Some new observations:

Teams

- Does anyone else feel some of the suspensions/ fines the league has given out have been a bit... inconsistent?
- How much LONGER will the Knicks have a better record than the Raptors?
- How much better has Philly looked in their last three than their first seven?
- Can the Titanic Atlantic division sustain four teams with .500 or better records?
- Can Cleveland dethrone Detroit as the Central division power?
- How much are you not surprised that Atlanta is no longer winning the Southeast division?
- Will the three Texas teams continue to have a combined record below .500 for the whole season?
- Will New Orleans realize they are a better team than 5-4?
- Do you know how much Utah misses Deron Williams?
- Are you on the Greg Oden bandwagon? I am, and I'll be your conductor this evening.
- Have you noticed the battle heating up for fourth place in the Northwest division? 15 straight losses between Minnesota and OKC and counting!
- Anyone else have that Shaq-is-once-again-a-beast feeling? And that this isn't the year the Suns drop off?
- Are you at all surprised that there are only 6 teams averaging over 100 points a game?
- How impressive is it that Dwight Howard [who will be mentioned again below] averages more blocks a game than the Spurs and Knicks do combined?
- Can you imagine being Don Nelson, and see your team go to the FT line 32 times a game, but only get 70.3% of them in?
- Did you know Stephen Jackson [who will be mentioned again below] takes almost the same amount of threes in a game that the entire OKC team does?
- Oh, Phoenix is still shooting 50% as a team... yet, more amazingly, actually take the least amount of shots each game of any team... I know... Phoenix... those 'what's a shot clock?' Suns...

Players

- Can you imagine how scary Lebron James would be if he weren't shooting 24% from three? This considering he is already averaging 30 ppg, and shooting 50% from the field, and 77% from FT. He is shooting 55% from within the arc, just so you know. Oh, and also 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and a block... just saying...
- Would you have guessed that OJ Mayo would be the only rookie averaging 20ppg?
- Are you as amazed as me that Dwight Howard is STILL averaging over 4 blocks a game?
- Are you amazed that Dwight Howard is averaging 14 rebounds a game, but is NOT the league leader?
- Are you surprised TJ Ford is in the top 20 in 3-point FG%, ahead of Michael Redd?
- Can you imagine being Don Nelson, and seeing Stephen Jackson hoist 7.5 threes a game, while getting only 26.7% of them in?

Raptors

- Second worst in the league in steals per game, but lead the league in assists
- Third worst in rebounds per game, but second best in FT%
- Third best in 3PFG% and sixth best in FG%
- Very 'middle of the pack' in a lot of categories
- Bosh fourth in ppg at 25.1
- Oneal top 20 in blocks per game, Bargnani top 25
- Calderon second in the league in assists, with 9pg
- Bosh 10th in rebounds per game, Oneal 20th
- Calderon still hasn't missed a free throw, one of only two eligible players that is able to say that
- Bosh is 5th in the league in FT attempts per game at 9.6
- Kapono 5th in 3PFG%, but Bargnani the only other Raps-rep in the top 25

Early Observations

So, the NBA season has begun, and we're into our second week. Just thought I would jot down a few observations from what has thus far transpired, and for the format, I will take a page from a Yahoo! Sports NFL columnist:

Standings
- Is it any surprise that Boston, Detroit, Houston, LA Lakers, and Utah are leading their divisions and sporting good records?
- Would you have guessed that the other division leader that isn't listed above are the 4-0 Atlanta Hawks?
- How long will it last that the Knicks have the same record as the Raptors? Hopefully, not long.
- How long will it last that the East has only four teams with losing records, while there are four teams with losing records in the Northwest division in the West?
- Will the Wizards win a game before Agent 0 gets back on the court?
- If I told you that the Spurs would be 1-4 to start the season, would you believe me?
- Will the Clippers win a game... this season?
- How exciting of a battle will it be to see who isn't the basement dweller in the NE division between Minnesota and Oklahoma City?

