Introducing… Ed Davis

TORONTO – The selection of 6-10 power forward Ed Davis by the Toronto Raptors in the 2010 NBA draft was not expected. Fitting then, that most observers see much of Toronto’s summer going the same way with so many question marks hanging above the franchise. For now though, Davis has been tapped as a possible answer to the team’s defensive woes despite not having worked out for the Raptors during his pre-draft tour. Word out of New York - where Davis was present at the draft - was that Davis and his reps might have been unpleasantly surprised when the Raptors made him their top choice.

“I worked out for teams seven through ten,” said Davis on a conference call with the media shortly after his selection. “I didn’t really know exactly where I was going, but then a lot of people are surprised. That’s what this draft is about.”

The Raptors have selected a big man in six of the last seven drafts they have participated in and it isn’t the first time they’ve chosen a frontcourt player that didn’t work out for the team. That much beloved beef and yet still no real big man coach to speak of? It may only be a minor issue in the grand scheme, but relevant since the Raptors frontcourt just got smaller and younger should Davis stick.

“I think my game is just going to transfer,” said Davis. “Where I’m rebounding (and) running the floor to block a shot. It’s things like that that always translate.”

The mood around the Air Canada Centre was amusingly light in the back room media centre where a larger than average group of local beaters had gathered to witness the 2010 NBA Draft proceedings. With general manager Bryan Colangelo pacing the Raptors’ war room floor down the hall - his 13th overall pick in play - the uncertainty of what was to unfold before him was surely enough to preclude any definitive plan of attack. Outside of the free agency (Chris Bosh), trade demands (Hedo Turkoglu) and the sudden youth movement that seems to have crept up on the Raptors, the business of this draft represents the first domino to fall in what is guaranteed to be one of the busiest of Colangelo’s career.

The first end of the draft played out the way most predicted with Kentucky point guard John Wall, Ohio State forward Evan Turner and Georgia Tech big man Derrick Favors being selected first, second and third overall by Washington, Philadelphia and New Jersey respectively. Going deeper the big men continued to get taken off the board with Derrick Favors, Wesley Johnson and DeMarcus Cousins the next to be selected. Slowly, as the considered elite of the draft were pulled out of the pool, the first of Toronto’s realistic desirables – Baylor center Epke Udoh – was taken by the Golden State Warriors with a surprising sixth overall pick.

That’s when things got predictably wacky.

“Maybe his injured hand held him back a little bit this past season,” said Triano trying to offer some reasoning behind why Davis’ stock seemed to drop on draft night.

“I think more than that is that everybody expected him to go a lot higher so he didn’t work out for teams below a certain number. When he doesn’t work out for teams, teams don’t get a feel and he slides. You guys have seen part of the workouts, what do they really show you? It’s the scouts who watch games all year and evaluate these guys. We were surprised. We really didn’t have him on our radar because we didn’t think he fit into the five players that were going be available at thirteen. We thought he’d be long gone. To have him keep sliding – we kept crossing our fingers that he’d slide one more and one more and he falls right into our lap, which is great.”

With names like Kansas center Cole Aldrich and Fresno State biggie Paul George taken off the board next, freshmen guards Avery Bradley and Eric Bledsoe remained on the Raptors’ short list and were available, Colangelo’s selection trickled through the wire when the eventual 13th pick came around. League commissioner David Stern announced North Carolina’s Davis as Toronto’s final answer and the determined rebounder with a defensive edge took the stage and shook Stern’s hand in the traditional rookie introduction. The Raptors are no doubt hoping that Davis can aid their limited stopping power and who knows what kind of domino this son of an NBAer represents and how his selection and skill set will effect the summertime movement party the Raptors have almost been forced to throw.

The 225-pound Davis first came under the national spotlight when the University of North Carolina won the NCAA championship in 2009. Following that triumph he averaged 13.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks over 23 games for the Tar Heels in 2010. The kid knows winning with two state championships as a high-schooler under his belt and a father - Terry Davis – who played in the NBA with Miami, Dallas, Denver and Washington.

“He taught me a lot about this business,” said Davis of his senior. “It’s really helping me just understand how it is to be a professional and how to be a man.”

By selecting the big man what does it say about the plans for free agent power forward Chris Bosh? Perhaps little since the Raptors frontcourt, even with Bosh on board, lacks the depth up top to compete with the better teams of the conference. Maybe it means more since at best, Davis represents improved rebounding and defense; the most glaring weaknesses in Raptorland. Ironically, Davis called Chris Bosh his favorite player so there is some comfort for him, though it’s more likely that the two will be headed in opposite directions in Toronto should they cross paths. In recent days the speculation that Bosh will bolt from Toronto has increased and with strong words coming out of Miami and Chicago the envelope looks just about sealed. Colangelo took to local Toronto airwaves and admitted as much, calling Bosh’s free agency situation “the perfect storm” for him to depart, calling the possibility “likely”.

After making sure that his hand is healed properly Davis will play for the Raptors’ summer league entry. No doubt a training regime will be presented. The left-handed big man has modeled his game after Bosh in some parts though nowhere near the reputation Bosh had coming into the NBA. There’s more work to do with Davis but as it seems to be turning out, the youth movement in Toronto may be just what Davis needs. Despite the looming shake-up the Raptors appeared confident, even lucky, to have Davis on board.

“When you look at the free agents we have,” explained Triano. “Chris Bosh, Amir Johnson, Patrick O’Bryant… that’s four bigs. The fact that we got a big (in the draft) is great. Regardless of who signs, who comes back and who plays he’s a big body and he’s athletic and he fits the trend of what the NBA is starting to move towards. That’s what we want to be.”

With that, young Mr. Davis will be charged with helping to ring in a new era amid the chaos that is sure to ignite yet another overhaul of the Raptors roster that just began with him.

Anderson Will Be Key for Nuggets

It has been a couple of seasons since SWAY last caught up with Chris Anderson. Back then he was fresh off the boat from a two year suspension from the NBA on a drug rap. Not much was disclosed; he had gone quietly into the night. And then he had re-emerged, a washout in many people’s eyes and getting burn in five games with the New Orleans Hornets at the end of the 2007-08 season. He was rusty, but he looked good though his stint with the Hornets - the team he was under contract with at the time of his suspension - was short. He caught on the next season with the Denver Nuggets - the scene of his first pro stop and the only other NBA team he had played for. It wasn’t long before Anderson had total recall and so did the fans.

 

“That’s what they got me for,” Anderson told SWAY Sports. “To be energetic and play defense. That’s what I love to do, I love to block shots. I alter shots.”

 

Over the past two seasons in Denver Anderson has been one of the most efficient reserves in the league and up until this season, one of the best bargains. Defensively and on the glass he is a dizzying ball of energy stretched across a 6-10 frame. Offensively he plays it close, keeping his percentages high with sound positioning, put-backs and dunks. Since returning to the NBA Anderson has averaged 6.3 rebounds, 6.2 points and over two blocks per game. Last season he registered a career-high 2.5 blocks - second only to Dwight Howard in far less minutes - over 71 games and shot 54 percent from the field. For that successful return the Nuggets handed him a five-year contract that could top out at $26M with incentives. It cemented him as part of a Denver core that has bullied its way to a top three standing in the western conference for most of this season. Currently, Anderson sits third overall in blocks per 48 minutes for his 1.8 average in nearly 23 minutes of play a night, another career-high. His rebounding (6.4) and point totals (6.1) have remained virtually the same from last season while his shooting percentage actually rose to over 56 percent.  Despite the improvements to other parts of his game Anderson’s specialty remains attacking the shot, which is the motor to his game.

