Hoops N Hip-Hop Podcast #7

So if you haven't heard, the second semester for schools are well underway. In my eyes, that means two things:

1. Early mornings
2. The return of Hoops N Hip-Hop

DJ Johnson and I are back in the swing of things with the one radio show that brings you everything that has to do with the Toronto Raptors, the NBA, and the music culture that goes with it.

We'll be incorporating RaptorSpace segments from here on out, bringing in an entertaining line of guests, as well as beginning our "Top 50 Project".


0:00 - Intro
2:05 - I Can't Remember (Playa's Circle)
4:51 - Raptorspace Segment
8:55 - Be With You (David Banner ft. Ludacris)
12:16 - RaptorSpace Segment Continued
17:15 - I Need A Doctor (Dr. Dre ft. Eminem and Skylar Grey)
22:29 - Around The NBA
26:04 - Moment 4 Lyfe (Nicki Minaj ft. Drake)
30:13 - Locals Only (Dom Kennedy)
33:00 - Revisiting the bet with Chris Willis
35:39 - Outro
38:05 - Mix Provided by DJ DNYCE

A Closer Look At Triano's Out-of-Timeout Sequences

If you managed to catch the Raptors' last game against the Atlanta Hawks, you know how tight of a contest it was the entire way. With so many lead changes, the value of every possession was magnified. Make the best of your opportunities, or fall behind in the hectic pace that the opposing team was playing at - that was the mind frame on a snowy Wednesday night in Toronto.

Coincidentally, I chose to keep track of every sequence the Raptors ran out of timeouts. They say this is where coaches earn their money, as games can often be decided by one possession.

So here is the full version of my transcript from last night's out of time out plays. It includes the time, score, and a quick point form description of what we ran. Keep in mind, it's not to be taken concrete. Teams (especially young ones) who lack experience in execution often end up running broken plays. Let this serve more as an idea of what direction Triano decides to go after every timeout.

***

Score: 8-12
Time: 5:50 - 1st QRT
Sequence: Bargnani receives the ball at the high post, DeMar takes the ball on a dribble hand-off off a curl around Bargs, made layup by DeMar. (10-12)

Score: 18-19
Time: 2:30 - 1st QRT
Sequence: Handoff to Barbosa at the top of 3 point line, drives to the rim and draws defender help, kicks out to DeMar along baseline for jumper or drive, DeMar turns ball over due to defensive pressure. (18-19)

Score: 20-25
Time: 0:34 - 1st QRT
Sequence: No play run. Free throw for Davis, and fastbreak by Bayless.

Score: 21-27
Time: 12:00 - 2nd QRT
Sequence: Bayless hands ball of to Davis at the top of 3 point line, Bayless sets pick at high post for Bargnani curl, Bargs catches and shoots, misses. (21-27)

Score: 33-37
Time: 8:00 - 2nd QRT
Sequence: Bargs calls for the ball at high post but is denied, Bayless can't make the entry pass and instead drives to the rim, misses layup. (33-37)

Score: 40-45
Time: 5:40 - 2nd QRT
Sequence: Barbosa takes the ball to the top of 3 point line; waits for an Amir screen, drives to opposite side of screen and makes layup. (42-45)

Score: 50-56
Time: 2:15 - 2nd QRT
Sequence: Bargnani with the ball at the wing; Calderon runs through two off-ball screens, catches ball and shoots a 3 at the top of 3 point line; miss. (50-56)

Score: 55-60
Time: 0:20 - 2nd QRT
Sequence: Bayless hands off to Barbosa at the top of 3 point line, Barbosa penetrates to the basket and misses layup. (55-60)

Score: 55-60
Time: 12:00 - 3rd QRT
Sequence: DeMar/Bargs/Calderon swing to each other on the perimeter, Calderon with the ball at the wing uses a Bargs pick to drive the rim but is cut off, Jose passes it to Amir at the free throw line who is closed out on, Amir throws it back out to Jose in the corner, the broken play results in Jose passing it to DeMar on the opposite wing who shoots at end of shot clock, miss. (55-60)

Score: 66-70
Time: 5:27 - 3rd QRT
Sequence: Kleiza comes off a curl expecting a pass from Jose, pass is deflected out of bounds. (66-70)

Score: 70-72
Time: 2:20 - 3rd QRT
Sequence: Bayless passes to Barbosa at top of 3 point line, ISO against Crawford, drives to the rim and draws foul. Two free throws made. (72-72)

Score: 77-75
Time: 12:00 - 4th QRT
Sequence: Bayless with the ball at wing; Barbosa comes from the baseline and sets screen on Amir's man near the free throw line, Amir curls off screen to the rim for an alley oop, Bayless decides the pass isn't there and instead passes it to Barbosa for an ISO at the top of the key, ball bounces off Crawford's foot and out of bounds. (77-75)

