Sam Mitchell, Fire Sam Mitchell, Sam Mitchell sucks, Raptors Coach, SMitch, Raps coach
Jul 4
Well put
icon1 admin | icon2 Media | icon4 07 4th, 2008| icon3No Comments »
From Doug Smith’s mailbag today:

Q: Is this team, as currently constructed a better fit for Sam Mitchell’s coaching style/abilities?

Steph R, Glencoe

A: I believe it is, yes.

a) Steph, you meant INabilities. INabilities.

b) No shit, Doug.

c) So with less decisions to make, we’ve helped shore up one of Smitch’s major deficiencies: decisions.  In retrospect, this is all Colangelo’s fault for providing too many options: take away square peg, leave round peg = no choice but to fit in round hole = Shatts.   [Shudders]

d) Yep, now TWO players we can run ‘horns up’ for. Tantalizing.

Jun 26

It’s a waste of money.

No, its not your money + you don’t get it.  The JO dice throw doesn’t work, this is the list of suitors Colangelo can give a rose to in 2010 (or maybe two of em, Mormon styles).

2010 Free Agents:

The Big Dawgs:
Joe Johnson
Ray Allen
Ben Wallace
LeBron James (player option, likely)
Dirk Nowitzki (player option, unlikely)
Josh Howard (player option, likely)
Marcus Camby
Rip Hamilton
Stephen Jackson
Tracy McGrady
Shaquille O’Neal
Dwyane Wade (player option for 10/11, unlikely)
Michael Redd (player option for 10/11, likely)
Tyson Chandler (player option for 10/11 - 50/50)
Eddy Curry (player option for 10/11 - 50/50)
Amare Stoudemire (player option for 10/11, unlikely)
Brad Miller
Manu Ginobili
Chris Bosh (player option for 10/11, unlikely)

The Rookie Contracts:
Shelden WIlliams (restricted)
Rajon Rondo (restricted)
Adam Morrison (brah ha ha)
Tyrus Thomas (restricted)
Rudy Gay (restricted)
Kyle Lowry (restricted)
Randy Foye (restricted)
Marcus Williams (restricted)
Josh Boone (restricted)
Renaldo Balkman (restricted)
Mardy Collins (restricted)
Brandon Roy (restricted)
Sergio Rodriguez (restricted)
LaMarcus Aldridge (restricted)
Quincy Douby (restricted)
Ronnie Brewer (restricted)
Andrea Bargnani (restricted)

Jun 25

(written by Rhys Z)

Raps possibilities: 

Brandon Rush - Defense. check. jumpshot. check. athleticism. check. mental toughness/drive…undecided. The odd chance he falls as low as the 17th pick, the Raps would HAVE to grab him.   His ceiling is likely higher than most who will be available at the time, yet with an already polished overall game.

Chris Douglas Roberts - Has added some upper body size, a ‘game’ player, someone whose play will be better than his peripherals would suggest. Might be better suited for the NBA than college.   One thing he does a much better job than Rush despite being an inferior athlete is getting to the line.  I go back and forth between them, Rush might be more talented but CDR might be the mentally tougher. Read the rest of this entry »

May 21
BRB
icon1 admin | icon2 Reasons | icon4 05 21st, 2008| icon33 Comments »

In case you can’t tell, FSM is on hiatus…either till relevant Raptors related blurbs or boredom, occurs. Until then, check out the archives.

May 14

1. The “Hot like fire, cool like…” Raptors ‘reading is fun’ commercial that they play to fucking death on Raptors TV is ‘pull out my toenails with white-hot barbecue tongs instead’ annoying. A 1986 Sony handicam films the Raptor doing cartwheels through a dusty elementary school gym. Then, Pullitzer-aspiring Chris Bosh, offers this deadpan reason for reading:

“Its very important…in life…and um, it’s a good hobby”

Um, Chris, ehhhhhhhhhhhhcccch (family feud buzzer)

Hobby? Likely not amongst the official top 3 reasons for reading. (Probably education, knowledge and ultimately, dollars).