 

“Blocking a shot and dunking on people… it’s the same all around this room,” said Anderson eying his teammates. “If somebody else dunks on somebody it’s definitely going to put a little spark into it. That’s all you need is that little spark. Fire it up and next thing you know you’re playing at a high level.”

 

Call it the world according to the “Birdman”, Anderson’s well-earned moniker. His personality also transfers to off-court business and despite his rocky past he figures comfortably in the organization’s marketing efforts. His tatted torso is now celebrated and his on court antics are no longer deemed a distraction. His true colors are shining. His role is about to expand some too, with power forward Kenyon Martin sidelined by injury heading into the playoffs. If the Nuggets plan on returning to the conference final Anderson will have to play a significant part. He’s no savior but he will be depended on more than he has been at any other time in his career… the role of a lifetime. The Nuggets will also be without head coach George Karl as he battles cancer, making for some serious internal adjustments.

 

“We miss him,” said Anderson. “But it’s up to us to be professionals and come out and dig ourselves out of the hole we’re in”

 

The hole he refers to had its ground first broke when Karl stepped away from the game for treatment. The Nuggets haven’t gotten as many stops in recent games as they have for most of the season and without Martin the problem has been magnified. The race for second seed in the western conference has tightened.

 

“That just falls on us,” continues Anderson. “We’re not protecting the basket as well as we should be. It’s a matter of trusting each other and getting out there and playing as a unit.”

 

Assistant coach Adrian Dantley has done serviceable job in Karl’s absence but a recent three-game slip raised flags with the Nuggets, especially with Dallas and Utah surging. Along with center Nene, Anderson knows he is responsible for closing the gaps and with that comes a closer study of his approach. He is also aware of the immediate dividends his style of play pays out when he’s at his best.

 

“When I’m in there they don’t really drive to the basket anyway,” explained Anderson. “They like to pull up jumpers and just throw some shit up. But sometimes I take it out of context and I’ll try to go block shots I don’t even have any business trying to block. That right there puts us in a bad situation because now we don’t have two bigs rebounding. It gives the (other) team an opportunity to get an offensive board. It’s just a matter of being a smart defender and knowing when to go and not to go.”

 

In many ways Anderson’s road back to NBA stardom has been mirrored by the ascension of the Nuggets to legitimate contender. Led by a young superstar in Carmelo Anthony and a grizzled veteran and former champ in Chauncey Billups the team seems poised to make a serious run despite the absence of Karl and Martin, their two most vocal citizens. Anderson knows all about seizing the moment and making the most out of each chance. He has faced far worse odds and cleared much higher hurdles and after reaching the conference final last season Anderson also knows that the push starts now.

 

“That’s just it,” Anderson pinpoints. “We’ve got to turn it up right now. If we try to play like a playoff team at the end of the season it’s going to be tough.”

The Unlikely Memphis Grizzlies

“I’ve been through it,” says veteran forward Zach Randolph on the tough road ahead for his Memphis Grizzlies team. “It ain’t easy.”

 

The first thing that strikes you about the young Grizzlies is the confidence and much of it stems from Randolph. During their five-game losing streak around the All-Star break the onlookers and analysts that had predicted the Grizzlies to follow the formula of yet another lost campaign began dusting off their “I-told-you-so” diatribes. That was where the Grizzlies would fall off the cliff. That was where they would stumble. Down the stretch and out of their surprising perch in the middle of the playoff picture. It was to be the end.

 

And it happened – sort of – only there hasn’t been the freefall that killed most Grizzlies teams before them. Much of that has to do with mindset and Randolph has finally shown signs of leadership. As the oldest and most experienced player on the team (does Jamaal Tinsley count?) it was an unavoidable responsibility but the new and unexpected role as team leader fits him better than most figured. There is new fight in Randolph after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to Memphis last summer (his fourth team in as many years) and a renewed focus is evident. Before that his trade out of New York to L.A. came as a shock to him as well. It all added up to a reality check.

 

“I know I can play the game of basketball,” says Randolph. “I’ve been through a lot. I talk to the young guys and I relate to the young guys. I’m just being vocal and leading by example.”

 

Thus, the seeds of doubt do not grow in this version of the Grizz locker room, even if it still exists in the front office. The strong word is that team brass anticipated the slide and wondered if O.J. Mayo (17.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.2 APG), their prize draft pick of nearly two years ago, was the man to get them over the hump. Over the doubt.

 

“Defensively (I) really get after it,” says Mayo of his role. “I really try to keep guys involved and keep (their) confidence high, keep the team together and don’t let the adversity pull us apart. Stay strong and get out of this thing together.”

 

Will it be enough? The Grizz certainly hope so, especially since the strong word is that the Golden State Warriors rejected a trade offer out of Memphis that reportedly would have sent Mayo and busted second overall draft pick Hasheem Thabeet to the Dubs in exchange for Monta Ellis (the Grizzlies will face the Warriors twice in March. Yum.). The Allen Iverson experiment blew up in everybody’s face. Deciding whether to move out or retain the versatile Rudy Gay (20.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG) has been a back room debate for a while. Randolph was written off by half the league as a supremely gifted but undesirable character. Thabeet has since been demoted to the D-League. The team is crazy young with an average of roughly 2.5 years experience including four rookies. There were a dozen built-in excuses for the Grizzlies to splinter this season but they did not, a big a change as any from previous seasons.

 

So to say the pre-game locker room mood prior to their contest against the Toronto Raptors on February 17 was calm isn’t enough. It wasn’t a forced cool or the cruel drawl of eventuality, but rather a been-there-done-that vibe that spoke more to lessons learned than open wounds. After all, the team has rebounded admirably from an early season seven-game slide that threatened to bury the campaign right out of the gate. Since then they’ve pretty much owned the Portland Trailblazers and beat the Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers. They would have beat the Lakers twice if not for a pair of missed free throws from Mayo and a game-winning three-pointer by Kobe Bryant in the dying seconds of a 99-98 home loss. Since that nasty November they have gone on six streaks of three or more games and the five-game skid was their first prolonged struggle since the top of the schedule.

 

“We’ve been here before,” says Mayo. “We’ve been where no one expected anything of us. We’ve been to where people thought real high of us as a team that’s turned this thing around and have a chance to go to the playoffs and have a pretty nice seed. Now we’re .500 and we’ve got to continue to work hard and not listen to what’s around us. Just believe in this locker room and go out and play hard.”