STATS
- Do you think the top three scorers in the league will continue to be Tony Parker, Danny Granger, and Tim Duncan?
- Are you at all surprised that T-Mac, Vince Carter, and Yao Ming are not averaging 20 points a game, but Kevin Martin is?
- How long can Dwight Howard average four blocks a game?
- Will this be the year Lebron stops teasing us and actually averages a triple double? Currently at 25-8-8.
- Is it racist to notice that out of the seven players averaging 11 rebounds a game or more, only one of those [the leader, no less] is white?
- Will you do a double-take at this line after I mention that the Pistons are second in the league in points per game scored, at 102.8?
- Are Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph that bad, that the Knicks are averaging 1.2 blocks per game?
- How long will the Hawks remain undefeated while shooting a league-worst 64.7% from the charity stripe?
- Is there an over/under somewhere for how long the Suns can keep shooting over 50% AS A TEAM!?!

Raptors [not in question format]
- Tops in the league by shooting 50% from three
- Second in the league in FT%, but in the bottom half in attempts per game
- Dead last in the league in rebounds
- Fourth best in assists, fifth best in blocks, but second worst in steals
- Bosh tied for third with 26ppg
- Bargnani (!) cracking the top 25 in blocks per game, while JO is top 15
- Parker top 10 in steals per game
- Calderon #2 in assists, and has yet to miss a free throw
- The Raptors have two representatives in the top 10 in 3PFG% [Moon(!) and Bargnani] and three more in spots 11-20 [Kapono, Parker, Calderon] - all 50% and up

NBA 08-09 Storylines!

Last year was a very good year for the association. To list just a few things why: Kobe got his MVP, Chris Paul took over the reigns from Steve Nash as best PG, Lebron put up as amazing averages across the board as we have seen in decades, Boston had three all-stars on their team and won the Larry O'Brien trophy, Dwight Howard made the dunk contest relevant again, Shaq was sent to Phoenix, Houston won 22 straight games [many without Yao], Atlanta took Boston to 7 games in the playoffs, the all-star game was hosted in New Orleans, the West had 9 teams better than almost anyone in the East, Jason Kidd was sent to Dallas, and the Raptors kept their 3-point streak alive! I am sure I missed a million things that could be added to the list, but you get the point... the season was great.

This year? There are many things to follow: Greg Oden is finally a rookie, Gilbert Arenas should be back at full strength, the league has a new team [Thundercats!], Jermaine O'Neal is a Raptor, Ron Artest is a Rocket, Lebron has another year under his belt, diddo Chris Paul, Boston will be looking to repeat, Detroit might lose their streak of consecutive conference finals appearances, T-Mac might get out of the first round, Lakers have Bynum back, and the Knicks will get back to .500! .400!

My "interview" with Sam Mitchell

Sam Mitchell was nice enough to sit down with me to discuss the upcoming season. In the interview, I ask Sam about his new big man, the Olympics, and about making shots



Kevin: Hi Sam, thanks for finding the time to talk to me.

Sam: Okay.

Kevin: So, Sam, another year, another set of new guys. How do you feel about the new players Bryan has acquired for you?

Sam: It's not all that important. Whoever is on the floor has got to make shots. If you're not on the floor, you gotta work your butt off in practice. Whoever is here is here for a reason, and I'll reward you if you play hard.

Kevin: Have you created a strategy for having Bosh and JO on the floor at the same time?

Sam: Yeah, I have an idea of how it will play out. It will depend on match-ups. It will change each game. But look at it this way, our two bigs are two all stars. We're going to have two, maybe three [with Calderon] all stars on the floor at the same time, so we're going to be all right.

Kevin: Speaking of Calderon, do you think you will miss TJ?

Sam: Well, of course we will miss TJ. He is a terrific player, who put up great numbers both years he was with us. Jose will be fine, though. And we get to see what Roko can do.

Kevin: Did you watch much of the Olympics?

