Players Win Games

On Wednesday night, Dwyane Wade dropped 37 on the Raptors and LeBron James lit up the Mavericks for 46 points. Underlines the idea that players win games and explaining why college coaches recruit.

According to Albert Camus, the essential concept of existence is the struggle against mortality, a world not particularly suited to humans, and perhaps even mediocrity. Camus might have enjoyed the game, although it may have been frustrating to watch, it was probably a good effort for the Raptors, given their talent and the injury to Chris Bosh -- is putting a ball in a hoop any less absurd or Sisyphean than devoting hours towards writing the perfect sentence or reading the train schedules even though one never travels?

Which is why the Raptors badly need a wing player. The heroics of Wade and James show that the Association is a league for guards and existential posts. If Mike James is the Raptors’ key free agent signing, nothing much will change. Bryan Colangelo will be condemned by the gods and Maple Leafs Sports and Entertain to roll a giant boulder up the hill during the day, only to watch it roll down at night and repeat the process the next day, until he acquires a 2 or 3 who can play with Bosh.

A point guard is nice, but not critical since you can fill the third point of the triangle with lots of different options. Mike James is a satisfactory point guard and spaces the floor well but he is not the only player who can fulfill this role, especially if he’ll cost a lot of money.

Unless the Raptors undertake something drastic to augment the current core (which is promising but ultimately limited), re-arranging the current players or replacing them with similar players will be rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Not that the franchise is going under but if M.L.S.E. wishes to improve the experience of the Raptors’, they need to think bigger.

Perhaps missing the playoffs and competing for the last few playoff spots every few years is the best the Raptors can hope for. The Association isn’t really suited for them. Examples of this are the lottery rules from the mid 1990s, player stereotypes about Canada, and the value of the dollar (although the last one has improved and will continue to do so). Maybe the team should give up chasing abstract goals such as winning and focus on defining and improving themselves. This philosophy probably wouldn’t sell tickets (although the Leafs have proven otherwise since 1967) but it might be very rewarding.

Stream of Consciousness, Part III

The second weekend of the 2006 N.C.A.A. Tournament provided pertinent coaching lessons, good and bad. Ben Howland, Jim Larranaga, and John Brady made their first Final Four and one coach (and team) will grab the brass ring for the first time.

Duke: The Blue Devils were burnt by their seven-player rotation. They rolled seven guys all year and it seemed as if they were tired and flat when they played L.S.U.. Perhaps they won a few more games in the regular season by shortening the bench but they might have been more prepared had they entered the Tournament with a 22-7 record and nine experienced players.
I thought that Duke ran some nice out of bounds stuff that kept them in the game when their half-court offence totally disintegrated when faced by L.S.U.’s shot-blocking and their own shooting woes.

L.S.U.: Coach John Brady recruited some athletic players that play well together. The team’s chemistry and the players’ talent create the energy that propelled a good (but not great) team to the Final Four. The Tigers defend well, but their offence is horrible. Excellent college players like Glen Davis (Tyrus Thomas will be a better pro) generate opportunities but the system is stagnant. They would be on a 1997 Arizona roll if they could score better.

UConn: Jim Calhoun blew Sunday’s game vs. George Mason and it had nothing to do with what happened on the court. Calhoun went on and on about George Mason’s "home court" advantage (since George Mason is located in Fairfax, Virginia). This was inaccurate; George Mason has a student population of six thousand so even if the entire school attended the game, they would not fill more than a third of the twenty thousand seat Verizon Center. No matter what the situation, Connecticut should have been a double-digit favourite against George Mason.

Due to his complaints, Calhoun gave confidence to the underdog Patriots and deflated his own team. Calhoun’s message echoed themes put forward by the media affected the mental preparation of the Huskies.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers played to the best of their abilities against Texas. Although they lost at the buzzer, they defended the last play well. Texas made a wise decision to push the ball after West Virigina’s basket. In these cases, defenders usually converge on the ball and someone stepped up to stop the ballhandler’s penetration. The ball was passed to Kenton Paulino and he made an off-balance N.B.A. distance three pointer. West Viriginia chose not to cover a shot that had a twenty percent chance of going in (which it did, one of the risks if you choose to help from the strong side) instead of a higher percentage shot by Daniel Gibson, P.J. Tucker, or LaMarcus Aldridge.

Gonzaga: Mark Few’s team gave up the last eleven points of the game and lost by two. Nice run but an unfortunate ending. Why was a post handling the ball in the back-court against pressure? J.P. Batista (or any player who coughs up the ball against pressure like that in a late-game situation) should have given the foul. There was no way Gonzaga would have recognised that turnover and been able to defend U.C.L.A.’s possession five on five. Putting U.C.L.A. on the line would have been a better option, even in a one point game.

