By SAM AMICO
ProBasketballNews.com
They entered the season with a coach on the hot seat, doubts about who would play shooting guard, and one very good player surrounded by a bunch of question marks.
Then all they did was win the Atlantic Division.
That is what makes the Toronto Raptors this year’s best NBA story.
Remember before the season, when Bryan Colangelo was hired as the Raptors’ general manager? He was the man who built Phoenix into a power, and he was expected to implement the Suns’ fast-paced ways into the Raptors’ scheme.
In other words, coach Sam Mitchell was about to get bounced. At least, it sure seemed that way at the time.
Mitchell is a no-nonsense guy who demands toughness and discipline. His approach didn’t seem to mesh well with the freewheeling philosophy subscribed to by Colangelo. So it would have made sense for the Raptors to turn to someone else, someone who was more educated in an up-tempo attack.
But today, not only is Mitchell still the Raptors coach, but a strong candidate for coach of the year. Today, not only are the Raptors division champs, but a team that must be respected and even feared in the playoffs.
And today, the Raptors are not only one of the league’s best offensive teams, but also one of its most disciplined.
How else do you explain the fact they are tied for 11th in the NBA with an average of 99.5 points per game? Or that they are eighth in field-goal percentage (46.4 percent)?
As for discipline, the Raptors are fifth in the league in free-throw percentage (78.6), and next-to-last in technical fouls. As a team, the Raptors have compiled just 16 technicals -- or two less than Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace.
So the styles of Colangelo and Mitchell are more than meshing. They have been the perfect fit.
UNDERRATED STAR
It’s hard to believe I’ve written this much without having mentioned Chris Bosh. The 6-foot-10 Raptors forward is a two-time All-Star and a member of Team USA. He is averaging a double-double of 22.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Bosh can score from inside or out, possessing a soft touch from the perimeter and a willingness to trade elbows underneath.
Basically, he is as responsible for his team’s success as any player in the league. On top of all that, Bosh is an intelligent, friendly person -- one of the classiest guys in NBA history in just his fourth year.
All of it makes you wonder why he doesn’t receive more recognition. But like the entire team, it probably has something to do with playing in a smaller, non- U.S. market.
As one Western Conference scout said, “If he played in New York or L.A., he would be right up there with Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant in the running for MVP. He may be even more important, because without him, Toronto goes right back in the tank.”
Bosh came from the draft of 2003, which also gave the world stars such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. Like those guys, his best days are ahead of him.
MORE TO LIKE
Quick, can you name the Raptors’ second-leading scorer?
Time’s up.
The answer is little point guard T.J. Ford, who is averaging 14.5 points per game. Ford is another young guy, the type of speedy player Colangelo desired to direct Mitchell’s offense. That is why Colangelo traded promising second-year forward Charlie Villanueva to Milwaukee for Ford before the season.
Another reason is because the Raptors selected a promising big man with their No. 1 overall draft pick. That would be none other than Andrea Bargnani, a face-the-basket forward with a sweet shooting stroke.
Bargnani suffered through inconsistency early in the season and had to have an emergency appendectomy in March. Still, he has showed signs of future greatness, coming off the bench to average 11.5 points and make 83 percent of his free throws (in 64 games).
The best news is Bargnani is expected back in time for the playoffs.
As for the rest of the Raptors, well, let’s just say you really have to love the NBA to know who they are.
Anthony Parker is a 6-6 swingman who has started in all 70 games that he‘s played. With an average of 12.1 points per game, he is also the team’s third-leading scorer.
Not bad for a guy who spent the previous six years playing in Israel. But the Raptors knew Parker was a two-time Euroleague MVP -- and they needed someone to score from the perimeter, an experienced player with a decent outside shot. That's Parker.
The same type of thinking went into their midseason trade for guard Juan Dixon (from Portland for Fred Jones).
Other key members include second-year guard Jose Calderon, veteran guard Morris Peterson and center Rasho Nesterovic, and first-year big man Jorge Garbajosa -- who will miss the rest of what had been a productive year following ankle surgery.
TEAM FIRST
After looking at the Raptors’ roster, it is obvious they are a team in the truest sense. The rest of the league is noticing, too.
“You can tell they're very unselfish,“ said Chicago coach Scott Skiles. “They move the ball. They don't care who scores. They hit the open man. They enjoy playing with each other.”
Or as Mitchell told the Toronto Star, “We get upset when a guy's open and turns down a shot.”
That is why the Raptors spend a lot of time just shooting in practice -- both jumpers and free throws. They like to work for not just a good shot, but an open shot early in each possession.
“If you don't take that open shot, then nine times out of 10 you end up taking a forced shot,” Mitchell said. “The stats show that a shot taken in the last 10 seconds of the shot clock is a 30-percent shot."
Best of all, the Raptors should only get better.
