Game Day: Knicks come to town
Posted by Arsenalist on March 28, 2008
It used to be that you’d circle the Knicks coming to town when the schedule came out, now it’s an after-thought even on game day. Coming off the Detroit win, this should be a walk in the park for any playoff team (East or West) but we’ll see if the Raptors can match their intensity, effort and intelligence from the Detroit game against a lesser opponent. Isiah Thomas doesn’t even care about winning at this point, it’s all about developing whatever talent the Knicks have and showcasing the vets for a trade or two in the offseason.
“It’s tough when you’re trying to balance developing young players at the expense of sometimes giving veteran guys minutes who’ve been around for a long time. Particularly at the end of the season when the games, you don’t have a chance to make the playoffs but yet the guys are still able to maintain their focus.”
It’s finally occurred to Dave Feschuk that TJ Ford might be “wearing out his welcome”. The ill-timed article couldn’t be more speculative, other than quoting Colangelo from the Phoenix game, it’s nothing more than opinion. The open criticism of TJ Ford along with waving him goodbye is coming after he’s had a stretch of some pretty solid games against Detroit, Denver and Cleveland. But when Ford was struggling on the West coast trip, pieces which were packing the bags for him were nowhere to be found.
Is he on the outs with the Raptors? Possibly and maybe likely, but it’s got nothing to do with him wearing out his welcome, his talent level or his attitude. If he’ll leave it’ll be because Colangelo doesn’t think his style of play is suited for a team with our finesse personnel. This is a subject of open debate. What’s a little deppresing is that just when there’s something positive happening, the media shits on it.
The Globe chimed in with it’s two cents finally saying what fans on the Calderon side of the TJ-Jose debate have been thinking for quite some time. Nice reporting!
The Raptors signed Linton Johnston yesterday and cut Darrick Murray Martin. Except that Martin is still with the team on some level, the level where he sits on the bench and tries to give advice to PGs that are at the earliest stages of their career, ten-folds better than what Martin ever was. Is this signing supposed to have a purpose other than give Maceo Baston and Joey Graham some company? The stats aren’t even that bad given the minutes, if he can grab a couple rebounds here and there, he’s already done more than Martin ever did for us.
Motivation needs to come from two directions for the Raptors: 1) Stave of Philly and 2) Get some momentum going in to the playoffs. The current form of a team is always more important than their overall record when it comes to the playoffs. You think Orlando wants a Philly matchup? They want to play us as bad as we want to play them. If we can go 8-3 in our remaining 11 games, it would be an ideal end to an inconsistent season and would give us the confidence that’s a must when entering the tournament. If we “back in” to the playoffs, it hardly matters who we play in the first round.
Here’s some more of today’s media. Let’s get an easy win tonight.
March 28, 2008 at 10:25 am
I am still not convinced the Raptors can win on Friday nights.
goodbye D-Mart……..it was a pleasure.
http://cuzoogle.com/2008/03/28/raptors-game-day-knicksraps/
March 28, 2008 at 11:33 am
I think major media is just reporting on feelings that are evident on blogs right now. Yes, you see both sides, but it seems to me the majority of voices out there are anti-TJ and the move. A lot of it is probably down to the Toronto-bred societal nature of you work hard and you get rewarded, but if you whine then f-you. Will it go away with a win streak or at the very least a good run by TJ? Yes. That make it right? Your call.
As you pointed out in your post-game, the booing after one missed shot was a bit much, but like we are want to do, they were cheering him the next shot he made. As much as this is a fine mental line for TJ, it is for the media and fans alike as well.
March 28, 2008 at 11:43 am
I think if this team wins three straight coming up, a lot of the anti-TJ sentiment will quell down. The unfortunate part about this whole thing is that actual basketball is hardly talked about and all the points being made for/against the two are more personality based than anything.
March 28, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Yeah Arse lets talk more ball and less gossip like don’t the Raps need a backup PG more than a 4th SF?
March 28, 2008 at 12:50 pm
We do have an abundance of mediocre small forwards: Moon, Delfino, Graham and now Linton, none of whom can be counted on to provide scoring. The SF spot has been a problem since the VJ/Rose period and it’s never gotten addressed properly. I think defensively we’re adequate in that spot but it’s the offense that’s suffering because we don’t have a true slasher at that spot.
Moon’s game is jamming on the break or pulling up for jumpers, rarely does he slash and attack the rim with a purpose (even without the ball) and that’s what we need a SF to do given the type of players we have in Bosh, Calderon and Ford. We got enough outside shooting, need a guy who can play inside-out at the SF spot.
March 28, 2008 at 1:24 pm
The media loves a good vs. evil, someone to drop the blame on etc.
EVerything T.J. does seems to be hurting him and Jose keeps grabbing the RAptors organization tighter and tighter by the balls in the nicest way known to man.
Everything is set up to blow up in T.J.’s face. They come 7th and get swept, it is ford’s fault.
Calderon bolts for another team this summer, Ford’s fault.
I am a big T.J. fan and I think it is unfair.
Don’t get me wrong JOse is one of a kind and loves the team concept but Ford is really being painted into a villain role.
Drama breeds a cancer on the team and it seems to be the media and us that make it grow.
I hope they can make it work, I hope they both stay in TOronto and I hope whatever happens in the next month is not all dropped on T.J.’s head.
My girlfriend put it best.
“Reminds me of Obama vs. Clinton”
March 28, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Hope BC isn’t reading any of khandor’s posts; that wouldn’t be good for his self-esteem. Seems everyone is down on BC lately - have a look at the rediculous price reduction on this item.
His decision concerning the PG spot is probably going to affect this team for years to come one way or another. Other than that, don’t expect anything earth-shattering until we get cap relief in ‘09.
Who’s out there that we can reasonably obtain at the SF spot?
March 28, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Yo!
This guy is allergic to offense, plays D, rebounds AND he won a ring with the Spurs?
B.C. is going to look like a genius!!!!!!!!!
khandor…. is he a killa? I smell a killa. Him and TJ are going to be best friends.
arsenalist I think there is 3 games we need to worry about:
2 vs Nets
1 vs Hawks
those are the ones I got circled on my calendar and I think Philly i s going to cool off.
March 28, 2008 at 8:47 pm
FLUX,
Have you clicked on the ‘Linton’ links on my site yet?
If so … which one might tha real ‘killer bee’? (and I ain’t talk’n bout Baumhower, Barnett, Blackwood-L, Bokamper, Blackwood-G, Betters, and Brudzinski)
:-)
[PS. Right now, the Knicks are a terrible ‘pro’ basketball team.
March 28, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Birdman,
Not to worry … the ‘Teflon Man’ is 100% immune from anything I could possibly pen about his performance as a GM, in the NBA … either in Toronto or Phoenix. Chumps like me are little more than knats in this particular barnyard.
March 28, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Yeah, this was supposed to be an easy win. :(
These Raptors, despite their team name ironically, do not have a killer instinct.