Bleacher Report - Articles by Mitch Thompson

Raptors Look to Right the Ship When It Matters Most

Mitch Thompson — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:07:00 -0400

When the Toronto Raptors are on their game, they can play with any team in the NBA. The thing is, fans of about 15 other NBA teams will tell you the same thing of their team.

Every team in the NBA has its moments. When the three-pointers are falling, when the chemistry’s there, and when you’re truly proud to be a fan.

So what makes my claim different than all these other claims? The Toronto Raptors haven’t had any of those moments yet.

The Raptors have underachieved almost all year long. The lone bright spot on the season was Jose Calderon’s play as a starter from December to March.

Chris Bosh, Anthony Parker, and Rasho Nesterovic have played well, and Jamario Moon’s been a fairly consistent starter and a feel-good story, but as a whole, the Raptors just haven’t clicked like they can.

Andrea Bargnani’s second year has been a tremendous disappointment. Advocates preach patience, and use Nowitzki as an example, but the numbers don’t lie. Andrea’s a bust.

I’m not saying Andrea Bargnani won’t be a solid contributor in the future, but I don’t think he’ll live up to the hopes and dreams so many Raptors fans laid out for him when he was selected with the franchise’s first ever first overall pick.

TJ Ford has been another disappointment this year. While no one doubts his individual talent and athletic ability, his selfishness and lack of court vision are obvious faults. On too many possessions, the undersized guard dribbles the ball for a full 24 seconds before hoisting up a jumper.

Ford’s stats are decent, but the truth is that the team plays better with Calderon as the floor leader.

Players like Jason Kapono, Kris Humphries, Carlos Delfino, and Joey Graham, were unable to find consistent production all season long. They showed bright spots, as all everyone has, but never consistency.

So how could anyone pick the Raptors to make a run in the playoffs? How, after learning of all their aforementioned weaknesses, could anyone even suggest they might slip by the Magic into the team’s second ever second-round appearance?

Not only have the Raptors underachieved all season, but their past month and a half of play has been the worst! They’re in a free-fall, having lost to many of the weaker teams of the East, and having nearly slipped into a playoff matchup against the Pistons or the Celtics!

While the reasons for pessimism are apparent, as a whole, the Raptors have one unique strength: character.

This team is made up of hard-working, classy athletes, who will not go down without a fight. They will not lose a seven-game series to a team whom they’ve spanked on so many occasions over the past two years.

The Raptors are due at Amway Arena at 12:30 on Sunday for the NBA Playoffs. They’re also due for one of those great performances that they’re so capable of but has been just out of their reach all season long.

Conference Tournaments: A Key Component of March Madness

Mitch Thompson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:09:19 -0400

Many people argue that only the 65-team NCAA championship tournament is considered “March Madness”. I disagree.

Conference tournament games have significant implications for the participating teams. Many teams are trying to make a last ditch effort to qualify for the NCAA tournament by improving their resume, others’ only hope is to win their respective tournaments. Sometimes intense rivalries can be developed and improved upon in conference tournaments, and at other times a student-athlete can evolve into a heroic player or a hated player.

My all-time favorite conference tournament was in 2006 when Gerry McNamara led Syracuse to the Big East title (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ArlqIs2NT8). The Orange were a tournament bubble team that barely made the Big East tourney heading into their first game against Cincinnati. McNamara made a clutch winning shot in the dying seconds of that game to propel the Orange into their quarter-final against powerhouse UConn. The Huskies featured five 2006 NBA draft picks and were ranked in the top 4 in the country at the time. Once again McNamara came through with clutch shots to lead the Orange to an OT victory. McNamara’s heroics continued in the semis against Georgetown and the championship game against Pittsburgh.

Another incredible conference tournament memory took place at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. It was the 2005 Conference-USA championship game between Memphis and Louisville, and the game’s finish was tighter than young Forrest and Jenny. After a wild final minute (which is often overshadowed by the game’s final seconds) consisting of three-pointers and answering three-pointers, Memphis guard Darius Washington Jr. was fouled in the act of shooting a three-pointer with no time left on the game clock. The score was 75-73 for the Cardinals, and the confident freshman calmly stepped up to the line. Make. Miss. Miss. The heartbroken guard collapsed on the floor along with the Tigers’ tournament hopes.

