaining has translated into moody, underachieving performances by both Jax and his teammates.
Richard Jefferson: He's having difficulty getting used to being a fourth option.
Courtney Lee: He's stuck in the swamp.
Andre Miller: He wants a do-over.
Shaquille O'Neal: He's getting double-teamed by Father Time and Grandfather Gravity.
James Posey: He left his heart in Boston.
Vladimir Radmanovic: He's already missed a season's worth of layups.
Josh Smith: He's underachieving for a change.
Peja Stojakovic: He's still a terrific H-O-R-S-E player.
Vox Populi
If you could have a three-hour dinner conversation with any current NBA player, who would you pick, and why? — David Peterzell, San Diego, Calif.
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Contact Charley RosenSteve Nash, because he's an avid reader of books on a wide variety of topics. Because he's extremely intelligent and disarmingly honest. Because he doesn't express himself in Sports Speak. Because, having been born in South Africa and raised in Canada, he's not a prisoner of the worst aspects of American culture. Because he's totally unimpressed with his own celebrity.
Hey, I'd even pick up the tab.
Travels with Charley
At any and all levels of competition, players can transform sane coaches into raving mad men. I was never especially sane — and proud to say so! — but there was one particular play that nearly drove me over the edge.
I was coaching a CBA expansion team, the Oklahoma Cavalry, which meant that my roster was mostly composed of the dregs of the dregs. My point guard was a rookie out of North Carolina State named Kelsey Weems, and he was quicker than quick.
How quick? Up there with Chris Paul and Tony Parker. But unlike CP3 and TP, Kelsey lacked even a modicum of court awareness.
The unforgettable sequence occurred during a home game. We had possession with the score tied and only 24 seconds left in the game.
I didn't trust Kelsey to properly execute a play or make an appropriate pass, so the endgame strategy that I communicated during the timeout was as simple as possible.
Inside the NBA
Kelsey was to safely dribble the ball above the 3-point line until I signaled him to attack the basket (which happened to be the one nearest our bench). I'd be standing up, holding up my arms in a surrender position, then I'd bring them down to my sides and shout, "GO!" when it was time for him to start his move. Moreover, I'd make sure that I was positioned so that all 6-foot-9, 235 pounds of me would always be in his sight line.
I explained the plan five times, and even demonstrated how I'd hold my arms up, and then move them down.
"GO is the signal for you to start your move, Kelsey. Just protect the ball until you see me move my arms like this ... and shout GO! Got it?"
"No problem," he said.
Of course, Kelsey attacked the basket with my arms still aloft and the game clock still registering 12 seconds. Of course, he badly missed a wild shot. And of course, the bad guys got the rebound, scored an unopposed fast-break layup at the other end and won the game.
Afterwards, I could barely contain my rage as I asked him what had gone wrong.
"I forgot the play, coach, and I didn't see you when I looked toward the bench."
It took a concerted effort by my family and friends to abandon my plans to coach the next ball game while wearing a straitjacket.
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