Score: 83-80
Time: 8:34 - 4th QRT
Sequence: Barbosa drives baseline, kicks out to DeMar at the wing who is closed out on, quickly passes it back to Barbosa in the corner for 3, misses. (83-80)

Score: 87-86
Time: 6:00 - 4th QRT
Sequence: Barbosa gets ball on the wing, Amir sets screen, Barbosa drives to basket and makes layup. (89-86)

Score: 93-91
Time: 2:58 - 4th QRT
Sequence: Calderon pick n pop with Bargnani, Bargs catches ball at 3 point line, drives when defender closes out on him, pull up jumper at the free throw line and makes it. (95-91)

Score: 101-99
Time: 0:20 - 4th QRT
Sequence: Jose waits for Amir screen at the top, Amir sets illegal screen, foul called. Turnover. (101-99)

Score: 101-102
Time: 0:08 - 4th QRT
Sequence: Raptors get the big on small switch for Horford on Jose. Jose drives to the rim, layup is blocked, ball bounces off Jose and out of bounds. (101-102)

***

A few quick things I noticed:

- There was talk about freezing our DeMar after his hot start on the forums and on twitter. It seems as though other than our first two plays after timeouts, DeMar did not see a single play run for him. The only other time he was involved was on a bailout at the end of the shot clock.

- A conscious effort was made to feed the hot hand in Barbosa and force Jamal Crawford to play defense. For the most part, having Barbosa go 1 on 1 with Jamal worked out for the Raps. Crawford had to put in work on the defensive end, while Barbosa could sneak a rest with our 2-3.

- Bargnani was able to receive the ball only 3 out of 17 times in these sequences. The duo of Smith and Horford may have caused the Raptors to steer away from Bargnani.

- The Raptors turned possessions into points only 4 out of 17 times. Ultimately, they're going to need to have better execution than that if they want to win close games like this one in the future.

Hornets Give A Bit-O-Honey To The Raptors

Here's a post from guest writer Rose Arcana. If you guys don't remember, she was the first ever guest on the Raptors Rundown podcast. She's our resident American - or Texan as she prefers - and a loyal Rockets fans.

Here's her perspective on the recent 5-player trade between the Raptors and the Hornets:




There has been a deal struck between the Toronto Raptors and the New Orleans Hornets. It involves the trading of Jarret Jack, Marcus Banks, and Davis Andersen from the Raptors in return for Predraq Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless from the Hornets.

To some it may seem like New Orleans was ripped by the Raptors in the deal, but at the end of the day I believe the Hornets are just sharing a bit of the sweet stuff from the honey pot. The Hornets received a couple of serviceable players on cheap contracts. The added depth to their roster will come in handy as the season progresses and they make their play-off run. They are going for it all now, so there’s no need to keep an expiring contract the size of Stojakovic when he isn't helping their cause.

The Hornets are also getting Jack who will be a great back-up point guard for any contending team, he really never has been a great starter. Not to mention he is buddies with Chris Paul.... Jack has friends in high places, too bad he has to ride coat tails to be wanted.

Now for the Raps piece of the candy. They will get a large expiring contract in Stojakovic which will be a great trading chip, and yes I think they will trade him before the season is out. In my opinion it will be a joint trade to sweeten up a deal to get rid of Calderon. Plus they got a young guy to grow with the team and hopefully they can actually get some great chemistry, the kind of chemistry the Raps have been showing lately on this three game winning streak. Tossing Andersen in the deal frees up time for Ed Davis when he returns, which should be pretty soon right? One more thing that this trade does for the Raps is give them a legit line-up to tank with so they can get K. Irving in the next draft….. Then the year after next, 2012 - Atlantic champions…… 2014 - Eastern champions, and finally 2015 - NBA Champions!

Long term planning for sure, but all these young, long contracts give the Raptors a chance to have players grow with them and grow together not apart. Best thing about honey is that it makes everything stick together and tastes ohhhh so sweet in the end!

Raptors Rundown Podcast - Episode 6

That's right folks! The Raptors Rundown Podcast is back! Introducing the most amateurish yet informative podcast dedicated to your favourite NBA franchise - the Toronto Raptors.

Guest James Borbath of the Dino Nation Blog stops by to review the Raptors' preseason and what's in the store for Canada's lone NBA team's future. He also gives us some of his Raptors predictions for the upcoming 2010/2011 season.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention on the show, a reminder that I will continue to be doing a mailbag, so I encourage listeners and readers to continue where we left off last season and keep them coming in.

Peace!