Bosh is the veteran of the team’s nucleus, and he’s only 23. Ford, Parker, Bargnani, Calderon and Garbajosa are all early in their careers. The same goes for improving second-year swingman Joey Graham.
Heck, even Mitchell is only 43.
The bottom line on the Raptors? They are a team with an identity, a team that takes (and often makes) the best of shots, a team that should be a contender for years to come.
And whoever thought we’d be saying that at the beginning of the year?
RAPTORS QUICK HITS
• At this writing, the Raptors are 45-33 and have made the league’s biggest improvement with 18 more wins than last season.
• Bosh said: "It's a great feeling to come from last year, when we had all those losses. This is just a lot of fun."
• Toronto could lose in the first round of the playoffs or make it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals -- and I wouldn’t be surprised either way. The same holds true for the rest of the East, with the exception of Detroit.
TALKIN’ TEAM USA
After reading LeBron James’ comments about possibly not playing for Team USA this offseason (and director Jerry Colangelo’s retort), I’m even more sure of what I’ve said all along:
It’s time for the U.S. to go to back to using college players.
First, it's hardly fair to ask a professional athlete for a three-year commitment for anything beyond the sport he’s getting paid to play. These guys just have too much going on during the regular season to worry about international competition.
Secondly, American NBA players hardly care about the Olympics -- and that is perfectly understandable. The best U.S. players are taught at an early age how to make money with their skills. The Olympics don’t really factor into that equation.
Some people say that international competition helps an athlete maximize his endorsement possibilities, but I don’t buy that. After all, Kobe Bryant’s jersey is the top seller in China, and he hasn’t suited up for Team USA once.
Finally, the current generation of NBA guys aren’t winning anyway. It’s still debatable whether they can even play well together.
So why not try college guys again? I’m convinced they would fare better than NBA All-Stars because representing the U.S. would truly mean something to college players. Plus, we’ve all seen how countries with less individual talent have used dedication and teamwork to overtake the U.S. American college players would have less distractions and more desire than the pros.
If the Olympics were held today, the lineup might look like this: C Greg Oden (Ohio State); F Kevin Durant (Texas); F Joakim Noah (Florida); G Acie Law (Texas A&M); G Ty Lawson (North Carolina).
I would take my chances with that starting five against anyone -- especially since those guys aren’t much younger than a lot of today’s NBA stars. This isn’t 1992 anymore, when the best NBA players were guys in their late 20s and early 30s with a bunch of championships. The league has gotten younger and it takes a lot less to be considered a big name.
College players are hungrier, and at the very least, could win a bronze. That’s no worse than what the NBA guys are doing now anyway.
TALKIN’ INJURIES
Another reason for NBA guys to NOT play in the Olympics? Because they significantly improve their risk of injury.
A lot of these guys may look like superheroes, but they really are human beings. Their bodies can only take so much.
On that note, reader Durell Ostler (Lake Grove, N.Y.) wrote, “It seems like there have been more injuries to key players this season than in the past. What can this be attributed to?”
Again, some of it has to do with long regular seasons, followed by long playoffs, followed by offseason stuff.
Of course, ask some former players and they will tell you it boils down to guys not being as tough as they used to be.
Larry Bird told Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune, “They didn’t discover stress fractures and plantar facilities when we played. They just said you had a sore foot and should play.”
It’s true, as I can remember when Boston's Kevin McHale played an entire Finals on a broken foot. That type of thing would NEVER happen today.
Also, former NBA guard and current Pistons assistant coach Ron Harper told Smith that players don’t love the game like they used to.
“These guys go to the beach all summer, chase girls, party and go to L.A. and Miami,” Harper said. “They love the game not for the game but for what comes after the game -- the cars, the jewelry, the parties. We liked that too, but we loved to play. It was our pride and joy. It you don’t respect the game, it will come back to bite your butt.”
I agree with Bird and Harper to a point. But remember, the Olympics were for college players only for most of the Bird era. So the pros got that time off. Also, I know for a fact many of today’s players DO respect the game. While it might not always seem like it, the majority of today’s guys do indeed love to play.
TALKIN’ YI JIANLIAN
Last week I wrote about the draft and mentioned that Chinese forward Yi Jianlian is expected to be a top 10 draft pick, maybe top five.
Jianlian is a legitimate 7-footer and face-up player who has been compared to Toni Kukoc and Andrea Bargnani.
I asked Chinese basketball writer/expert Renjun Bao about Yi and here is a summary of what he said:
• Yi is a good mid-range shooter. He is practically automatic from 15-20 feet. He is athletic with a soft touch.
• He is very thin and “does not have an NBA body,” Renjun said. He is also a weak defender.
• No one is sure of Yi’s age. Renjun said he is listed as 19, “but is probably closer to 21 or 22.”
I also know that most scouts are intrigued by Yi, with one saying his organization expects Yi to be drafted anywhere from fourth to seventh overall.