Sam: Not really, no. I knew Bosh was doing well, Jose too. I don't see them being too tired for the upcoming season. It was good that Roko got some more experience as well.

Kevin: What do you make of the Jose controversy? First the picture with the Spanish team, and then his comments about the officials?

Sam: Listen, I'm not going to go around saying anything bad about Jose. I don't know what role Jose had in the picture, and he apologized. As for his officiating comments, who doesn't complain about international officiating? Have you read Rod Benson's blog? Next question.

Kevin: Who is going to be your starting 3? Moon or Kapono?

Sam: Kapono will have every opportunity to start. The way he played against Orlando was magical... no pun intended. Moon, he was great last year, so we will see if he can come back and keep growing.

Kevin: Last question Sam, what do the Raptors have to do to compete with the top teams this year?

Sam: There are a lot of "if's" right now when it comes to that. If JO can stay healthy and revert back to his all star form, if Bosh can keep the intensity we saw with the U.S. team, if Jose can play like he did last year, if Roko can take his game to the NBA level, if AP can still be Mr. Consistent, if Moon can take the next step, if Kapono can play like he did in the playoffs, if Chris and JO can co-exist together, and if Bargnani can become the player we think he can be. If all that happens, and if we make shots, we'll be okay.

Kevin: Thanks Sam, appreciate the visit.

Sam: My pleasure.

Ed. Note: This interview may or may not have happened, and the characters may or may not have been made up.

New Season, New Players, New Post

The last time I posted on this blog, the Raptors were 14-10 after a 29 point performance by Jason Kapono. Then I took an extended hiatus. I'll see if I can keep this thing going stronger this time. Fortunately, a good friend of mine has season tickets this year, so I should be able to go to more games, and maybe bring some more to the table of this blog. Over the next few weeks, I will try to go through some player-by-player discussions, including departed players and newly acquired players. I plan on also doing some coverage of Canada's Mens Basketball team, and talk about the Olympics as a whole.

Nothing too big for now, just wanted to get this first post out here.

Score 1 [or 29] for Kapono

He's averaging less playing time than in Miami. He's not playing with Shaq and Wade. He's sometimes a forgotten man, regardless of his out of this world shooting stroke. He has, however, never publicly complained. He just uses his minutes efficiently, by shooting a high percentage from both within, and beyond, the three point arc. These facts have led me to wish Mitchell played him more often. Yes, Moon is long, athletic, and a block machine. Parker is probably the Raptors best defender in the half court set, and Delfino seems to bring a bit of everything to the table. I hoped, however, that Mitchell could find SOME consistent use for Kapono, as his percentages were just too high to ignore.
You can understand my joy, therefore, after Toronto's fourth straight win tonight, this time at the expense of the Indiana Pacers. Kapono simply went off, scoring 29 points, including 6-7 from three. In the fourth quarter alone, Kapono scored 17 points and was a perfect 4-4 from three, including one ridiculous looking two-handed push shot that was just about the quickest release I had ever seen. Of course, he might play all of 15 minutes against Boston, even after this performance, but at least he showed the fans that he is certainly worth the money he got in the off season, and will be a valuable piece of the Raptors puzzle this season.

Now, onto the game:

The fact that the Raptors came back from 17 points, on the road no less, speaks volumes about where the team is at mentally right now. Furthermore, the win came with Ford on the bench, Rasho ineffective, and Bargnani still MIA. What worked was the career high in point by Kapono, the career high in assists by Calderon, the 'still riding high' play of The Hump, and the rounding into all-star form from Chris Bosh.

