Of Tim Duncan and David Robinson
It was an interesting set of press conferences yesterday that laid out the groundwork for the upcoming edition of the Toronto Raptors.
And I’d have to say, during the Jermaine O’Neal welcome to Toronto, it was the first time I’ve ever heard the word defence bandied about more than words like “3 point shooting” or “offense.”
I’m not going to dwell too much on the Jose side of things because it was fairly cut and dry. Jose was glad to be back, and Toronto was definitely happy to have him return. There were two interesting things though that I wanted to touch on.
First, I found Sam Mitchell’s incessant praise of Jose to be quite remarkable. Not that Jose didn’t and doesn’t deserve it, but it sort of drove home for me the point that as fans, we really know very little about what really goes on behind the scenes. The assumption for a long time was that it was TJ Ford who Sam favoured but you have to wonder now what the real case was.
In addition, Jose’s press conference finally confirmed suspicions I’ve had for quite some time now; that Roko Ukic is not necessarily going to be the automatic back-up to Jose and that the final roster spot on the team will be occupied by either an experienced back-up point guard or combo guard. This was revealed when questions about Jose mentoring Roko Ukic gave way to Sam Mitchell admitting that they were simply going to play Ukic as many minutes as they felt he was capable of handling. I’d been arguing on the site for a while now about my concerns with the depth at the point guard spot and I found it reassuring to see that BC and co. were on the same wavelength. After all, Jose has yet to play starter minutes over an 82 game season himself so having him do that without an established back-up with NBA experience just seemed like a bit of a risk…especially after all the rah rah about looking to contend for a title now that JO is on board.
My question though is, how are the Raptors going to pay this backup? It was revealed during the Jose press conference that after the final salary cap numbers were released, Toronto would have actually been over the luxury tax had they finalized their original deal with Calderon. Therefore Jose agreed to restructure things and take less in this first year, so that the Raptors could slip under the tax limit.
$1107 bucks under to be exact!
So with that figure in mind, I’m just not sure how Toronto is going to be able to compensate another player financiallly. I mean, is Mop Girl taking a pay cut?
On the JO side of things, as a first impression, I found it hard not to be excited after hearing everyone speak. There was a lot of Tim Duncan and David Robinson imagery being thrown around and while that may be jumping the gun a bit at this stage, it’s definitely hard not to be enthusiastic for the 2008-09 season, no matter what your thoughts are on O’Neal’s health.
And speaking of which, JO and the Raptors staff took great pains to reassure everyone that he was 100 per cent. O’Neal took those in attendance through a history of his knee (which I realize sounds something like a Monty Python skit) and assured all that he was feeling better than he had in years health-wise.
Anyways, a few things really struck me:
-JO just seems to get it now. O’Neal seems to have matured and spoke at length about the dedication and effort that it was going to take on his part, and on the part of the entire club, to get to the level he expects them to get to. I can remember O’Neal from his days as a lost kid on the Blazer bench and even in Indiana he never really struck me as a leader. Yesterday though, he looked dare I say, more like the player to adjust this club’s rudder than even Chris Bosh. You forget at his age that he already has 12 years of NBA experience and even I forgot that in the not so distant past O’Neal finished third in MVP voting one season! This guy has seen a lot now over his career and showed a certain wisdom that I wasn’t expecting yesterday.
-You gotta wonder how messy things REALLY were in Indiana. O’Neal hinted at it in the press conference yesterday, but I got the feeling that there was a lot more going on then anyone has really said, and that O’Neal grew tired of trying to herd cats. It seemed to me that for a while, perhaps Jermaine did try to keep everyone in line, but by the end of things, just grew tired of the constant drama.
-And on that same note, O’Neal looked to have a genuine new sense of happiness to him about joining the Raptors. It was almost as if someone had lifted 400 pounds off of his shoulders. It was funny to hear him talk about what great fans Toronto hasm and how fantastic the support already has been from Raptors’ followers. This is something of course we have a deep understanding of but hearing O’Neal talk about the response he was getting from Canadian Raptor fans in Vegas, or just from walking through Yorkville made me realize how happy he was to be somewhere where fans cared again. It’s easy to forget that the Pacers actually had some of the worst attendance in the league the past few seasons despite being in a basketball hotbed.
