I'm not sure how much more 4th quarter preseason basketball I can take. I may have to turn the game off when the 3rd quarter ends. The Raptors offence is slowly coming together but we have a long way to go. Well, let's take a look at the positives and negatives.
The Positives:
-Bargnani played another aggressive game scoring 16points and getting 5rebounds.
-Another great show of athleticism from both DeRozan and Weems.
-Calderon is getting back to his old habits and that is a good thing.
The Negatives:
-Turkoglu received some more minutes but his defense is sloppy. I'm not sure if he is pacing himself or just gets gassed out, but it looked pretty bad.
-Overall the defense was pretty rough to watch. The preseason air rolled over the game and things became decidedly ugly.
-The team has found some chemistry but has yet to maintain it through 3 quarters of play(no mention of the 4th because it is called mandatory garbage quarter from now on in preseason).
I should give a shout out to Bargnani. I personally haven't always believed he could reach higher levels, mind you he made it very easy not to. Last night was another display of his maturity as a player. He has in my opinion achieved a new sense of confidence that may have been carried over from last season. He plays with a steady aim and his offensive effectiveness has greatly improved. On the defensive end, the rebounding could be better but he is showing signs of toughness while boxing out his opponents on a regular basis. Marco and Andrea both should see playing time on the court together because the chemistry from the national team has obviously spilled over to their NBA game.
Sonny Weems has made quite a case for himself this off season. Talk about a guy taking his career into his own hands and making things happen. If he hasn't done enough in the past 5 games to convince Triano to seriously consider using him in the rotation then I'm not sure what else he can do. It turns out the guy was a steal for the Raptors and eases the question of depth at the small forward position.
How bout a round of applause for Pops Mensah-Bonsu! He had a great game and makes some fans scratch their heads at why we were not able to re-sign him in the off season. There are several factors but it doesn't hurt as much having Evans and Johnson as a replacement. I do believe Bryan Colangelo thinks two moves ahead in his dealings and Pops just would have hindered a couple moves after the fact. I am however glad he has found a home in Houston cause they will need all the help they can get.
I'm not sure if Houston will be playoff bound this year. They lost Artest and signed Ariza. If T-mac comes back healthy and hungry it could make the difference. This is McGrady's final year in his contract. I would seriously be surprised if he was a Rocket next season or is able to demand the kind of money he makes this year. He has been plagued with injuries and I could see him playing a reduced role on a team that's a championship contender. His departure will give Houston 23mill in cap space to sign 1 or more free agents this coming off season. It's a matter of time until it hits the list as another possible destination for Bosh next year(because it's not fathomable whatsoever that he would even consider re-signing here, right?). If they can land a top FA they will be again be a troublesome team in the West. Until then it seems to be their destiny to have a lottary pick due to the competitive playoff seeds in the West
Next game is on Sunday at the ACC against the Celtics. I'm looking forward to seeing more minutes with Turkoglu on the floor. It should be a decent game since they will have some time at home to work on some of the kinks in their game. I'll have a pregame for you in a couple days.
Cool Hand Luke
Friday, October 16, 2009
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