 

The Toronto game is important because it was a crossroads moment for the franchise – sink into the realm of expectation or rise as a playoff contender in the bruising western conference. The Raptors had won nine straight home games coming into the match and eight of their last 10 overall, another team making a name for itself in the slice and dice NBA. 10 lead changes and 13 ties later the two teams were battling in the crunch. First there was a late Mayo three to help send the game to overtime. There was Randolph playing with five fouls for the fourth quarter and extra frame and keeping steady enough to continue his 24-point, 11-rebound assault.  There was Gay driving in the daggers down the stretch with eight straight points to seal the victory. And there they were, the three new faces of the franchise and the biggest reasons why the Grizz are good.

 

For Randolph (20.4 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 49.4% FG) Memphis is a sort of revival stop. The young veteran was written off as a talented problem by many after behavioral questions dogged him while playing with the Trailblazers. Stints with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers were spotty and did little to change the perception of Randolph as an overpaid knuckler.

 

“I’m trying to take it to that next level,” says Randolph.

 

Randolph has had four streaks of scoring 20 or more points in at least three straight games including an eight-gamer where he averaged nearly 23 points a game. Compare that to his season average of about 20 points per night and there isn’t much difference, but the key is dependability. Randolph hasn’t exploded. In fact, he has scored 30 or more just six times this season and before dropping 32 points and 25 rebounds on his old Knicks team to finish February he hadn’t dropped 30 in over two months. However, he has started in every game he has played for the Grizzlies, the first time he has ever done that for a team in a season. To side, the last time he played anywhere close to a full schedule was during his 2003-04 tour of duty when he played 81 games and started in all but one. Health, happiness and production have not only helped to re-establish his impact but they have allowed Randolph to develop his leadership skills as well. The Grizzlies roster is full of youngsters who clearly feel they can lean on him as a veteran presence, a dimension to Z-Bo that did not exist at his other NBA stops. It is maturity more than anything that helped pull it all together and the league recognized it by selecting him as a first-time All-Star this season. According to Randolph Memphis has a lot to do with it.

 

“It’s getting in a good situation,” says Randolph. “I’m in a good situation now. We got some great young guys who have a lot of talent.”

 

The Portland Trailblazers of a couple seasons ago were the forefathers to this bunch. A 12-game winning streak in 2007-08 wasn’t enough to get them into the postseason that year but the signs were there and it set the stage for the development of its young stars and a team fast-becoming a perennial playoff contender. Hovering at around .500, unable to string together wins and dipping in and out of the playoff positioning have the Grizz facing a similar scenario, essentially making this a building block, role-defining year for the franchise.

 

“It’s just a little adversity in the midst of the season,” says Mayo. He knows time is running out to make a final push in the tough western conference. “Hard work got us to where we are and hard work can get us out of what we’re in. Some people call it a slump but they’ve got so many names for it. We just have to come out and work hard and play through it.”

 

But it won’t be easy.

Raptors Struggle Without Bosh

The belief here is that the biggest contribution a franchise or cornerstone player can make with their team besides stellar on-court performance is the mindset they instill in the rest of the players, especially when they are absent through illness or injury. As the focal point of a 12-15 man roster in the NBA there is a lot of weight resting on the shoulders of 25-point a night scorers. That is why the top teams, the ones that make the conference finals, always have two or more legitimate offensive threats, usually of the all-star variety. If they don’t have that they employ a high-caliber defensive stopper, sometimes more, to make up the difference. Everybody else makes due without such luxury.

Over the grind of an 82-game schedule bodies fall and for the Toronto Raptors the wounded have been many… and key. Forward Reggie Evans missed 51 games with an improperly diagnosed foot ailment. Point guard Jose Calderon has missed 14 with varying bangs and bruises, most notably a hamstring setback. Antoine Wright has missed 10 games after getting off to a slow start to the season, though some of those absences were DNP-CD’s (coach’s decision).

Hedo Turkoglu was another slow starter, obligingly given time off after a busy summer of playing basketball. The Raptors as a club actually made it sound like Hedo playing basketball all summer was a bad thing, with everyone from management to in-house broadcast teams waxing on about the fatigue Turkoglu was battling. For what? Most observers would agree that so far Turkoglu has only shown up in full force on occasion and they might also tell you that he is coming off like a one-man San Antonio Spur; he doesn’t make noise until the stretch run of the season begins. That would be right about now but the problem with Turkoglu’s theory is that it does not take into account other factors – not unlike the above-mentioned – that require a ready, steady hand should the cards be suddenly reshuffled. It is a theory that works well when teams are stacked with multiple all-stars, as they have been for most of Turkoglu’s career. In San Antonio, Sacramento and Orlando high-end pieces were plenty, which is not the case in Toronto. The Raptors simply are not good enough for that approach.

In Toronto they are missing their franchise player Chris Bosh and they don’t quite know what to do. Except for wait that is. Wait and keep it together long enough to solidify their seeding in some way. Alas, they have gone from seven games above .500 last week to just three games over the line this week. As close as they were at making that final strike for home-court advantage two weeks ago, they have lost serious ground and momentum since. The Raptors are now closer to being out of the playoff picture than they are to that fourth seed dream, just a couple games up on the eighth seeded Miami Heat who lead the ninth place Charlotte Bobcats by just half a game. The Raptors are not a very good team without Bosh, who has missed the last six contests with a severely sprained ankle.

In fact, even with him the Raptors struggle to win against quality opponents, despite all that overblown January success. And didn’t guard Jarrett Jack call last month friendly February? A month in which the team went 5-5 with losses against the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies doesn’t sound so friendly. Jack’s assessment had the dangerous whiff of overconfidence. So now comes the menacing month of March when the squad could face up to eight plus .500 teams depending on where the Bobcats and Heat are by month’s end when the Raptors play them on a back-to-back. Nine of their 16 games in March are on the road. Of those road games they play up to five .500 teams, again depending on how the Heat and Bobcats are rolling. In case you are wondering the Raptors own the worse road record of any currently seeded playoff team in the league. They also rank in the bottom third of the league in terms of victories against winning opponents, with or without Bosh.

The Raptors were hoping to avoid a prolonged Bosh absence this year, something that has become expected in Raptorland. The difference here is that Bosh’s previous injury absences were knee related problems due to wear and tear. The ankle injury wasn’t lingering, it just happened. Not only does that mean that Bosh’s get-strong summer plan still seems to have helped his previous durability issues but it may also serve to get him back sooner than expected, though ankles are tricky little things. The perennial all-star is expected back in time for Friday night’s home game versus the New York Knicks at the Air Canada Center. Frankly, that should be considered a blessing given his past. He has appeared in over 70 games just once since his sophomore season of 81 games played.

If he returns Friday as expected he would be on pace to record 76 games played. That is an important number because the Raptors have needed him more as a franchise player than anybody else in the eastern conference outside of Miami. Without him the Raptors have shown that they are just not that good. While they would appear to have a duo of potential all-stars in Turkoglu and scoring center Andrea Bargnani, it hasn’t translated to success or leadership in Bosh’s absence. If you can look at their recent 2-4 record without him in the line up and spin a positive out of it, it would be a great feat. The realist will see that the wins came against the Washington Wizards and New Jersey Nets, two of the worst and most dysfunctional teams in the history of the NBA. Against the postseason contenders that helped compile their current four-game losing streak – Portland, Cleveland, Oklahoma and Houston – the Raptors looked sloppy save for a valiant effort against a Shaq-less Cavaliers squad last week. In Oklahoma and Houston they were downright horrible.

