What is the Problem?

Bosh doesn't know either why the Raps show no effort.

What is exactly the problem with this group that they always make you guess if they'll show up to each game? Most people wouldn't have been surprised if we lost to the Rockets to Sunday - hell, probably we were expecting a loss. But the Raptors didn't just win, they won in convincing fashion. We blew them out.

So what the fuck happened tonight in Miami? We MUST be a superior team than them, we just HAVE to be. How is it they outplayed us? Because they lost 4 in a row at home probably and got whooped by the Grizzlies, but that shouldn't matter because if we matched half their intensity we would've had this game in the bag.

We are WAY too Talented to be 11-16. I know it's been a tough schedule, 9 new players, blah blah blah, fuck the excuses - we should be at least .500. I really believe that. We had inexcusable losses to Memphis and Charlotte, and most other games where we would've won only had our team showed some damn passion and pride.

Is it Triano? I'm getting frustrated more and more by him as each game passes, but I honestly don't know. Isn't it the coach's job to motivate his guys to haul ass out there? The schedule gets a bit easier and we could very well end up with a winning record by the end of the season and will be in the playoffs one way or another - welcome to the Eastern Conference, where being 11-17 only puts you about 2 games back of the FIFTH SPOT! I don't know if I should be happy or manically depressed that we're in the playoffs with our dismal record.

I understand losing to great teams, but its the way in which we lose - getting routed time after time to mediocre teams at best - like Miami. Why are they more hungry than us? Why do they have a better record than us? Ok that's probably because they've had a light schedule, and by the end we should - BETTER have more wins than them.

So, again, what is exactly is the problem? We're worst defensive team in the league. Defense is effort isn't it? You don't have to be a highly skilled defensive player to get some stops, just fucking put some effort out there man, what's the problem? Why aren't the players embarrassed that the Golden State Warriors are ranked higher than us in defense, hell even the Bricks (Knicks). And losing is one thing, but show some damn pride.

By the way, does everyone still want Jarrett Jack as the unquestionable starter? He scored six points, made one field goal, had 1 assist, and registered 5 turnovers. Calderon's always been my guy, but I'm rooting for Jack, I really am - but he's not helping himself with games like these.

Random thoughts:

• Triano why the FUCK are you playing Rasho in garbage time? That's just a slap to his face. Hasn't the guy proven himself enough through out his career, do you really need to make him lug his slow ass body out there for an already decided game and risk breaking a bone? The guy is old, he's a wily veteran, he's won a ring, he doesn't need to see the court time in a blowout. He deserves a little more respect than that.

• If the Raps somehow win tomorrow in Orlando (I know, chances are slim to none), it'll only confuse everybody. This team would be truly unpredictable then.

• Why is Marcus Banks seeing the floor? Who cares if he's the only other true point guard available, he's shit. Sure, he doesn't complain or whine, but that's not the point, the point is he SUCKS. It must be because BC is trying to trade him so we need Banks out there to show other teams that he can play right? Only one problem - he CAN'T. Get this Tracy Morgan look-a-like mofo the fuck outta here. I'd rather see Belinelli at point even though he's been struggling hard as of late.

• Bosh with 2 rebounds..and it wasn't even because he wasn't trying.

• Sonny Weems is earning his playing time. He's even hitting his jumper consistently. Go Joey Graham!! err..Sonny Weems!

• Poor DeRozan - he was driving hard to the rim tonight, but didn't get any calls. A lot of contact on a lot of plays, no calls for the Raptors.
  

• When did the Heat get Carlos Arroyo?
  

• When is Reggie Evans getting back? Like I said before, it's looking more and more like Rachel was right - maybe Evans really is out for the year.
  

"We're just not a good team." - Chris Bosh, checking in with Reality

Bosh's hand isn't big enough to hide his face in shame.

They say admission is the first step toward recovery, and Chris Bosh finally opened up to reality. Reality the Raptors, for intents and purposes, suck shit right now. Jay Triano could learn a thing or two about admitting what is the state of the sad-sack Raptors. For all the offensive flare, we're getting raped without the lube on defense.

Just when you thought that Boston game was the most humiliating loss ever..the Raptors lose in Atlanta. Fine. Predictable. Hell, almost acceptable. But by a final score of 146-115? You'd think you would only see that in an NBA LIVE game for your PS3 or whatever the hell you play it on.

There's no point in talking about the actual game. These quotes are what's really going to make the fish fry in Raptorland..at least you'd hope so.

Chris Bosh:

"“Defensive effort hasn’t been there for a while,” Chris Bosh said. “We have to be honest with ourselves. (Wednesday night) was just a total embarrassment. We couldn’t stop anybody. We haven’t stopped anybody all year. “The past few games we have been outworked in every aspect. We don’t get on the ground. We don’t consistently get rebounds. We give up a lot of points in the paint. No coverage is good for us. I mean it’s just not a good team."

