41 replies to this topic

[Curtis Pride]

Make it two in a row

[Sprowl]

Ray Allen is moving well on the drive.

[Nomar813]

The NBA can kiss the fattest part of my ass. Raptors feed for a Celtics home game on League Pass broadband again.

[PeaceSignMoose]

The NBA can kiss the fattest part of my ass. Raptors feed for a Celtics home game on League Pass broadband again.

Well, the NBA has to satisfy all that Raptors fan out there.

[Curtis Pride]

Wasn't Bradley's shot an "up and down" violation?

(null)

[Nomar813]

Well, the NBA has to satisfy all that Raptors fan out there.

I'm sure he's enjoying the background noise while playing Dodge the Moose on his ehPhone.

[radsoxfan]

Wasn't Bradley's shot an "up and down" violation?

(null)

It was an attempted jump stop, which is legal.

He didn't correctly do it though, as his feet came down at different times, making it more of a "crab dribble". Could have been called a travel, but the refs mercifully let it go.

Edited by radsoxfan, 01 February 2012 - 08:00 PM.

[Curtis Pride]

I'm beginning to think Magic Johnson is wearing Pierce's uniform tonight.

(null)

[PeaceSignMoose]

Sasha showing a little spark.

[mikeford]

E'Twaun Moore's jumper is NICE.

[Riles335]

That was an amazing first half. What incredible work by every player that hit the floor.

[stp130]

KG - dangerous behind the arc! LOL.

[Riles335]

Most importantly Moore and Bradley looked great. Both players were very active on the offensive end.

Jose Calderon 0 - 5, 0 - 2, -17. Great work Bradley.

[radsoxfan]

I think Tommy is related to Aaron Gray. Never seen him constantly praise/defend a mediocre player on the other team like this. Truly bizarre.

[Curtis Pride]

It's rather easy to score the other team doesn't play defense. I feel like I'm watching a preseason game now.

(null)

[Riles335]

To the Celtics credit they are playing incredibly well. They have 22 assists on 30 baskets...that is hard to guard.

[ifmanis5]

Beating up on terrible teams who are without their best player almost makes you think the Celtics are good.
Thank God there's so much chum in the East to get the Celts their playoff spot.

[Nomar813]

Without Bargnani, this is an NBDL team. I have no idea how they have seven wins.

[AimingForYoko]

I am always pleased to be reminded of how much the Raptors suck.

It helps that the C's are actually playing well.

[Riles335]

I wouldn't be so sold on Bargnani being the best player on the team. For some reason many of you like to dismiss the other end of the court but Bargnani is terribly defensively and is at best a below average rebounder. Bargnani shoots well from the field but only 34 percent from beyond the arc. Without him, they just ended up going 3-2 on a 5 game road trip including two quality wins over the Suns and Jazz. It might actually be beneficial for the Raptors to play the Johnson's and Davis more, especially James Johnson who has been getting the major minutes with Bargnani down. He is going to be a terrific player.

Definitely not arguing that the Rapters are a bad team. They are but the Celtics are making them look really bad tonight.

Edited by Riles335, 01 February 2012 - 09:27 PM.

[radsoxfan]

I wouldn't be so sold on Bargnani being the best player on the team.

I don't think he is very good either, but someone has to be the "best". Who would you pick?

[Riles335]

I am excited for Johnson to get some minutes here.

[Nomar813]

I wouldn't be so sold on Bargnani being the best player on the team. For some reason many of you like to dismiss the other end of the court but Bargnani is terribly defensively and is at best a below average rebounder. Bargnani shoots well from the field but only 34 percent from beyond the arc. Without him, they just ended up going 3-2 on a 5 game road trip including two quality wins over the Suns and Jazz. It might actually be beneficial for the Raptors to play the Johnson's and Davis more, especially James Johnson who has been getting the major minutes with Bargnani down. He is going to be a terrific player.

Definitely not arguing that the Rapters are a bad team. They are but the Celtics are making them look really bad tonight.

Two of those three wins came with Bargnani in the lineup. He came back briefly, then suffered pretty much the same injury that held him out before. DeRozan has just been way too inconsistent night to night for them to be able to lean on him with Bargnani out.

Edited by Nomar813, 01 February 2012 - 09:33 PM.

[radsoxfan]

The team's PER leader is off to another good start tonight.....