Not encouraging signs for free agent to be Bosh. With a supporting cast of Turkoglu, Bargnani, Jack, Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan all signed to long-term contracts the chemistry that they show with one another without Bosh is just as important as what they show when he is leading them onto the court. How they play is just as crucial as the way management approaches Bosh this summer to negotiate what is expected to be a maximum deal.

We can recall vividly the time spent covering the Raptors when Bosh was just a rookie. His attitude was impressive, especially when he not so subtly showed dismay at Vince Carter and his “reduced” effort as the guard worked his way out of town in a trade. Unless much has changed in the Bosh philosophy – and in covering him up close and personal since that rookie season clearly his resolve has only grown – it’s hard to believe that he is not just as frustrated with the Turkoglu situation.

How that all contributes to the off-season talks regarding Bosh’s long-term plans is anybody’s guess. For his part Bosh has handled his impending free agency well, effectively putting it on the back burner for media and fans alike to focus on the season at hand. As it has always been maintained in this corner, his decision will rest heavily on the playoff success of this team and the development of its core pieces as a unit. Much of that responsibility lies on Turkoglu and Bargnani and as leaders in Bosh’s absence they have failed to even tread water.

A good team does not go south so quickly because of the absence of one player, even one as stellar as Bosh has been this season.

Brand Questions Future in Philly

If you listen to Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand tell it, the squeeze is on. With the NBA trade deadline approaching on February 18 the 10-year veteran took what appeared to be a demotion – however temporary – right before the All-Star break when Philly head coach Eddie Jordan benched Brand to start the second half in a loss against the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers were getting smoked by the host Raptors and with a small lineup were able to come back from a plus-20 deficit to make it a game in the dying minutes. After the contest the comeback was of no comfort to Brand who openly questioned his immediate future in Philadelphia.

 

“Maybe they’re getting prepared for something else,” Brand told reporters of the decision to go small versus the Raptors. “I don’t know. Maybe I won’t be here or something.”

 

No doubt Brand is on the block and that has pretty much been the case since he failed to produce in his injury-riddled debut season with the 76ers last year. This time was supposed to be different for him and better for the club, who managed to sneak into the playoffs last spring without him. Alas, with the team sitting at  a paltry 20-33 mark and losing ground in the playoff picture - despite a recent five-game winning streak - Brand is available along with center Sam Dalembert and franchise player Andre Iguadala.

 

The addition of guard Allen Iverson, while good for ticket sales, did nothing to bring an already fractured locker room together. A.I.’s recent absence in the midst of the pre-All-Star winning streak (he was on personal leave for four of them) speaks volumes about his true worth on the court. That said Brand hasn’t brought much more to the table for the Sixers. Ditto for Iguadala and Dalembert. The difference is that Iguadala and Dalembert are still young and would benefit greatly from a change of scenery. The hopes are not as high for Brand and Iverson.

 

Brand could be compared to retired forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a talented double-double performer who couldn’t lead teams to wins. He played in just one playoff series during a 12-year career and before joining the Sacramento Kings for his last tour, held the record for most number of games played without making a playoff appearance. Brand doesn’t hold quite the distinction, but his great career numbers have been tempered by team failures. In fact, the only other active players with career averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds are Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. All three have deep playoff experience and all three have at least one championship ring to show for it. Brand is the exception.

 

“I’ve dealt with something like this before,” said Brand of the line up mixing and matching. The squeeze. “I’m not going to sulk. It’s hard to play like that but I’m in there focused and trying to win the game.”

 

As per usual with Brand the comments were followed with a smile, but it was a knowing smirk… or at the very least suspicious. He smells smoke he does, just as he did in the United Center many years ago with the Chicago Bulls. In Staples Center while with the Clippers he felt the writing was on the wall three seasons ago and left as a free agent before the burn. Now in Philly’s Wachovia Center and just two-years into a maximum contract Brand’s name is being bandied about again. Sixers brass have been adamant that none of their stars will be let go in a fire sale but when the ship is sinking, the heaviest weight is usually the first overboard. Despite the bloated contracts of both Iguadala and Dalembert, Brand’s history of injury and postseason aversion leaves him as the piece the Sixers organization is most anxious to let go.

Love Rules in Minnesota

Power forward Kevin Love has had his detractors, but from this corner the questioning of his NBA talent never made much sense. His body was NBA ready last season before he began his rookie campaign, and now in his second year with the Minnesota Timberwolves Love looks even better. His frame seems leaner and mind a little cleaner, especially after suffering through a delay to start this season courtesy of a left hand injury that kept him sidelined until game number 17.

 

“I try to rub through the scar tissue a little bit because it will get tight on me,” said Love about his repaired left hand in a recent interview with SWAY Sports. “Luckily – knock on wood – it’s not a leg or hip or knee or ankle or something like that where you really have to get it loose before the game. I don’t have to do too much before the game.”

 

Love doesn’t necessarily toot the horn of unreasonable expectations either. In fact, nobody in the Timberwolves can sugarcoat what a rocky ride this season is going to be as the organization completes the bridge that takes them from the past (the Garnett era) to the future.

 

“I feel like I’m in 7^th or 8^th grade when we used to play up,” said Love, referring to competing in the NBA alongside such a young squad. “When I was 8^th grade we used to play up in 17 and under (basketball leagues). That’s kind of how I feel, like everybody is 3,4,5,6 years ahead of you. We only have a few veterans on the team.

 

“It’s tough. This year’s going to be real tough because of the youth alone. So many new guys…”

 

Since returning in a December 4^th affair versus the New Orleans Hornets Love has recorded a double-double in all but one contest, averaging 14.5 points and eight rebounds per game over that span. He also registers 49.6 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from three-point territory, showing no ill effects from the surgery to correct his broken mitt. Part of the successful return is due to good advice well applied.

 

“When you’re coming back from an injury just kinda let the game come to you,” says Love recounting the guidance dispensed to him by the coaches and remaining veterans. “Get in where you fit in so to speak. As time goes on your role will be more defined.”

 

More important to the big picture is that Love suddenly finds himself at the forefront of a huge youth movement in Minneapolis thanks to new GM David Kahn, whose back-to-back drafting of point guards Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn and moving out of veterans like Mike Miller, Mark Madsen, Jason Collins and Kevin Ollie signaled a new beginning. Flynn is the real deal and so is Al Jefferson, the oft-injured T’Wolves center set to make an impact after returning from an injury of his own. Youngster Corey Brewer is on the radar too, giving rookie head coach Kurt Rambis lots to work with and as much working against him (namely experience - including his own). As part of the future of the frontcourt, along with Jefferson, Love is expected to add I.Q. and leadership to help build a formidable force up front to battle with the western conference’s beefy bigs. 

 

“Obviously you gotta grow up pretty fast and set aside some of your youthful characteristics a little bit,” Love said. “ Brian Cardinal and I like to joke around a little bit but there’s a time and a place for everything. I’d love to take that role.”

