| A Presence Of Weakness Authored by Matthew Gordon - January 21, 2008 - 2:08 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Final Thoughts On The 2008 NBA Draft This year's draft was decidedly more calm and casual than the Oden/Durant showdown, which made for a more candid and personal experience.
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Sam Mitchell and Marvin Williams did their best to stifle the Ford/Horford discussion pre-game, which I thought was a good move on both sides. Mitchell mentioned that the Raptors “don't feel the need to retaliate against the young man”, calling December’s conflagration “an unfortunate accident.” Williams echoed Mitchell’s sentiments in a separate interview, emphasizing the unintended nature of the infraction.
Great. Now we can get to what’s important – a game between a couple young teams jockeying for playoff position but have absolutely zero chance of making it out of the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors played well on both sides of the ball, combining their well-planned offence and erratic yet effective defence. The Hawks put the ball in the hands of their proven scorers and then followed every shot to the offensive glass. The Raptors are still softer than a kitten’s stomach. That kitten, going by the name of Jose Calderon, did away with the barely viable Hawks point guard situation.
The Raptors played their style all game and it was pretty good to watch. Bosh had a game-high 35 points, Calderon played a controlled game and Moon lit up the stat sheet with 5 steals and 3 blocks. Carlos Delfino’s 0-for-7 performance was disappointing but the team did only score 89 in total. It was a typically good night for a typically good team… they excelled where they always do and fell short where it would’ve been nice to see something different.
When Anthony Johnson hit Calderon in the head in the second quarter, I was one angry Raptors fan. I wasn’t worried because I didn’t think Calderon was in any danger and I wasn’t annoyed because Johnson’s feeble attempt to act as though he hadn’t done anything was a little entertaining. (Memo the NBA players: waving your arms around draws attention to you. What I did was ask myself a question: why would Johnson, knowing the atmosphere surrounding these two teams, hit a Toronto point guard in the head?
Like in December, and this time was worse because Johnson’s hit was intentional, not a single Raptor came to his teammate’s aid. That doesn’t necessarily mean beating up Johnson either. What it means is explaining to him that these types of things aren’t taken lightly because if the last two examples are any indication, they are. The Raptors are a team that will not hack a man in the lane, will not intimidate and really won’t scare anyone. Whether through player movement or simply through a few Raptors getting together and deciding they shouldn’t be playing as if it’s 12 and under rec league, there needs to be some mechanism to make teams realize that Raptors players can’t be pushed around like that.
Where it’s also evident is in the style of attack. The Raptors took a lot of jump shots against the Hawks, continuing a trend that’s prevailed for years. This isn’t a Sam’s offence thing and it isn’t a specific personnel thing. No matter who’s coaching and who’s playing, this team is finding that its ebbs and flows correspond to when it gets hot. Allowing an 8-0 run at the beginning of the second half was a perfect example of this. Much like the issue of intimidation, getting inside has to be addressed.
There are simple ways to accomplish these two things even without making drastic blockbuster trades. Intimidation doesn’t start when one of your players is getting clocked; by then, if you haven’t set the tone, it’s already too late. It happens every single play, with a little extra effort to box out or a foul taken for no other reason than to prevent a high-percentage shot from falling in the net. There’s nothing dirty about it but it takes effort.
Similarly, getting to the bucket on offence doesn’t necessarily imply having a slasher who can put up thirty, as nice as it is to have one. The criticism Raptors players, including Andrea Bargnani, have faced for hanging at the three-point line is part and parcel of this general basketball attitude. Any Raptors fan willing to dismiss the value of either grabbing an offensive rebound or having a man ready to contain the opponent should watch what teams willing to go after the ball can do. Offensive rebounding was one of the main ways the Hawks kept themselves in the game and it’s the biggest single area where the acquisition of Horford has helped them so far this season.
In the Hawks’ case, the problems aren’t so much mental as logistical. There is simply no starting-calibre point guard on that roster. Johnson, who’s played some solid ball this season, had no points and only one assist in his fifteen minutes of pre-ejection play. Backup Tyronn Lue managed five points and three assists in twelve minutes but isn’t an impact player, and Acie Law IV will clearly need some time. It may seem obvious that the Hawks need an upgrade at the position, as just about everyone has mentioned since Jason Terry left in a trade to Dallas, but it becomes increasingly glaring and Billy Knight does nothing to address it.
The Raptors and Hawks are promising young teams in playoff position but they aren’t contenders and shouldn’t call themselves that – for now. This game, regardless of the decision on the court, isn’t a reason to think anything has changed from the day before. The trading deadline and the offseason will be crucial to these teams’ development curves but for this season, watch the growth that’s already happening and then, in the case of probably the Raptors and possibly the Hawks, get excited for the playoffs. The Raptors can toughen up internally and the Hawks can get by with expiring contracts at the point this season but for the long run, the way they’re constructed now, both of these teams are flawed and it was painfully obvious in this game. |