[Riles335]

I don't think he is very good either, but someone has to be the "best". Who would you pick?

I think by and far Calderon is their best player. One of the most underrated guards in the league, Calderon is a really strong player who takes care of the ball and makes players around him better. The one I really like for the Raptors is James Johnson. Not their best player as of yet but he has the makings of being a really good player in this league and he is a very good rebounder and defender.

Bargnani is probably their second best player but I don't think he makes this team any better.

[Riles335]

Two of those three wins came with Bargnani in the lineup. He came back briefly, then suffered pretty much the same injury that held him out before. DeRozan has just been way too inconsistent night to night for them to be able to lean on him with Bargnani out.

My apologizes, I thought he was out for the entire road trip.



Bargnani's win share this year is a measly 1.6 making this team hardly any better.

[radsoxfan]

I think by and far Calderon is their best player. One of the most underrated guards in the league, Calderon is a really strong player who takes care of the ball and makes players around him better. The one I really like for the Raptors is James Johnson. Not their best player as of yet but he has the makings of being a really good player in this league and he is a very good rebounder and defender.

You got on Bargnani for his defense, and you like Calderon?? Worst defensive guard in the league, and its not particularly close. And Johnson sucks (James Johnson sucks I mean, Jujuan is looking quite good).

The Avery Bradley scouting report is making more and more sense by the minute.

I will say I think Avery has played well tonight, he has given up shooting and is just cutting to the basket at every opportunity. Helps to have Calderon guarding him of course.....

Edited by radsoxfan, 01 February 2012 - 09:55 PM.

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Holy wow. You don't see 100-64 very often. Blow-out city.

[Curtis Pride]

!0-squared to 8-squared. Celtics win by 6-squared. A game Pythagoras would love.

[eddiew112]

I am impressed with Johnson's offensive talent

[Riles335]

You got on Bargnani for his defense, and you like Calderon?? Worst defensive guard in the league, and its not particularly close. And Johnson sucks.

The Avery Bradley scouting report is making more and more sense by the minute.

I will say I think Avery has played well tonight, he has given up shooting and is just cutting to the basket at every opportunity. Helps to have Calderon guarding him of course.....

I never praised Calderon for his defense but Calderon is much more efficient offensive player. I don't think Calderon is the worst defensive point guard in the league but he is definitely below average at best. Bargnani on the other hand isn't the most efficient offensive player and is downright terrible around on both ends near the basket, defensively and rebounding.

[Riles335]

To add to my post as well, where do you get the idea that Johnson sucks? Yes he had a slow start to the season but since Bargnani has gone out with injury, Johnson has put up some very impressive games in quality minutes. He also had a strong sophomore season when he was traded to Toronto last year. What he does defensively is very, very impressive.

Edited by Riles335, 01 February 2012 - 09:59 PM.

[Brickowski]

JaJuan Johnson cannot be stopped. You can only hope to contain him.

[Riles335]

JaJuan Johnson cannot be stopped. You can only hope to contain him.

I am excited for him down the road. He shows some real flashes in his limited minutes. His jump shot looks smooth, he has athletic spring in getting to the rim, and is a solid rebounder right now. I am excited for him to get minutes.

[Brickowski]

I am excited for him down the road. He shows some real flashes in his limited minutes. His jump shot looks smooth, he has athletic spring in getting to the rim, and is a solid rebounder right now. I am excited for him to get minutes.

Johnson shows nice quickness. But his release on the jumper and free throws sucks-- he shoots the ball from way too far from behind his head. Also, he needs to put on 25 lbs, at least.

When the end of our bench went up against the end of Toronto's bench, I thought the guy who looked consistently good was Stiemsma.

[Riles335]

Johnson shows nice quickness. But his release on the jumper and free throws sucks-- he shoots the ball from way too far from behind his head. Also, he needs to put on 25 lbs, at least.

You don't think that release plays to his advantage? He is already 6'10 with a 7-2 wing span so the fact that he is able to release back beyond his head only plays to his advantage. Not many people are going to be able to block that. I can't recall one shot of his that has been blocked. Ideally, his release isn't as high as Garnett's but it is a similar release. With time he will work to extend that release especially with Garnett. Even right now, Johnson shoots incredibly well for a big man. He shot over 50 percent during his career at Perdue including 80.9 from the line during his senior year. Not sure if there is a problem with his shot/release.