-How about O’Neal’s praise for Andrea Bargnani? The two seem to have seen lots of each other already in Vegas where they’ve been working out, and even after the press conference during a one-on-one chat with new play-by-play man Matt Devlin, O’Neal continued to mention Bargs as someone he thinks is really going to give opposing defence fits alongside he and Bosh. If Andrea can get his game at least back to where it was near the end of season one, it’s true that Toronto suddenly will have a platoon of weapons to let loose on the opposition. Sam Mitchell stated yesterday that the ball would go to Chris or Jermaine on offence and the club would play through the sets from there but a focused and prepared Andrea definitely ads another element to such a dynamic.
Outside of the press conference, after the trade was originally announced, we thought it would be a good idea to talk to someone who really has a good feel for JO and what impact he could have on the Raptors. So with that in mind, we turned to Indy Cornrows, the net’s preeminent fan blog on the Pacers. Tom from IC got back to us to on five questions and here are the results of our chat:
Indy Cornrows: Before answering your questions, I’m considering a situation where Jermaine O’Neal’s knee is healthy and he will actually play this year. Obviously, the risk both the Pacers and Raptors took with this trade is the long-term health of J.O. and Ford. Personally, I’m a big fan of J.O. and real happy he’s with Raptors. As much as I like him, it was time for a parting of the ways with the Pacers. He and Larry Bird didn’t see eye to eye and not having those two strong personalities on the same page wasn’t good for anyone.
Okay, that’s my disclaimer, on to the questions.
1. RaptorsHQ: To start this off, the reviews of this trade from Raptors’ fans’ perspective have been mostly positive. Then again, so have the reviews from Pacers’ fans’ points of view. So give us a reality check in terms of what Raptors’ fans can expect from JO in Toronto. Is this deal nothing more than an example of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure?”
Indy Cornrows: I wouldn’t refer to J.O. as trash, but I know what you mean. The two teams are heading into this season with a different mind set. The Raptors are looking for pieces to win right now and with a healthy J.O. they vastly improved their interior defense and have another post presence that opposing defenses must account for. The Pacers, meanwhile, are trying to rebuild on the fly and by simply moving J.O.’s contract they already have some flexibility to adjust the roster, and will have some salary cap relief next summer. This trade alone won’t put both teams where they’d ultimately like to be, but it was a big step in the right direction.
2. RaptorsHQ: If healthy, Raptors’ fans are looking at O’Neal and Bosh as a being a formidable front-court in the East. Can you give us your take on O’Neal’s health, and whether or not his best years are far behind him?
Indy Cornrows: Only J.O. and his knee can accurately answer this question, but assuming the knee is healthy, J.O. should have some good years left in him. The biggest area of concern would be his lift, especially the second or third jump in a sequence under the hoop. He may go up and get a shot once, but recoiling and going up again for a rebound or block attempt could be a struggle. I expect his quickness to be better than it has the past couple of years. He’s deadly with the ball when he can make the quick spin moves. At this point, I think the eye-popping athletic moves at both ends of the floor are relegated to YouTube clips, but J.O. is a much smarter player these days, so by using that veteran savvy and picking his spots, I have no doubt he’ll bring Raptors’ fans to their feet with appreciation.
3. RaptorsHQ: One knock on the trade besides the health questions surrounding JO has been whether or not O’Neal will sacrifice his own statistics for the greater good of the team. What’s your take on this?