 

Love stops and thinks a bit longer, his mouth open as if the sentence - though grammatically timed for a period - is unfinished. The word ‘leadership’ hangs like an isolation play in mid-air.

 

“I’d love to take that role,” Love repeats. Ah, the relish. The topping that is meant to make you believe. If Love can help the Timberwolves achieve anything beyond the basement-dwelling preseason predictions it will be hard not to.

Raptors Sinking in Reality

‘Face the music’ said Toronto Raptor Antoine Wright for any attentive ear to hear in the locker room after Tuesday night’s crushing 106-102 home loss to the up-but-mostly-down Washington Wizards. It was the fourth defeat in a row for the Raptors and not everybody was anxious to stand up in front of the microphones. The comment was clearly meant for Hedo Turkoglu, the struggling Raps forward who had disappeared into the back bowels of the change room. His extraction required from behind the scenes required team personnel and no doubt a sigh or two. After another night of watching an opportunity to perform in the clutch vanish and with it a possible victory, the Raptors’ prize off-season acquisition was taking an uncommon amount of time returning to his stall to engage with the usual throng of media waiting… and waiting. Only when the impatient mob shifted its mass over to an always-ready Jarrett Jack did Turkoglu emerge; prompted, stirred but not quite rattled by the mounting losses.

 

“Tomorrow’s a new game,” said Turkoglu of the losing ways. “I can’t really think about it much. If I do what happens? It becomes tomorrow again. I know what I did bad and I should take my time… those kind of situations you just learn from and move on.”

 

The Raptors provided yet another bizarre box score in that the ways in which it continues to lose games vary, the strongest sign the team just cannot pull it all together. They are good some nights on fixing the flaws of a previous outing only to spring a leak on the other side of the ball. Against the Wizards the Jekyll and Hyde act was blatant. With a 50-43 rebounding edge the Raptors coughed up 17 turnovers and after dominating with points in the paint through the first three quarters the squad allowed the Wizards’ bigs and board-crashers to own the offensive key with 16 points down low in the last Q. the three-point shot they so desperately rely on has left them (7 for 28 versus Washington). Right now they are running out of fingers and toes to plug the holes.

 

“It’s always rough however the turnovers go,” said Jack. “What’s been killing us is a lot of live ball turnovers, which equates into transition baskets and that’s when it really hurts you. Not to say turnovers are a good thing but if you are going to have a turnover you would rather have a dead ball when the ball goes out of bounds and you are able to set up your defense and they don’t have numbers.”

 

What should be of some concern is Turkoglu response to an inquiry about possible frustrations he might feel after not being able to make more crunch time plays, something he has built a career on and the biggest reason he was pursued by Toronto last summer.

 

“We haven’t been in that situation yet,” said Turkoglu of his lack of crunch time success in Toronto. “It can’t be just my situation. As a team we have never been in that situation. One I know I missed against Phoenix and (Washington) was the second one out of 20 games. I know in my life I’ve hit many shots and I’ve missed shots too. As a team we cannot just rely on a last second shot to win or lose. We’ve got to pull ourselves together and try to do a better job before we get into that situation.”

 

Bingo! Performing in the clutch doesn’t necessarily mean performing well in the last two or three minutes of the game. It also account for crucial moments – game changing plays and momentum that define wins and losses. These plays can take place in any quarter of the game, though the second half and impact to start the third and fourth are critical. Waiting to pull one out of the hat isn’t clutch. Turkoglu and the rest of the Raptors have been in plenty of situations like the one he describes. What they haven’t done on most nights is execute.

 

After a strong show by Chris Bosh in the second quarter – an 18-point effort – he mostly disappeared after that, mustering just four more points the rest of the way under the manners of Washington forwards Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison. Bargnani stalled at key points defensively (at one point he had to be substituted in the crunch) and while the guard play was solid offensively, the perimeter defense was giving and the Wizards attacked the paint relentlessly when they went off in the final frame.

 

“Fourth quarters are when you really need to make it a little bit more difficult for your opponent,” said Jamison. “You’ve got to throw something at them and you’ve got to get some buckets in the basket.

 

“They kind of got a read on what we were doing but that’s when you’ve got to attack and be more aggressive.”

 

A night later versus the Atlanta Hawks the Raptors got shellacked in a beat down reminiscent of the one that got Sam Mitchell fired from the job around the same time last season. Triano isn’t facing that firing squad just yet but the running theme under both bench bosses is undeniable; The Raptors shrink when push comes to shove and for all the obvious talent they have struggled to put together a cohesive for the past three seasons, this one included. Versus the Hawks Toronto was in tough and seemed to still be sputtering from their loss against Washington the night before. By halftime in the ATL the Hawks had dropped 75 points on the visitors and dismissed them with a 145-115 final.

 

That would be another 100 plus point game as well, running the current consecutive streak to 11 in that department, making it their 15th of the season with 13 of those being losses. If alarm bells are ringing in the expected deafening proportions nobody connected to the team has cracked just yet. The problem may lie within the combination of the starting line up, a collection that despite starting off games well offensively sets very little tone on the defensive end. Teams such as Boston and Phoenix have tested Toronto’s physical and mental mettle this season and with no growth to be seen from it a change could be the best thing. The Hawks had nine players reach double-digit scoring on Wednesday. There is no significantly above average defender in starters Turkoglu, Bargnani, Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan and Bosh is a good – not great – defender. Alas the reserves haven’t exactly proved invaluable as defensive prowlers, particularly at the swingman slot where Wright, Marco Belinelli and seldom-used Sonny Weems haven’t been the answer. Head coach Jay Triano downplayed the possibility of a shake-up on the horizon, though a mini one started in Atlanta with Weems seemingly being given a shot at the sparkplug role Wright was supposed to supply from the bench. Wright was a healthy DNP in Georgia.

 

“I don’t think so,” said Triano if he considered a lineup change in the wake of the loss to Washington. His reply took a hearty pause. “I mean we didn’t get off to a bad start. I don’t know if it’s our starting line up.

 

Still, with the afore-mentioned lack of options on the roster as-is and defender Reggie Evans still more of a question mark than not heading further into December. Outside of a lineup change roster movement possibilities might be worth mentioning. Why put off the inevitable until a February drop-dead date? Until that option becomes real team must continue to adapt and perhaps the biggest test of that ability will come during their current three-game road trip when the play the Wizards again. With a 2-8 road mark the Raptors are at an early-season crossroads, nearing that quarter-season mark where teams start to round into what they are more or less. Not even riding out the heat in the showers while the media hordes loiter at your locker can change that. If a move, either to the line-up, the combinations or the roster itself aren’t made soon, the only music the Raptors will be facing is to the chin and Turkoglu, like the rest of the team, is getting a glimpse into what life will be like if they continue to live under a blanket just as invisible as their defense.