2. Jose masterminding a genius backcourt inbound play (probably, I’ll pass it to you, you pass it back) to Joey Graham who, seemingly by Jose’s growing impatience, is standing facing the crowd, picking his ass.

But also, calm down Jose - how important could the game situation be if Joey was on the court?

3. Sherman Hamilton in HD. (His scientist looking co-host isn’t taking home any ‘least annoying’ awards either.)

May 12
Reason #78,452
icon1 admin | icon2 Reasons | icon4 05 12th, 2008| icon317 Comments »

Erm, Sam Mitchell hacked the site, and it was down for the last three days. Another reason to fire sam mitchell.

May 8
The Evil Empire
icon1 admin | icon2 Colangelo | icon4 05 8th, 2008| icon37 Comments »
A possible motive alluded to earlier on this site, just found a body in a trunk. Dex, help break it down:

For the uninitiated, Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice was axed yesterday, a few weeks after interim puppet-on-a-string GM, Cliff Fletcher vouched for his job security. The timing? Two days after an MLSE board meeting.

Nothing in the history of the MLSE has indicated that the Raptors have any more leeway when it comes to ’spending’ (not ignoring that the Leaf’s problems are a LOT more sordid and historically rooted in a loser’s malaise). The Raptors, however, were smaller money and ‘new’ ground for the hockey minded brass and hence the relative laissez faire approach when it came to meddlesome suits dictating operations.

Their latest move has revealed the current mindset is a typically despotic one, and in the Raptors’ case potentially, an economically driven spreadsheet based one. Picture: MLSE board meets and weighs Raptor upside (2nd or 3rd round playoffs at best) vs sunk money for fired coach, deems it not $-viable, rejects Colangelo’s 100 page proposal/thesis, and tells him to buckle up for one more season. Also: sell, sell, sell those RED T-shirts like they’re eco-friendly hybrids.

If any shred of evidence ever hinted that Bryan Colangelo had an operational carte blanche, without a mandate from up above, let’s respectfully bury that notion with this latest move. The reins are on.

To MLSE, clearly GM = Get Money.

May 6
Good luck Chuck
icon1 admin | icon2 Media | icon4 05 6th, 2008| icon38 Comments »

Love or hate him, he was inexorably woven into the Raptor fabric, and will be missed by many.

(Whoever’s in charge - Please no Rod Black. At any time. Please! Even Suneel Joshi, but not Rod f@cking Black.)

May 6
Note taking
icon1 admin | icon2 Players | icon4 05 6th, 2008| icon38 Comments »

You’d be hard press to argue Jose is a (dorky) student…of the game:

May 4
Mere mortal
icon1 admin | icon2 Strategy | icon4 05 4th, 2008| icon333 Comments »

The Sam defenders are REALLY coming out of the woodwork recently, so answer me this. (Last post micro-analyzing the round 1 loss, I promise — the below article just cements something we were harping on earlier).

Despite not having players with Piston’esque defensive ability, while Dwight was putting up those gargantuan numbers, why wasn’t the below strategy considered?

[from ESPN.com]

“He averaged 22.6 points, 18.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks against Toronto — helping Orlando advance in the playoffs for the first time since 1996 — to rival what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone produced in those categories during the playoffs in the 1970s.”

Pistons coach Flip Saunders started with Jason Maxiell guarding Howard before sending Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Ratliff at him.

Howard’s 12 points were the fewest he scored during this postseason and his eight rebounds marked a career low in 10 playoff games. His lackluster game led to Orlando scoring a season-worst 72 points, 13 fewer than its previous low.”

The four horsemen would have slowed Dwight considerably — Hump, Primo, Rasho, Bosh — in the LEAST sending him to the line more often (HOWWW-ARD, HOWWW-ARD) and causing him to expend more energy, jostling for position with players not so concerned with saving their fouls. Common sense.

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