Indy Cornrows: J.O. has been sacrificing stats for the past few years. In fact, last year he went long stretches where he just played solid defense and passed the ball out of the post. Of course, he did shut it down early last year but that was about getting his knee right and not about his scoring average. Also, there’s no doubt in my mind that J.O.’s goal is to win. When I say win, I don’t mean just a championship but each of the 82 regular season games. Now, having that desire and doing what it takes to make it happen aren’t always the same thing, but if the team is winning, he will accept any role he plays in that success. I’m sure you will hear J.O. talk about contending for a championship and working toward that singular goal as his only motivation for playing. I have no doubt he believes that but he can’t carry a team to that championship. With the talent already in place in Toronto, he won’t have to. As long as there are players on the roster who can knock down shots during crunch time, J.O. will pitching in with his defense.
4. RaptorsHQ: Another knock has been that CB4 and JO are too similar in terms of games, especially on offense. Do you feel he and Bosh can co-exist?
Indy Cornrows: J.O. and CB4 should be able to co-exist as well as present nightmare match-ups for opposing front lines across the league. I’ve always thought they were very similar players with their quickness around the hoop and ability to step out and knock down the 15-18 foot jumper. As far as personalities, I don’t see a problem either. J.O. has a strong personality but he’s also a pleaser. He wants to be liked and appreciated and knows how to act and what to say to put himself in a good light. This was a survival instinct he developed in Indy while being thrust into all the craziness that surrounded the team since the Palace brawl. He really tried to be part of the solution, but too much went on that was out of his control. I really think the fresh start alone will inspire and energize J.O. to play well and he’ll try to push Bosh to do the same.
5. RaptorsHQ: Finally, just talk a bit about the Pacers’ moves around draft time. Are you happy with them and do you think they put Indiana back in the playoff picture next season?
Indy Cornrows: The Pacers are untangling a complicated recent past and the early off-season has provided us a glimpse of what direction they are headed. For one, the team is working toward a more friendly salary cap situation. The deal with J.O. helped a lot, but there is still plenty of work to do. Also, after the draft day dealings, we know that Larry Bird wants mature players who are willing to work hard. Jerryd Bayless would’ve been a great fit if he developed as expected, but the Pacers have been hamstrung over the past several years waiting for young guys (Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender) to develop their game to an expected level of performance that was never met. Since Ike Diogu did not fit Jim O’Brien’s style of play, the draft day trade allowed the Pacers to add a solid backup PG in Jarrett Jack along with the player, Brandon Rush, they were targeting anyway. All the talk about the upside with Jerryd Bayless makes it sound like Rush and Roy Hibbert are finished products instead of the young players they are with plenty more room for development, a la Danny Granger. Because the team will rely on Rush and Hibbert to contribute this year, I don’t expect the Pacers to make the playoffs. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be rooting like crazy for them to make the playoffs, but it seems unrealistic unless more changes come about before October. Much like the final two months of this past season, I do expect the Pacers to compete and be enjoyable to watch.
Some great stuff in that chat and considering Tom penned his answers for us about a week before yesterday’s unveiling of the trade to the media, it’s interesting to see so much of what he discussed echoed in yesterday’s press conference. Jermaine did talk constantly about it still being “Chris Bosh’s team,” and caring simply about getting to that Championship level, not looking at All-Star spots or individual accolades etc.
Jermaine said all of the right things and while as one of our readers pointed out, so did players like Zach Randolph upon switching teams, I just got a great feeling after all was said and done.
But perhaps what really got me excited was something outside of the press conference, something more from the “actions speak louder than words” realm of things. RaptorsTV in their coverage of yesterday’s media madness interspersed JO video clips with the live press conference footage. One of those clips showed O’Neal come out of nowhere, essentially toss two Pistons’ big men to the side for a rebound, and throw it back down. Toronto hasn’t seen someone do that since the days of Antonio Davis…the first time he was here.
Sam Mitchell was quoted after the press conference as saying that he felt “JO ready for great things,” and Toronto was getting O’Neal at the stage of his life where he’s ready.
I totally agree and think that the Raptors are getting JO at a perfect time mentally in his career.
Physically?
Well, we’ll just have to wait a few more months on that…
FRANCHISE