There are, of course, so many other exciting conference tournament storylines which I failed to mention, and probably even failed to be alive to witness. Please share your favorite memories in the article’s comments section. And always remember: March Madness does start before the NCAA tournament!

Tigers-Volunteers: Running Diary of the Battle of Tennessee

Mitch Thompson — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:15:47 -0500

Hey folks, just thought I’d keep a little running diary during the most hyped college hoops game this year, Bill Simmons style.

Will the game live up to the hype? My guess is yes. Both of these teams have ridiculous individual talent and their fast-paced styles of play will surely make for an exciting and entertaining evening.

To be honest, I strongly believe that a loss could be a good thing for Memphis. Nothing could leave the Tigers more vulnerable in the tournament than an undefeated season. Why? Losses make you angry. They motivate you to work harder in practice, and make you hungrier for wins. For more information on this theory, ask Bill Belichek…. Anyway, it’s time for the tip!!!

9:00pm – Peyton Manning’s the only person in the FedEx Forum wearing orange. ESPN busts out Dick Vitale for the game… why not? He’s the franchise. Memphis’ intro song? You guessed it: Eye of the Tiger.

9:04pm – Three Smith’s in the Volunteer starting lineup!? That’s better than the Atlanta Hawks’ Johnson, Williams, Smith lineup.

9:06pm – Tennessee makes a three and Calipari calls timeout… no wonder Memphis is perfect on the season, their coach is a Hermione Grangeresque perfectionist.

9:11pm – Hahaha… Dickie-V says the Tigers are probably the best basketball team in the city… anyone disagree?

9:16pm – Close game through about 7 min (20-16, Tigers). Nine threes made thus far… Jajuan Smith and Antonio Anderson are stroking it like Anthony Parker and Jason Kapono (shameless plug). But seriously, are college players even challenged by the distance of the college three? Sure doesn’t look like it…

9:22pm – How good is Memphis? Their back-up point guard’s in the game for future-lottery pick Derrick Rose. He (Antonio Allen) was a two-time Mr. Basketball in Tennessee at Booker T. Washington high school. The Tigers’ third-string point guard, Willie Kemp, who’s currently sitting on the bench, was also Mr. Basketball in Tennessee his senior year in high school! I wonder if Kemp wishes he’d gone elsewhere for his college career… say, Knoxville?

9:30pm – Memphis by 5, 29-24. About 9 minutes to go in the half and Memphis continues to drop trifectas like they’re…. umm… I don’t know, the number one team in the nation?

9:33pm – Chris Douglas-Roberts is NBA caliber. Book it, he’ll average at least 17 per game during his prime in the pros.

9:36pm – How old is Elvis’ former wife Priscilla Presley? Wow…

9:38pm – What’s Chris Lofton up to? 0 – 1 on the night. The guy dropped 34 on Memphis when the teams played last year.

9:46pm – Memphis is the 4^th-worst foul shooting team in D1 basketball. How can they still be undefeated shooting 58% from the line on the year!? Wow… good ol’ Conference-USA basketball…

9:47pm – Lofton drops free throw with 2:41 left in the half to pop his cherry on the night. Hopefully that will get him going because he can be damn fun to watch when his shot’s on.

9:51pm – Memphis leads by one at the half… we’re in for a dandy folks! Erin Andrews pulls Bruce Pearl aside for an interview as he heads to the dressing room, and he’s straight-up working her. First he puts his hands all over her (apparently demonstrating how closely the Tigers are guarding Lofton, but I’m not buying it), then he switches things around and plays reporter: “What a start to the game, huh Erin?”. Haha, Pearl’s a P.I.M.P. in case you didn’t know (http://loserwithsocks.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/bp1.jpg).

10:08pm – Wow, Pearl’s 3P (Passion, Poise, and Purpose) halftime speech was pretty weak. Kind of reminds me of Spenny’s weak 4F strategy in the “Who Do Old People Like More?” episode of Kenny vs. Spenny. Tell me gave his boys a better pep talk when the cameras were gone.

10:11pm – Vols take their first lead in a WHILE, thanks to Iowa transfer Tyler Smith’s little hook shot. If you want to see a neat feature on Smith, hit this up: http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3260527

10:18pm – Tennessee big man, Wayne Chism goes down after twisting his ankle, due to Chris Douglas-Roberts unintentionally imitating Bruce Bowen. Looks like Chism is alright and will be back in the game soon.