RAPTORS: Wright Expectation

Antoine Wright was kind of lost among the more pronounced headlines of the Toronto Raptors’ summer of change. Andrea Bargnani’s $50M extension, the acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu, the gutting of the squad’s supporting cast, the looming dark cloud that is Chris Bosh’s free agency… Wright’s acquisition by way of the Shawn Marion-for-Hedo trade barely registered a sneeze. Now he is being looked to as one of the guys who must help shore up a traditionally weak Raptors defense.

 

Early season defensive flaws have revealed nothing new for a team that is prone to giving up the three-point shot. It has been like that for much of the past two seasons in the T-dot. As well as the Raptors will be able to score this season, they remain susceptible to being blown out because they simply lack a strong enough defensive presence on the perimeter and not enough push-out power in the paint. They are not quick enough on the close out because penetrating guards are allowed too deep inside the hole, attracting enough attention to draw defenders too far from their mark and inducing a scramble effect to recover. While the inside deficiencies are expected to be helped by the return of Reggie Evans at some point Wright is being looked to as the main cog from there on out; a versatile defender that can help put a foot on the enemy’s neck… and keep it there.

 

“The most important thing is to take the challenge,” says Wright about the defensive mindset required to go next level. “ (And) also to let guys know that we all have to be on the same page.”

 

In their surprise season opening win against the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers the Raptors were just that, holding the Cavs to just 35% shooting. There has been little to cheer about at the near-quarter mark of the season. They are a sub-.500 team that gives up a whopping 109 points a game, second only to the Golden State Warriors of the western conference. It makes their impressive offensive power - fourth overall in the league with 104.9 per game - a moot point.

 

“I think it’s just a toughness that we’re going to have to bring,” says Wright. “Being up 20 you know a good team is going to go on a run. The most important thing was for us to come out and withstand their punch.”

 

The Raptors were aggressive with the details versus the Cavs, committing to hard and wide screens that held and fighting through picks and tricks. Its part of what allowed them to hold on despite blowing a 20-point lead and it is precisely the kind of game Toronto made a habit of losing last season. It is mentioned that such a fundamental application of basketball has been a rare sighting in Toronto over the past few years and the reaction is just as fresh.

 

“You don’t see none of those guys are here anymore,” stated Wright after the win over Cleveland. The grin that chased the comment has since disappeared. His offense has stumbled and his much-needed defense is mostly AWOL too. It’s as big a reason as any why Raptors opponents are able to shoot nearly 48 percent from the field, good for fifth worst in the league.

 

Wright started 53 games and played in 65 for a 50-win Dallas Mavericks team a year ago while averaging 23.9 minutes a night. There, he most often guarded the opposition’s best backcourt player and extended out to defend against forwards big and small. To start this season Wright is coming of the bench behind rookie Demar DeRozan where head coach Jay Triano thinks he will be most valuable. Triano has waved off suggestion this month about placing Wright in the starting lineup to set more of a defensive tone out the gate, preferring to keep it situational with his committee of two’s and three’s. He is also sold on DeRozan, and won’t budge until the rookie hurts the team or losses mount. For now Wright is a key reserve who will be depended on to play crunch time minutes.

 

“We’re confident in our bench,” says Wright. “We’re confident in the guys that we put on the floor that they’re going to get it done. We’re going to rely on it this year because Chris (Bosh) ain’t going to play the whole game.”

 

There is much at stake for Wright who is an unrestricted free agent next season. He is in the final year of a contract that will pay him just over $2M this campaign so finding his niche would go along way in servicing both himself and the Raptors. The warning light on Wright is that he has had trouble staying healthy and for a guy who has the potential to become a significant part of a defensive plan - as either a starter or reserve - absences can be glaring. As well as missing some preseason action Wright has already missed four regular season contests and has never played more than 66 games ion the schedule over his short four-year career. If he is to be the difference maker on defense that the Raptors so desperately need, his health will have to match his considerable prowess.

CELTICS: Daniels’ ‘Ghost’ Game A Boston Fit

Since the Boston Celtics won their championship title in 2008 one thing has been missing from their make up. They spent most of last year trying to recapture it but amid the Garnett injury its unlikely anything would have been good enough. Nevertheless, the oft-discussed intangibles that guard James Posey brought to the C’s during that magical 2007-08 season were missed last year. At first it was thought that rookie Bill Walker and/or Tony Allen would be enough to do the trick but after Walker’s undeveloped game was exposed and Allen was limited to just 46 games due mostly to injury, it was clear the help would have to come from beyond.

Players were tried and tested and trotted through in hopes of making that difference. It ended with the unsuccessful addition of Stephon Marbury at season’s end and he was on the roster when the C’s were ousted in the second round versus the Orlando Magic. This after a legendary first-round scare against the Chicago Bulls. So this summer the organization went after serious upgrades to the roster in an attempt to cover all the bases.

Rasheed Wallace was brought in as a bigger and better P.J. Brown. Last season the Celtics failed to woo the retired 15-year veteran out of his Louisiana digs for one last go-round and were stuck with Mikki Moore. Where there was once Marbury there is now Marquis Daniels.

Daniels might be the one nobody else saw coming.

In a summer of blockbuster trades and signings Daniels’ situation quietly dragged as the Indiana Pacers and Celtics tried to orchestrate a sign-and-trade that would give him more money and years and net the Pacers something in return. Instead, after number crunching failed to yield such a deal (with no third team willing to enter the mix), Daniels signed on with the Celtics for $1.9M, the full biannual exception. Can you say, “steal of the summer”? His game is rarely reflected in the box score, though he has been known to fill a few. However, even when his numbers are unimpressive his minutes suffer very little because he is a hole-plugger, ready to cut speed to repair and prevent damage. That approach also helps to spread the wealth.

“He is such a factor,” exclaims Rivers when asked how Daniels fits in Boston. “He’s a great passer, he’s a great cutter… and he has an unbelievably high basketball I.Q. and that fits our team. Eddie (House) is going to have a big year this year, in my opinion, because he is playing with Marquis.”

Daniels is a quiet interview. In fact, his whole aura is quiet. His moves are cool and deliberate. He floats in and out of the locker room like a ghost and when he slides into his locker stall he is at once accommodating, but not effusive. Tattoos mask much of his upper body and twists with slight contort as he looks up and calls over a questioner with a nod. He draws you in with his muted tone, his eyes match the drawl. The way Daniels tells it the financial end played a distant second to the bigger picture.

“Just coming and being with some winners,” Daniels told SWAY Sports of the decision to play for the Celtics for less. “It’s a great organization with players that I see are still hungry and still want it. I feel like I can come in.”

With the Pacers last season Daniels averaged a career-high 13.6 points per game on 45% shooting over 54 games, 43 as a starter. In the two previous seasons with the Pacers he started just five games total. With the Dallas Mavericks he was also a team favorite, but the organization preferred Josh Howard for the long term. The progression from Dallas bit part to Pacers star is impressive and his two-way game has developed nicely, contributing in most ways on the court like a hardwood handyman. Yet here is Daniels, nearing the prime of his career and stepping back into a reserve role.

“I saw the struggles that they had when they beat Chicago in that 7-game series (and) that took a lot out of them,” continues Daniels. “I thought maybe I could come here and help out, give these guys some spare minutes here and there so they’ll be fresher down the stretch.”