Marvel Comics: The Toronto Raptors Need Sasquatch and A Gay Superhero

Recently, the NBA teamed up with Marvel Comics to produce these playful novelty NBA-inspired comic covers. Every team got their own cover, and yes - you are looking at the Toronto Raptors cover.

If you don't know what exactly you're supposed to be looking at, allow me to break it down for you. Before you is the starting 5 for your Raptors - minus Linas Kleiza and Reggie Evans - or at least according to Marvel's adaptation.

Using our pathetic defensive performance last season as justification, Marvel has decided to generously go out of their way to help us out. At centre, we have an 8 feet tall monster (literally). Yup - that's the friggen Canadian Sasquatch. I can dig it. His freakishly 20 foot long wingspan will come in handy when providing the much needed help defense that Bargs lacks. I'm loving the headband look on him by the way, not to wipe the sweat though, but obviously to keep his ears warm from the deadly Canadian blizzards.

And to play the passing lanes, the speedy Marvel superhero Northstar - one of the first openly gay superheroes to appear in American comics. Aside from being known as one of the most controversial comic book characters to have come out of Marvel studios, Northstar is also known for his ability to travel superhuman speed. Seven seconds or less offense? Psshh. That's nothing. The fact that he somewhat resembles Kurt from Glee gives it bonus points.

As for the more famous comic book characters in the back? Well obviously, they have no clue who these guys are...But that makes sense. Peter Parker's never come off to me as a sports guy, The Thing is still trumped by the last time the Raptors bounced the Knicks from the playoffs, The Hulk is not sure what basketball even is, New York native The Human Torch is upset Lebron opted for a different kind of Heat, while Wolverine (though Canadian) is clearly one of those "Hockey Guys".

NBA 2K11: Where 30th Overall Happens

Take a good look at that folks. Let it soak in for a minute. We've finally accomplished something not many sport franchises get to do. We are the worst team in a basketball video game.

Remember all those unrealistic trades you pulled off? What about the even more unlikely trip to the NBA finals that took place in last year's installment of NBA 2K10 (but only because the online servers were down)? Well now you have the exciting privilege of taking the 30th overall Raptors and turning them into NBA champions. A true rags to riches story.

Ignoring the fact that a 29th defense and a 28th offense somehow equals a 30th overall, let's take a look at the entire Raptors lineup in what is expected to be one of the most bought sports games this year.

75 - Leandro Barbosa (SG)
74 - Andrea Bargnani (C)
72 - Jose Calderon (PG)
69 - Jarrett Jack (PG)
67 - Ed Davis (PF)
64 - Julian Wright (SF)
64 - DeMar DeRozan (SG)
63 - Joey Dorsey (PF)
63 - Reggie Evans (PF)
63 - Amir Johnson (PF)
62 - Marcus Banks (PG)
60 - Sonny Weems (SG)
57 - David Andersen (C)
55 - Linas Kleiza (SF)

I know. It's a bit underwhelming. And you know what? I usually don't care about ratings when it comes to sports game, because more often than not, they don't matter. DeMar DeRozan was one of the best players in NBA 2K10 because of his speed, dunk, and layup rating. Once you were able to learn how to shoot with him, he became one of the most unstoppable forces in the game.

But since you're here, allow me to point out a few things:

- Linas Kleiza - our most significant pickup this off-season - was given a rating of 55. Fifty-five? We're talking about one of the more prolific scorers at this year's FIBA World Championships. The Lithuanian averaged 19 points and 7 rebounds during the entire tournament, and was the focal point of an intense American defense in the semi finals game. Kleiza rates lower than Nuggets' Coby Karl (56), Sixers' Tony Battie (57), and is only 1 point higher than Lakers' mustache man Adam Morrison. Expect perhaps the biggest improvement out of any player in 2k history by the time the last roster update comes out. I'll predict a 76.

- Most Raptors fans are looking forward to the growth of the Young Gunz and the excitement they'll bring. Unfortunately, 2K either felt differently, didn't care, or were blind to it. DeMar DeRozan and Sonny Weems clocked in at a low 64 and 60 respectively. During this year's Summer League, both Raptors swingmen tore it up. By the end of their schedule, the consensus from the media was that the duo were two of the most impressive players amongst their peers. I did some digging, and here are the 2k11 ratings of the top 10 guards and swingmen in terms of scoring averages from the 2010 summer league. Yes, it's just summer league. But what else could they possibly base these stats on when you can argue this entire group are unproven in the NBA?

