| Patience With The Wings Flying Away Authored by Gagan Gandhi - November 13, 2008 - 12:38 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The SuperstarsCarmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
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Or, perhaps you think about the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL, one of the most historic franchises in the history of sport.
However, maybe, just maybe if you’re a fan of basketball you think about the wing positions that are known as the shooting guard and small forward in the NBA.
It’s time the Toronto Raptors got an upgrade at one of their wing positions. For years, players not known as stars have put up star studded numbers on the Raptors, Jamal Crawford and Corey Maggette to name a couple, and at the end of the day, it’s something that just shouldn’t happen continuously.
At the same time, very rarely has any Raptor wing player had such a remarkable night that you’d remember it two or three seasons later.
Remember the time Kobe Bryant dropped 81 on the Raptors? As much as it was probably an amazing experience to be at that game in person, I highly doubt Sam Mitchell will take pride in telling his grandchildren, “Kids, I was the coach that didn’t allow Kobe Bryant to get 82 points. We played our hearts out.”
Don’t get me wrong, I respect Anthony Parker for being the best this team has at his position. I respect Jason Kapono for being the best straight-up shooter in the game. I respect Jamario Moon for finally making the NBA after years of bus trips and never quitting.
All I’m saying is that the only team who benefits from the current wing situation in Toronto is the team they are facing on any given night.
Even during Wednesday night’s contest between the Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers it was the ineptitude of the Raptors shooting guards and small forwards to create anything off the bounce that often left them playing too straight-up instead of having consistent movement and spacing in their offense. The frontcourt carried them all night long, but you can’t count on them every night for 82 games and then believe that they still have something left in the tank come playoff time.
Parker is their best wing player and that’s because he is the most consistent. He’s one of the league’s best three-point shooters and is the guy relied on every game to face the opposing team’s biggest threat. Some nights, he just doesn’t have it on the defensive end, but that’s more so because he’s kind of been forced into that role. There isn’t any other player on the roster that can handle the kind of pressure other stars put on him. It no doubt hurts his offensive game when he’s being focused upon so heavily defensively.
Kapono has enhanced his movement without the ball as he now attempts to cut in the lanes and shoot with one hand almost gamely. He tries to create his own shots as often as he can, but everyone knows he is most deadly as a stand up jump shooter that needs plays created for him.
Moon is much of the same, except doesn’t have as good a shot. It’s always great to see him drive the lane because he has long arms and his vertical is almost unmatchable but he lacks the handles that a player with his athletic ability should possess. He often gets by defensively because of his length and ability to change shots, but you’d like to see a lot more consistency.
Because of the above factors, it’s no wonder there have been rumours around the league that General Manager Bryan Colangelo has talked about possible deals with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats for the services of Al Harrington and Gerald Wallace, respectively.
Like the transaction of Jermaine O’Neal brought defensive swagger, an acquisition involving either of these players would immediately bring something the offense surely lacks, a slasher.
It would give them someone who night in and night out attacks the opposing defense by going straight at them no matter what as well as someone whose movement without the ball would surely open up more space for the likes of Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal.
Wouldn’t it have been nice for them to have someone going at it against Richard Hamilton last week against the Pistons or someone going toe to toe with Paul Pierce against the Celtics this week?
No doubt, the Raptors can’t have their cake and eat it too (by the way, I’ve never really understood that expression but it sounds pretty awesome here so let’s just stick with it). They have a good amount of talent at the four and five spots in the line-up and you can’t have a starting five full of all-stars unless you’re the Pistons, so it’s a risk Colangelo has decided to take –hopefully calculated.
But, it’s certainly something that should be looked at because you don’t want the lack of one move being the reason you again get ousted in the first round of the playoffs.
Hey, I’m just saying.
- Gagan Gandhi can be reached at gaganhoops@gmail.com with any comments, concerns or requests. |