It can be intimidating for a young player to step into the realm of the Celtics and the smell of championship swagger that still sits in the air. The collective basketball I.Q. hangs alongside it, threatening to rain down on any unequipped soul who dares to lag behind. There is little time for in game tutelage. In that sense the Celtics, and any other elite team, have to be selective in who they add alongside their trio of future-Hall-of-Famers. In that sense Daniels and Wallace are ready-made. C.O.D. Rivers has already tinkered with a preseason unit that includes Daniels playing alongside Allen, Garnett, Pierce and Wallace (one he removed quickly when he saw it started working so well. Look for it to be a regular season weapon).

“There’s a lot of things that contribute to that,” says Allen of the intelligence factor. “If you think about it from myself to Rasheed, Kevin, Paul… we’re all older and (now) our young guys are older. There’s a lot of experience there. Even Glen (Davis) who played on the championship team in ‘08, he understands the situations now and Doc doesn’t have to explain the whole situation to him.”

Catching on has never been a problem for Daniels, though that attribute will be put to the ultimate test in the most demanding role of his career. Over the first week or so of this NBA season he appears to be on “feel” mode, preferring to picks his spots and be more selective than he had to be in Indiana. His ability to quickly read defenses and react has been big and having smart players means less time spent slowing down, more time for game flow and longer stretches of good ball. In Boston it comes with the responsibility of carrying your own beside a trio, perhaps even a foursome, of legends-in-the-making. For Daniels, the chance to play in that heightened atmosphere was a big part of the draw.

“It helps out a lot to come to a team where everybody has a great knowledge of the game,” says Daniels. “It’s not very often you can come on a team and everybody knows their role, knows their position, knows what they need to do and when they need to do it.”

While Daniels’ approach is refreshing he, like Wallace, was brought in to help restore order in Boston and bring home another championship to Beantown. The much-applauded Celtics’ summer will be for naught if he doesn’t help the team past Cleveland, Orlando and the Los Angeles Lakers. The ghost dog will have to be at his worker bee best, sure to be left alone behind the bigger Celtics personalities of the current brigade. It is a fitting reality because Daniels didn’t go to Boston for the money or the fame but he will have plenty of both if the C’s can recapture the NBA championship title.

“Everybody came in with very high expectations,” explains Daniels. The fingers on his left hand press into his right palm with every other word. “We’re going through every practice and every situation and preparing for where we need to be.”

Daniels politely ends the interview by offering forward a closed fist. Pounds are exchanged and the journalist walks away - halfway across the locker room in fact - before stopping in his tracks. An important question left unasked perhaps? Like, why does Daniels think his game remains still so under-the-radar and stuff? The inquiring mind turns back for the cause but can only smile at what he finds… an empty stall and Daniels nowhere to be found.

RAPTORS: Tough Enough?

No Toronto Raptor has been talked about more for so long after his departure.

Statement.

Response?

Vince Carter? Ah, he gets his ink and Toronto fans still spew venom his way a few times a year… and always when Vinsanity is in the Air Canada Centre. Alvin Williams – the anti-Carter – is up there and now that he has returned as a player development coach his name will stay fresh. Alas, Carter and Williams remain a close second and a distant third respectively in the most-mentioned department to a man whose qualities have been wanted and craved by the organization from the second he left town. Charles Oakley, the old-school tough guy who patrolled the hardwood and protected Carter for three seasons is the one most observers look to when describing the current and most glaring shortcoming of the Raptors’ layout. Oakley was as much enforcer as defender and as much a wrangler of collars and necks as he was a rebounder. When he left the T-dot as a fan favorite in 2001 it was the last time Raptors fans would see a team equipped with the necessary toughness to be a true playoff performer.

It has been nine years since the Oak Tree donned Raptors garb and in that time his name has been called in vain more than once. “If Oakley was here that would never happen,” one executive said within earshot of an attentive scribe following a particularly soft defensive stance the Raptors took in some meaningless game two seasons after Oakley was gone. “We need a Charles Oakley type,” fans would beg, calling in radio and television programs to politic for the addition. “We’re not tough enough,” current general manager Bryan Colangelo would say - sometimes in not so many words - over parts of the last three seasons. Everybody was right of course. Over the past six years and even with two playoff appearances to show, the Raptors have been - in almost every way that matters - one of the softest teams in the NBA.

It was the biggest part of what led Colangelo to gut his roster this past summer, leaving Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon as the only familiars from training camp a year ago. That’s more than just simple turnover, it’s what you call changing the culture.

“A lot of people think being tough is being big and strong and pounding your chest and acting tough,” says head coach Jay Triano dismissively. His eyes shift to the questioner, intent on making his point. “It’s about doing the little things every single day. That’s what makes tough players… people willing to make sacrifices and willing to make them every day.

“John Stockton was one of the toughest players in the NBA and he was 6-1 and 175 pounds. He knew how to set screens, he knew how to make hard cuts, he practiced hard every day and he wasn’t afraid to stand in and take a charge or a hit… I think that’s the attitude we’re trying to instill in some players and that’s the kind of things that start in training camp by making them accountable. Accountable for every cut and for every screen.”

That’s what most people forget about Oakley. Behind the physical force, intimidating stare and trash-talking (and smacking) chops was a player dedicated to the finer details of the game. In Oakley’s head it didn’t matter how much muscle was flexed on a box out, screen or timely pick and pop. If it were done wrong all the brawn in the world wouldn’t help it. If it was wrong it hurt the team, the effects were accumulative and before you knew it players with bad habits surrounded you. Triano saw much of those habits as an interim coach last season after Sam Mitchell was fired in December. With his first ever training camp under his new multi-year head coaching deal he finally had a chance to drill his philosophy into the heads of his squad from the get-go.

“Last year we had clips that we showed where guys would go and set a screen and they’d go like this,” explains Triano, stepping back to imitate the timidness, eyelid shuttering and irresponsible positioning that plagued many of his former players. “(It was) because they didn’t want to get hit. Guys that are tough get down and sit there and they know they’re going to take a hit.

“We had guys going to set screens and see a guy coming full boar and they’d try to get as small as they could. They idea when you set a screen is to stay legal but get as big as you can. That’s just one example but it’s a good example of what tough is and what it’s not.”

Triano’s frustrations could be seen courtside and jived with most observers who just didn’t see the night-to-night effort. The thinking then, and one the team officials admit to now, is that the Raptors as-is had peaked and the management was at fault for trying to squeeze one more season out of a team that limped into and were quick first-round playoff dumps in 2007 and 2008.

Colangelo was already heaping praise on newly acquired iron-spitter Reggie Evans before anybody got to see him play in Raptors garb. Evans, who apparently lit a fire under Bargnani during informal workouts in September by throwing more physical play at the fourth year forward in preparation for training camp. Evans who has yet to play a single regular season game for the Raptors, injured and sidelined while the squad continues to roller-coaster.

“Reggie Evans came in and had such an impact on the flow in two days of scrimmaging,” said Colangelo in October at his hope-selling best. “I have to say Andrea - who was unfortunately the recipient of his defense and his toughness and his grit – at some point got a little frustrated. Imagine if he’s doing that to his teammates what he’s going to be doing to other guys.