Box Score Worthy
- Jose Calderon: 18 points, 16 assists, 2 turnovers, 5 rebounds
- Chris Bosh: 22 points, 16 rebounds, including 8 offensive
- Jason Kapono: 29 points on 9-14 shooting, 6-7 from 3, 5-5 from FT line
- Kris Humphries: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
- Carlos Delfino: 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 big, big block

The Raptors record stands at 14-10, which puts them in sole possession of 4th in the Eastern Conference, a couple games behind Detroit/ Orlando, and a game up on Washington. It also puts them at 10th in the league, which means they should make it into the top 10 in monday's ESPN and NBA.com power rankings. If they beat Boston, they could potentially jump up to 8th. If they lose, they shouldn't drop further than 11th, considering two of their four wins came on the road against .500 teams, and their two home wins came against two of the Western Conference powers [Houston still needs to be considered a power, record aside].

The Update

Okay, it's been too long. I've put my blogging duties aside [xmas shopping, job hunting, laziness], but I am back now and will catch up on what was missed.

Quarter Point

Power Rankings
- We have more or less reached the quarter point of the NBA season. The power rankings are getting more and more difficult, as the Suns and Magic have hit a bit of a slide, the Spurs are trying to hang on without Duncan, and Boston still hasn't played a tough opponent recently. By record, Boston leads the NBA by a landslide [2 losses, SA with 5], and San Antonio, Phoenix, Detroit, and Orlando rounding out the top 5. Amazingly, the East has more teams in the top 5 record-wise than the West. However, if you get rid of the top 3 teams in each conference, the West still produces 6 other teams with winning records, while the East has only 2.

Surprises
- There are good and bad surprises. I am surprised that Boston is 18-2, but would not be surprised if they don't win the East.
- I am amazed that Chicago is 7-13, but not surprised that New York and Miami have joined them at the bottom of the East.
- I am surprised that New Orleans has a better record than Dallas, Utah, and Houston, and, matter of fact, surprised that Dallas is a 6 seed in the West right now, Utah is a 7, and Houston is out of the playoff picture.
- I am surprised that the Oden-less Blazers are 10-12.
- I am not surprised that the worst team in the league is Minnesota, the team KG left to play, oddly enough [?], for the best team in the league.

Come on, MVP?
- Just as muddled as the power rankings right now. Dwight Howard has the stats, and his team is playing at a high level. Lebron has more stats, but his team is struggling. Nash is too easy of a pick. KG is on the best team in the league by record, but doesn't really have the stats of the other three. Either of those 4 could take it right now.

Raptors
- Three in a row for the Raps: one win on the road against a .500 team, followed by two nice home wins against two of the big three from Texas. All this without two healthy point guards, and one MIA big man [Bargnani]. Luckily, Calderon has played incredible, Kapono has been as steady as a shooter as the Raptors have had since Curry, Bosh has been bringing the energy and intensity the team sorely needs, Delfino has been making Joe Dumars look silly, and a guy named Hump has been making Hoffa look like... well, Hoffa who?
- With all that being said, the Raptors need healthy bodies. They can hang on for now, but they could be a very dangerous team with Ford AND Calderon leading the charge, and Bargnani scoring 15 and grabbing 6. When that day comes, hopefully soon for when the schedule turns in their favour, the Raptors can maybe put together a nice string of victories to give them a cushion in the East, and maybe secure a 3-5 spot.

Hand hits head, head hits court
- It was unintentional, but stupid. Luckily, Ford will be okay, and Horford said, and did, all the right things afterwards. He'll know next time to grab the guy by the waist, and not just swing away. Even so, the one game suspension was justified, a good call, and I cannot see any appeal on Horford's part.
- What made the situation worse was the comments LeBron made. Yes, the Raptors may lack toughness, and if, as Doug Smith pointed out, another player besides Ford was knocked down, Ford would probably have been the first one in the guys face, but we have to look at the severity of the fall. If it's a hard foul, usually the first one to get upset is the guy who was taken down, and it snowballs from there. If the guy who was taken down can't get up, and has to get taken off on a stretcher, I hardly think that toughness needs to be shown. How about, the players show concern for the hurt player, which they did, and settle things on the basketball court, which they did. A week off because of a sprained finger doesn't make LeBron out to be the toughest of characters either, so I don't know why he was the one to talk [did Calderon play after dislocating his finger? Thought so...]