TALKIN’ DRAFT, PART II
• A lot of GMs aren’t real pleased with a new rule that bans private workouts prior to the weeklong pre- draft camp in Orlando. Players can still hold individual workouts -- but now those workouts have to be made available to every team. The camp begins May 29 and runs for a week, meaning teams will now get just four weeks to privately evaluate prospects.
• Joe Lostrangio Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) disagreed with my comments last week that Texas’ Kevin Durant is a lousy defender. Joe wrote, “Durant uses good defensive technique, especially as it relates to putting himself between the ball and his man, whether it’s rebounding or defending off the ball. He uses his wingspan to disrupt the passing lanes and altering jump shots.”
• Dear Joe, you may be right -- Durant may DEVELOP into a good NBA defender. It’s all a matter of desire. But all I know is I watched him try to guard Gonzaga’s Sean Mallon, who’s not even a D- League prospect, and Mallon ate Durant alive in the low post. I mean, Mallon did WHATEVER he wanted WHEN he wanted. The few other times I saw Durant, opposing coaches consistently fed the ball to the guy he was guarding and the results were usually favorable. That said, Durant is going to be a stud in the NBA -- and that really is the bottom line.
• Some sleepers to watch include Texas A&M guard Acie Law and Spanish forward Marc Gasol. Law has been compared to Sam Cassell in that he is tough and creates shots for himself. Gasol is the brother of Memphis forward Pau Gasol and is said to be a good passer.
RANDOM STUFF
• I absolutely love Atlanta’s throwback uniforms from the Dominique Wilkins era. The Hawks really need to wear those all the time again. Who knows? Maybe it would bring back a little magic. At this point, anything is worth a shot for that poor franchise.
• Yes, Kevin Willis was a member of the Hawks when those throwbacks were modern. Now, the 44- year old is a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Hooray for middle age.
• Current Minnesota coach Randy Wittman was also a member of those Hawks teams, and let me tell you, the man DID NOT MISS from the baseline. Everyone talks about that great Game 7 playoff duel between Wilkins and Larry Bird in 1988, but what a lot of people forget is that Wittman was also unstoppable. He finished with 22 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
• It’s true Wittman missed just two shots in that game, and both were from somewhere OTHER THAN the baseline. I know because I own it on DVD.
• For more on thrilling playoff battles, check out Bill Woten’s excellent book, Game 7: Inside the NBA’s Ultimate Showdown. You can find out more at nbagame7.com.
• Scott Beverly (Marietta, Ga.) wrote: “Am I right in assuming Kevin Willis is now the oldest player to appear in an NBA game, edging out Robert Parish?”
• Dear Scott, I looked it up and Willis is actually the second oldest. Nat Hickey was 46 when he played five games for Tri-Cities and Providence in 1947-48. Parish rounds out the top three, having played for Chicago at age 43.
• Of course, there are rumors that Houston’s Dikembe Mutombo is something like 212.
• For the first time since 1980-81, no CBA players were called up to the NBA. Meanwhile, the D-League has had 16 call-ups. “I hope there wasn’t some sort of gentlemen’s agreement between the NBA and D- League that they weren’t going to call up any CBA guys,” Yakima Sun Kings coach Paul Woolpert told the Herald Republic.
• Dear Coach, there was a gentlemen’s agreement. No ABA players were called up, either.
• Charlotte forward Gerald Wallace was named Eastern Conference player of the week, and good for him. Wallace has really matured this season, becoming a true leader and playing hard when all else seems lost. Besides all that, he’s a terrific natural athlete.
• It’s time we put together an all-time expansion draft team. You’ll probably need to break out a copy of the NBA Encyclopedia (at least, I will). Send your picks to me at amico@probasketballnews.com and I’ll post the best responses. The team will be based on what guys did AFTER getting picked in an expansion draft.
• Josh Fisher (Danville, Ill.) wrote, “What are your favorite movies of all time?”
• Dear Josh, that’s such a bizarre question I’ve decided to answer it. My two favorite movies of all time are Crimes & Misdemeanors (starring Woody Allen) and American Splendor (starring Paul Giamatti). If you are talking about basketball movies, then Hoosiers remains in a class by itself.
SCOUTING THE 'SMALL' GUYS
I am very excited about the College Basketball Invitational, a pre-draft showcase for small college players from the NCAA Division II and III levels, as well the NAIA. It will be held April 19-21 at Wadsworth High School in Ohio, with the final game to be broadcast on ESPNU (April 21, 8 p.m.).
There will be a few NBA and plenty of minor league and international scouts in attendance. I will be there a week from Thursday and Friday, and plan to write a special newsletter about the tournament (and other pro basketball-related items).
For more information and to view rosters, visit mccarthysports.com.
FINAL NOTE
As always, thanks for reading and sending in your e-mails. The playoffs are almost here! So please keep sending your thoughts on the NBA to me at the address below. Please remember to include your FULL NAME and hometown, as I love to see where the letters are coming from.