John Wall - 24 pts, 32 min, 38%FG (81 ovr)
Reggie Williams - 23 pts, 32 min, 41%FG (67 ovr)
DeMar DeRozan - 21 pts, 26 min, 58%FG (64 ovr)
Sam Young - 19 pts, 28 min, 54%FG (65 ovr)
Marcus Thornton - 19 pts, 32 min, 44%FG (69 ovr)
Jermaine Taylor - 18 pts, 29 min, 47%FG (62 ovr)
Nick Young - 18 pts, 28 min, 55%FG (66 ovr)
Sonny Weems - 18 pts, 27 min, 44%FG (60 ovr)
Dominque Jones - 17 pts, 32 min, 42%FG (66 ovr)
Jordan Crawford - 16 pts, 31 min, 42%FG (64 ovr)

And as for Amir Johnson - the athletic Young Gun 4 man fresh off his contract extension? A pathetic 63 overall. That's lower than Josh Powell (64) and the overweight Eddy Curry (64). On top of that, they have Amir listed with a 67 dunk...A 67? Clearly they haven't seen this:



BTW - Reggie Evans has a 68 dunk. And no offense whatsoever to Reggie, but all of Raptors Nation knows that Reggie doesn't dunk.

And what about our prized draft pick Mr. Ed Davis? A 67 isn't that bad at all, but let's compare him to the rest of his draft class.

John Wall - 81
Evan Turner - 76
Derrick Favors - 73
Wesley Johnson - 73
DeMarcus Cousins - 70
Ekpe Udoh - 68
Greg Monroe - 67
Al Farouq-Aminu - 68
Gordon Hayward - 64
Paul George - 71
Cole Aldrich - 64
Ed Davis - 67
Pattrick Patterson - 72

As you can see, the one thing Raps fans can be pleased with the most is 2K's assessment of Ed Davis. Rookies are always overrated in the game, but at least 2K had the presence of mind of clocking Ed in at where many draft experts expected him to go in the draft (7-10)

Lastly, note how the Raps' best player comes in at 75 overall - Leandro Barbosa. Toronto is one of 5 teams (along with Cleveland, LA, Detroit, Minnesota) to not have a player rated over 80. The only player with a legit shot at cracking that by the end of the year is Andrea Bargnani. I'd throw in Kleiza in there as well, but I don't see 2K Sports allowing a 26 point rating increase to happen.

And in case you guys were interested, here are the ratings of a few Ex-Raptors:

Antoine Wright - 64
Marco Belinelli - 66 (Apparently we traded away our two best swings)
Kris Humphries - 62
Chris Bosh - 87

To wrap it up, let's take a quick glimpse (courtesy of Youtube) at how the worst team in the game will play on consoles all over the world.

The Format of The Future

If there's anything that yesterday's practice indicated, it's that the Raptors plan on a culture change. Defence. Defence. Defence. No seriously. For real this time. Yes, we've heard this before over the last few years, but I think this may be the first time I've actually believed it.

Why?

It starts with the departure of Chris Bosh. Don't get it twisted. Bosh wasn't known for his defensive prowess, but that's because we asked him to carry the load on offense. That's not to say he wasn't capable, evident with his time on the American Olympic team. The fact that we paired him up with Bargnani to form our paint presence also magnified our defensive problems.

But now with Bosh gone, the Raptors can finally scrap their experiment and put a defensive minded and rebounding big next to Bargnani. Amir Johnson's extension, the selection of Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi, the pickup of Joey Dorsey, the attempted acquisition of Tyson Chandler, and the now rumoured interest in Eric Dampier also suggest this is in fact the plan.

No matter how the frontcourt ends up looking, I think we can all expect better rebounding and interior defense than last year - though that's not saying much.

Now what about the first line of defense?

On the wings, we have what may be the most athletic group Raptors Nation has seen in awhile. The speed, energy, and youthful enthusiasm that DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems, and Julian Wright bring to the table will interesting to watch. Roaming the court also will be who many NBA fans refer to as the Brazilian Blur - Leandro Barbosa. The former Suns combo guard has averaged at least 1 steal per game throughout his career; a team high on the Raps.

Will we able to lock teams down? Probably not. This year's installment of the Raptors will go through its growing pains. But the change in culture is what matters the most here. Gone are the days we place Turkoglu or Kapono out there to defend the perimeter.

Defence will be key this year. As Triano put it: "Our transition buckets will be an indication of our defense this year". Without key stops or rebounding, our biggest strength in running the floor will be negated.

Other than a steady big to further bolster our injured and inexperienced group of big men, what do the Raptors need next moving forward? Assuming the coaching staff continues to teach DeMar Kobe's pet moves and show support for Bargnani, then Colangelo needs to find himself a young and athletic point guard. There's a fad going around in the NBA that revolves around the dynamic and super athletic point guard. Think John Wall, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, and of course Derrick Rose. I was hoping we'd be able to snatch up Avery Bradley, but to no avail. Whether it be through the draft or a trade, the Raps need to match up better at the 1 spot.

Defense wins championships. So if we're really intent on starting over, let's do it the right way.