“The second day Andrea was a completely different player. It’s like he was mentally and emotionally prepared to go in and fight Reggie… he responded.”

Evans is no Oakley, but his defensive grit and ability rebound has earned him a solid reputation as a new-school toughie. Guard Jarrett Jack, another new Raptor, is also a defensive presence for the backcourt and has a clear definition of being NBA tough.

“Playing through injury,” says Jack with a shrug. “And if other guys go down guys have to be able to step up.”

During his four-year career Jack has missed just six games, all in his first two seasons. Evans has missed just three over the last two years. Hedo Turkoglu, the Raptors’ prized off-season get, has missed 18 games over the last four seasons and just five over the last two. All three have played big roles for their respective clubs over this time, legitimizing them as durable players. Yet as Raptors Evans has already missed a dozen games and Turkoglu has looked fatigued - to a detriment - at times.

In 19 NBA seasons Oakley played the full 82 game schedule six times. He also has two 80-game seasons and played in at least 76 games four other times. In 1994 Oakley played and started in 102 games (including playoffs) for the New York Knicks, a long-standing league record unlikely to be duplicated. His final seasons, a 42-game tour with Michael Jordan’s Wizards and a seven-game stint with the Houston Rockets, were a wash. In the end he managed to appear in 1282 games

And eight years after he left Toronto Oakley’s name still rings, maybe less for what he was and more for what the Raptors haven’t been. Triano’s hope is that his new charges contribute to making his core players stronger and give them some of what he didn’t get nearly enough of in 2008-09.

“I think Bryan wanted major change and he addressed the toughness,” says Triano. “He identified our three best assets; Jose, CB (Bosh) and Andrea and said ‘we need to surround those guys with guys that are a lot tougher’.”

Alas, no matter how many ‘tougher’ role players are added to this team the responsibility still lies with the core of Bosh, Bargnani and Calderon. The truth is they need to be surrounded with tougher players because they haven’t exhibited enough of it themselves. If playoff success is to be realized those are the three that must develop a harder edge and follow the assassin’s creed. The teams that have the most success in the NBA are those whose best players are also their most durable performers with heightened resolve. All three have been criticized for a lack of just that. Will the addition of these headier players inspire and improve the franchise cornerstones or simply mask their deficiencies?

“Those three guys that I mentioned are tough in their own way,” continues Triano. “I think that being around these other guys will scratch the surface of what they can and will be as far as their toughness.

“Toughness becomes contagious. It’s the strength of a pack. Even if there’s a fight over there and it’s two guys that have gone to battle for me I’m going to be willing to go in there and support them a little bit and step up. The other terminology is ‘fake it until you make it’. Fake like you’re tough until you actually become tough or convince other people that you are.”

The transition from being thought of as a push-around team by most of your competition to being feared by them is not an easy one to make. Last season teams repeatedly spoke of how free they felt in the fourth quarter of games against a Toronto team that struggled to put teams away. Struggled to step on the throat. To finish the job. Former Raptor Jermaine O’Neal spoke of how, when playing for the Indiana Pacers, he always felt like he had the edge over Raptors teams.

“Teams talk and players talk,” said O’Neal last September at the start of his brief stint with the Raptors, which ended in him being traded several months later along with Jamario Moon to Miami in exchange for off-season trade-away Shawn Marion. “This team (the Raptors) – and it’s no knock on the team – has always been a nice team. A very talented team but they’ve got a lot of nice guys. You come in and throughout the game you can tap them on the shoulder and say “Hey, how you doin’?’” and you know right then that you got ‘em.

“A team wants you to laugh and joke. They know you’re not going to play as hard.”

O’Neal never had that mind-shifting effect over his teammates during his cup of coffee in Toronto but his point was as well taken then as it is now. He called it. The Raptors were too nice, too easy, too shook. O’Neal’s good friend Rasheed Wallace, the Boston Celtics’ big summer signing, has long been known as a culture changer (though his methods are oft-questioned). For all the critical darts that fly his way over his big mouth savvy, from no corner has there ever been a call questioning his grit. That example was not lost on young forward Amir Johnson who spent four years with Wallace playing for the Detroit Pistons, widely acknowledged as one of the toughest teams of the last decade.

“I go out and play with a great toughness,” says Johnson standing in the center of the newly constructed atrium at the Air Canada Center. “I think I learned that from Detroit playing with ‘Sheed and them because those guys are all hardcore tough players.

“It’s all about your hustle. I hate when my man scores. You never try to let your man score. If he does get the ball up foul him and foul him hard too, so he doesn’t get to score… make him earn it at the line. That’s what I mainly learned from those guys. Go after every rebound, pressure your man and pressure the floor. That’s all it was in Detroit, just a lot of hustle.”

In doing that Johnson endeared himself early to the Raptors coaching staff during the first week of training camp. Later on the preseason he was knocked out of action when his tooth pierced his top lip on a hard foul (his) during a game versus the Philadelphia 76ers. Johnson returned with two stitches to supply key defense and rebounding late in the game of the eventual loss. His athleticism is in contrast to reacquired center Rasho Nesterovic’s mentoring, more formal brand of veteran ball and Johnson’s attitude is part of the contagion Triano hopes to spread across his troops. To his credit, Johnson has been one of the bright spots off the bench for Toronto but it has yet worn on the rest of the brigade.

Over the short length of Colangelo’s reign as GM of the Raptors he has had great initial success followed by a trickling decline in club performance since 2007. Addressing the toughness issue has been one of his biggest failures but it hasn’t been for a lack of trying. Over the course of the last three years Colangelo and his team, which includes assistant Maurizio Gherardini, have made multiple attempts to add some sandpaper. One of Colangelo’s most ingenious free-agent signings was Jorge Garbajosa, the grimy Spanish import whose NBA career was cut short after one season following a grotesque leg injury during the 2006-07 season. He then traded Charlie Villanueva to the Indiana Pacers for point guard T.J. Ford, the resilient Texas product who had rebounded from a career-threatening spinal injury. His impact suffered after a scary fall during the 2007-08 season that limited him to 51 games. He was traded the following summer to Indiana in exchange for O’Neal who lasted half a season in Toronto, he too returning from an injury (leg) that had cost him most of the previous season. Along with those bigger names borderline NBAers like Joey Graham, P.J. Tucker and Lonny Baxter have also been rolled through and team officials, media and fans alike would exaggerate into ridiculousness the possibilities, so strong was the hunger for an Oakley-type.

On paper and through training camp it seemed as though Colangelo may have gotten it right but the early season has proved otherwise. Rebuilding last year’s bad-mix roster into a more balanced team with more athletes, depth and guys who are apt to ignore on-court social chatter hasn’t been a success. In fact, it has been more of the same.

“The guys that we brought in are going to make a difference,” Colangelo promised during his preseason media address. “All these changes have put us in a position to at least start fresh while maintaining our three core guys.”

There’s an old saying that goes “the more things change, the more things stay the same.” The Raptors will have to spend most of this season making sure those words are more piss than prophecy.

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