This is gonna sound insane, but that might be the first, closest dose of leadership we've seen from CB4 this year so far. Yeah, he's got more than his share of blame to carry around, being the franchise player and all, but this is also the first time he's actually called out the team, and thus, his coach. Part of leadership is calling out your team when it's warranted, and not being afraid of how your teammates + coaching staff might feel. I'm not letting Bosh himself off the hook by any means, but its about time he speaks loudly about what is bound to be the worst defensive team in NBA history.

Jarret Jack:

"Every time something happens it's always, `It's okay, it's all right.' It's not all right. Problems go by without attacking them or challenging them or bringing them to the forefront and getting them solved. We can't keep keep putting them to the back of the bus and just saying, `That's okay.' It's not all right. Everybody can't walk on eggshells around here and say, `We're playing good basketball.' We're not."
You fucking tell'em JJ. I like that he's basically calling out Triano specifically. Even Bosh didn't point the finger that accurately at the coach.

Antoine Wright:

"You've got to address (the defensive issues) and you've got to show people on tape. It's not personal. If you want to win, you're going to have to make some sacrifices."
From The Toronto Star:

Wright, who has criticized Triano's schemes previously, was the only Raptor not to see the floor on Wednesday. He said Triano has failed to "call out" under-performing Raptors because unnamed teammates are "too sensitive" to criticism. And although he and Jack were the most explicit in their post-game assessments, their sentiments weren't unique. After Triano gave a post-game press briefing in which he said he couldn't fault his team's effort - "I can't say I (saw players) not trying out there" - other eyes remembered it another way.

It's sad when Antoine Wright, an NBA journeyman, has to keep calling out the team. He's been pretty sub-par himself, but at least he's trying to hold the team accountable. Same with Jarrett Jack.

A word on Triano: he's either insane, or just plain stupid. I like him, I really do, and I want him to do well. But to keep insisting after every game that the Raptors are "alright" makes you wanna throw a piece of dog turd at him. We're not alright. We're on pace to become the worst defensive team in NBA history. And he keeps insisting they're just figuring it out, so it's going to be okay. How can it be okay if you can't even admit we're getting blown out of the water worse than a Tsunami? Remember that scene from Pulp Fiction when Butch (Bruce Willis) saves Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) from the rapists:

Butch: You okay?
Marsellus: Naw man. I'm pretty fuckin' far from okay.
Instead of Triano saying "I'm pretty fuckin' far from okay" after this, it's like he's saying "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got raped up the ass in Atlanta but I'm just gonna walk on like nothing happened and just hope that I don't get sodomized again."

So like I said, he's whether insane or unbelievably stupid. Insane if he truly thinks they'll just suddenly turn it around, when he can't even admit it's a glaring problem to begin with, or unbelievably stupid if he actually thinks there isn't anything THAT WRONG with this team in the first place.

*credit: Raptors Republic

Triano, What does this mean?

Well first off, congratulations to Triano on his deal!

So what does this mean for the raptors?

In a nut shell, nothing really. Coaching is perhaps the most over estimated aspect of basketball team performance in the league. In fact, for the most, there are really only a handful of coaches whose mere presence can add to the win column while the vast majority of head coaches out there are really only as good as their roster. Look no further than Mitchel, or Doc Rivers is perhaps an even better example. The year before he wins coach of the year, the celtics had what, an 18 loss streak and a record that rivaled the worst all time in NBA history. What did it take to win, a complete roster revamp. The same thing with Mitchel and the Raptors.

With the exception of george karl, jackson, sloan, jeff van gundy and carlisle, (apologies, I forgot to include the GREAT pop and adelmen) the rest of the coaching faculty are relatively mediocre, each with their own strengths and weaknesses but are made better by the right fit. Dantoni with a running team, mitchel with a younger team, jackson with managing star personalities and so on so forth. Its in fact extremely unfair to coaches that they carry the blame for underperforming teams but ironically, i think even the gm's know that its unfair, and in most cases, its simply to keep the fan base from rioting.

So why keep Triano rather than bringing in another mediocre or even a star coach. Well, no matter how a good a coach, you still need a talented roster. What I've seem to noticed is that the star coach is what helps push teams to title contention and as the raps are far from contending, its more crucial to change the roster now, and bring in the star coaches to help push us over the edge in a few years. Which also explains the length of his contract.

Other than that, there are really only two other reasons to keep him. The most important being that the players like him. What resonates with title contending teams? continuity and consistency. These need to start in the head office to spread down to the team and truly allow them to take steps. Every time something changes, you start again and the raps definitely don't need to take another step back. The last reason really is that he will be much more affordable as opposed to another mediocre coach which is extremely important with the roster makeover the Raptors need to make. In fact you'll probably se the raps make one big financial move while trading into the draft for low cost high potential roster picks to ease the burden should bosh leave while maintaing a decent roster. With the resigning of delfino, parker and pops, a low budget sg signing and returning marion through bird rights is enough to take huge steps forward but we'll get into that more after the playoffs.

Here's to a denver cleveland final!