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Raptors have plenty of O, not enough D

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Charley Rosen

Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 17 sports books, the current ones being Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees and Crazy Basketball: A Life In and Out of Bounds.

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Updated Dec 10, 2009 7:14 PM ET
     
 

Game Time: Raptors 110, Pistons 99

Even minus the services of two key players — Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton — the shorthanded Pistons put up a gutsy fight before succumbing to the home-standing Raptors. Not surprisingly, the game presented ample evidence as to what's right and what's wrong with Toronto. On the positive side of the ledger:
  • The muscle that Chris Bosh added during the offseason has made him a more forceful scoring threat both in the low post and along the baseline. Bosh also moved astutely without the ball.
  • Hedo Turkoglu is still on target with his trademark pull-left-and-shoot move. Moreover, he made some nifty passes off his right-handed dribble.
  • Andrea Bargnani will always be a dead-eye long-range shooter but has added a convincing up-fake-dribble-and-shoot move. He even took a turn in the pivot, scoring on an old-fashioned hook.
  • Bosh and Turkoglu make a dynamic duo when working high screen-and-rolls.
  • Jose Calderon makes few mistakes with the ball, can knock down open shots and will turn the corner if the defense is loose on the weak side of high screen-and-rolls.
  • Jarrett Jack relentlessly attacked the basket for profit. At the point, he provided much more energy than Calderon, and he closed the game with some excellent play at the two-guard slot.
  • The Raptors always made the extra pass on offense.
  • After a flat performance by the starters, the second unit — Antoine Wright, Amir Johnson, Jack, Marco Belinelli and Bargnani — played with terrific intensity, allowing the Raptors to climb out of a hole.
  • Wright stood his ground when challenged one-on-one by the tough Ben Gordon.
  • Rookie DeMar DeRozan showed quick hands in the passing lanes.
  • When they were in the immediate vicinity of a dribble-penetrating opponent, both Bosh and Bargnani proved to be effective shot-blockers.
  • The Raptors were hurt early when they went under Detroit's high screen-and-rolls, but the second unit went into a flash-double-and-recover mode that was extremely effective — and continued for the duration.
  • This team should have little difficulty scoring against all but the best team defenses in the league. On the other side of the ledger, the Raptors showed several critical vulnerabilities.
  • Whenever Bosh posted up or Turkoglu was in an iso situation, there was minimal player movement.
  • Bargnani committed three hideous turnovers when he tried to pass the ball while he was moving.
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  • Belinelli's handle is weak.
  • For the most part, Bosh was passive on defense.
  • Literally everybody who played was beaten off the dribble whenever the Pistons could create sufficient time and space for their guards to attack the hoop. Bargnani was the worst offender here, with Belinelli a close second.
  • Bargnani was also helpless when trying to defend against simple handoffs. Instead of switching or dropping back to defend the lane, he simply became a spectator.
  • Even worse, there was seldom any semblance of baseline help when Toronto's perimeter defense broke down.
  • On four occasions, the Pistons were able to split double teams and get into the paint.
  • Toronto's transition defense was poor. 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: 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. 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.

    Steve 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. 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.
    • Tagged: Chris Paul, Spurs, Tony Parker, Hornets

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