Washington: The Huskies missed one key lesson of the 2005-2006 N.C.A.A. Men’s Basketball season: Rashard Anderson is an assassin. How could he get those two looks late in regulation? Washington lost some of their focus when Brandon Roy picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and totally collapsed as the clock wound down. Although Roy might have fouled out, sometimes you have to play a player in foul trouble because the team needs them.

The New York Knicks Are Bad

Recently, the New York Knicks acquired Steve Francis from the Orlando Magic for Anfernee Hardaway and Trevor Ariza. On the surface, it seems like Orlando got a great deal. Digging deeper - and watching the performance of the Knicks - it seems like Orlando got a great deal. I'm under no illusions that the Ariza-Milicic front line will win any titles but they aren't in salary cap hell for years to come.


If I were playing Risk with Isiah Thomas, I'd ask him to trade me Ukraine, which is strong (unlike New York's D), for Madagascar.

Steve Francis can theoretically ball but doesn't play well with others, two attributes which he shares with the rest of New York's roster. I'm glad he's fond the strength to carry on after Cuttino Mobley was traded to Sacramento, when he commented that "[Mobley] not being here is going to be tough for me. I don't know what I'm going to wake up for."


The Knicks have the most expensive starting backcourt in history (number of playoff series wins by Francis and Stephon Marbury: 0). Things have fallen a long way since the 1970s when Clyde and Earl the Pearl were winning Association titles. Back then, Larry Brown was beginning his coaching career with the Carolina Cougars, who have a higher liklehood of winning the N.B.A. title than the Knicks.


Along with Jalen Rose, New York starts three max contracts next to each other. Does any other team do this? Is anyone else this bad?


This off-season, Orlando can use their cap room to sign a second-tier scorer and a shooter who will fill the Triangle will Dwight Howard. They'll compete for spots 5-8 in the 06-07 season, when Larry Brown will be wishing he was still coaching Kansas ("Stephon, have you considered transferring?).


Talent and chemistry are critical elements of winning. Isiah Thomas can evaluate talent. He drafts well. He cannot evaluate chemistry. How are the Knicks supposed to function? What about Q-Richardson, last summer's acquisition? Why would anyone agree to a sign-and-trade with the Knicks knowing they might be overlooked so hastily? Jamal Crawford?


Playing four-out around David Lee and running all game would be an effective strategy with a pass first guard like Jason Kidd or Steve Nash. If only Larry Brown cannot push a magical button that will turn Stephon Marbury into Chauncey Billups or Steve Francis into Rip Hamilton. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts…

Bay Street Video

The Shawshank Redemption is a good film that features strong performances, excellent direction, and a script that exposes the subtleties of life inside prison walls (normally ignored by the public). "Red" is a frank, honest narrator who gains the sympathy of the audience. There are some spectacular shots that simulate the perspective of a third party observer, perhaps, who knows what goes on inside Shawshank Prison but doesn’t wish to intervene.

Patient pacing shows how Andy Dufresne overcomes his personal demons and beats and unjust system over the course of nineteen years. The film is no fairy tale -- every time that Andy takes two steps forward on his journey fate forces him to take one backwards. Easily available and shown on T.B.S. about thrice a month.

Les 400 coups mise en scène par François Truffaut est aussi un bon film. Shot in black and while with hand held cameras, it stands out from other films produced in studioes at the time. Some scenes are comical, other tragic. Truffaut paints a compelling picture of a youth trying to find his way in post-war Paris.

Like the Shawshank Redemption, Les 400 coups turns the tables by making an outcast the hero and an authority figure the villain. Perhaps linking the two films is a bit of a non-sequitor; perhaps not. They share a first person perspective, some themes about adversity, keep the interest of the audience throughout and can be rented from Bay Street Video.

A Week Later

Mother Teresa won Ontario’s 4A Senior Boys Basketball title. Last week, they lost their conference title to Father Henry Carr and it seemed to be like they may have trouble handling a team with a lot of size. Nevertheless, Teresa possibly had the two best players in the field - Justin Dennis (Justin has been one of my favourite players to watch during the past few years) and Papa Oppong - and they excelled in the final rounds. Many games were close, especially a 31-30 round of sixteen game against Toronto Northern. Northern starts a 6-8 centre, Andrew Pennycook, who made the Toronto Star’s G.T.A. All-Star Team.

Teresa may not have been the best team from October to March but they were consistent, experienced, skilled, and performed on demand, under pressure, at O.F.S.A.A..

T.D.C.A.A. Final Miscues

I watched the T.D.C.A.A. Senior Boys Championship game this week. The passing was terrible. Father Henry Carr beat Mother Teresa 63-51. Players knocked balls down with one hand, threw the ball out of bounds and passed into traffic.

Setting effective screens, good footwork on offence and defence, and accurate passing critical skills at the high school level. Henry Carr is probably the best team in Ontario but if they turn the ball over that frequently at the provincial championships, they could be upset by anyone. Good high/low post play is better than lackadaisical five out play. Pass. Cut. Replace.