I do agree with you that he needs to add muscle. I don't know about 25 pounds, that is a huge increase but anywhere in the 15-20 pound range would be ideal. That way he would be able to keep the same athleticism and range of motion on his shot. If you get him to weigh 25 pounds more, you risk the chance of hurting some of his key attributes.

Edited by Riles335, 01 February 2012 - 10:39 PM.

[Koufax]

I find myself wavering in my conviction that Avery Bradley should be shipped to the developmental league (where Luke Harongody is now playing, by the way). His defense has been pretty good and his offense is less of a liability than it used to be. Still bad but not as embarassing. E'Twaun is the better player, but Avery should not be released. I reserve that judgment for Marquis Daniels who is mercifully losing playing time to the far superior Sasha. When the team can only suit up 12 players I look forward to seeing Marquis's street wardrobe, which should be far more entertaining than his basketball.

I love the bench. It has deep depth. Few of the walking dead populate the bench - most can actualy play the game. Brandon, Mickael and Sasha are all good. E'Twaun is promising and Avery can be useful. All that they lack is a solid backup big -- maybe Wilcox can fill that role. Stiemsma is fun to root for but it seems that a quick big can easily pick his pocket.

Good win today, even if it was the Washington Generals.

Edited by Koufax, 02 February 2012 - 01:07 PM.

[The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa]

Why has Johnson had such limited minutes this year?

[Brickowski]

You don't think that release plays to his advantage? He is already 6'10 with a 7-2 wing span so the fact that he is able to release back beyond his head only plays to his advantage. Not many people are going to be able to block that.

No, I really don't. IMHO he was a 50% shooter in college because of his work around the basket. If you shoot from behind your head, there is too much elbow and not enough wrist in the release.

Johnson ought to go over to Ray Allen, get down on his knees, and beg Ray to teach him how to shoot jump shots, because Ray's form is just about perfect.

Edited by Brickowski, 02 February 2012 - 09:45 AM.

[Riles335]

All that they lack is a solid backup big -- maybe Wilcox can fill that role. Stiemsma is fun to root for but it seems that a quick big can easily pick his pocket.

I agree with a lot of your points but I really like Wilcox as this teams big off the bench. With a very sturdy rotation right now of Jermaine O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, and Brandon Bass, Wilcox as the 4th big is a strong fit. Now that he has been able to find a rhythm, he has done a great job of rebounding the basketball and providing this team with an athletic big who can play at the rim. He has also done a strong job of possessing a low post game when on the block with a turnaround jump shot and a push hook shot. I think it is going to be hard to find an improvement over Wilcox without taking on a salary.

[Riles335]

No, I really don't. IMHO he was a 50% shooter in college because of his work around the basket. If you shoot from behind your head, there is too much elbow and not enough wrist in the release.

I am not exactly sure why you are neglecting Johnson's ability to hit the jump shot. On the year, 57 % of his shots this year have been jump shots, and he has made exactly 50 % of those shots. 21 % of his shots this year have been in close in which he has shot 0 % (Which is not counting the dunk). From what everyone here has seen from him this year, he can hit the jump shot with relative ease and he has had zero problem in getting it off. His release and mechanics are not a problem. Just because he doesn't have Ray Allen's release doesn't mean he can't be effective. I know this years totals are a small sample size but he has been more than effective from 15+ feet and there is a clear continuation of what he was able to do in college,

Really improved his scoring ability every year he was at school ... Has a smooth and refined turnaround jumper, which is very difficult to defend due to his length ... Has shooting range out to around 18 feet from the basket ...

- nbadraft.net

I am not arguing that he doesn't have good footwork around the basket, I couldn't really attest to that but if anything his weight right now is going to limit his effectiveness around the hoop which in turn will keep him out by the perimeter for offense. A great majority of his points in college came from the alley-oop, dunk, and the 18 foot jump shot. His release is not a problem and his shooting abilities are much greater than what you are perceiving them to be.

[Brickowski]

His release is not a problem and his shooting abilities are much greater than what you are perceiving them to be.

Time will tell. But I predict he will not become a good NBA jump shooter (or a better free throw shooter) until he fixes his release. Hopefully Kevin Eastman has been working with him.

Edited by Brickowski, 02 February 2012 - 11:34 AM.