10:25pm – The Vols take a six point lead thanks to some sloppy play by Memphis. At times it looks like Derrick Rose has TJ Ford syndrome (where he’s too fast for his own good). It’s not too bad of a problem to have, but it may definitely be the cause of some crucial Tiger turnovers in the near future.

10:32pm – Tennessee leads, 50-43. The big boy Chism comes back in the game and drops a three! Again, the college three is too close, these guys are just abusing it! Lofton continues to be guarded ridiculously well by the Memphis guards. He’s 31 points shy of his total for last year’s game.

10:41pm – 9 minutes left and the Vols lead by six… upset? Imagine beating the #1 team when your best scorer scores only 3 points… that’s the definition of depth.

10:44pm – Dick Vitale must have some kind of RSS feed to this diary because he just elaborated on how this Volunteer performance is a testament to their team depth as Lofton struggles.

10:50pm – Lofton shows up with 7 minutes left. Makes a crazy lay-up. Antonio Anderson responds with a lay-up of his own and I am pumped for this finish!!!

10:52pm – Add Derrick Rose to Memphis’ future NBA player line-up. But you already knew that.

10:55pm – Tennessee leads by one with 4 minutes to play. One thing’s for sure: if Memphis wants to win a national championship this year, they’re going to have to improve from the line. These guys are making Shaq and Ben Wallace look like Steve Nash and JJ Redick. Just think about that… Shaq and Ben Wallace looking like Steve Nash and JJ Redick. Sorry for the nightmares.

11:02pm – CD-R is a champ! He makes a clutch fast break lay-up, rolls his ankle, and then limps his ass off down the floor to get back on defense. That’s heart. And when you combine that kind of heart with his talent…

11:05pm – Wow, crazy turnover for the Tigers… Dorsey and Dozier battle each other for an offensive rebound and travel in the process…

11:06pm – Tyler Smith makes a clutch jumper to put Tennessee up by one. Antonio Anderson misses a floater, and the Tigers are forced to foul… 9 seconds left.

11:09pm – Tigers down three and Tennessee intentionally fouls Derrick Rose. What do you know, it comes down to Memphis at the free throw line… makes the first, intentionally misses the second, and Chris Lofton grabs the rebound. That’s that folks, the Vols win the battle of Tennessee for the second straight year, and the Tigers’ perfect season ends tonight. But as I said a couple hours ago, the loss will do them well in the long-run.

Brian McNamee Pilloried, Roger Clemens' Lies Go Unnoticed

Mitch Thompson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:47:30 -0500

Anyone watching the Clemens-McNamee congressional hearing was stunned by Indiana Republican Dan Burton’s attack of Brian McNamee, quite reminiscent of Stewie pummeling Lois.

The most replayed excerpt of the bombardment was undoubtedly, "Lie after lie after lie after lie!"

It seems like everyone is forgetting that the accusations of dishonesty hurled at McNamee trace back to inconsistencies in what he told reporters, and not information to which he testified under oath.

Furthermore, the ways in which he lied (as documented in newspaper and web-based articles) were quite natural. Basically McNamee failed to reveal entire truths in an understandable attempt to curtail future trouble for him and for other players.

But Roger Clemens lied under oath. Fortunately for him, no one seems to care.

Throughout the hearing, various government officials stressed the importance of telling the truth while under oath, and the consequence of failing to do so—a federal charge of perjury.

Well they forgot to enforce that rule in the Rocket's case, I guess.

Also, I’m shocked that the following statements aren't garnering any attention from the sports media.

Apparently during Clemens’ individual deposition (at which he swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth) he stated that he'd never, in his entire life, spoken to Brian McNamee about HGH. On Wednesday morning (again under oath) however, he changed his mind.

Clemens said that he called McNamee when his wife began complaining of circulation problems following her secret HGH injection courtesy of the former trainer. Clemens even admitted that this conversation was a very detailed discussion of HGH (or something of that nature).

The man questioning Clemens during these revelations noticed the inconsistency in Roger's story, but failed to pursue it further.

Does anyone else see the issue here? The Rocket is guilty of committing perjury, and nobody cares.

NBA All-Star Game: Why Jose Calderon Deserves the Nod

Mitch Thompson — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:56:42 -0500

Typically, society allocates resources and honors to those who want them most.

This is true for our economic systems which are derived from the concept of “utility”, and it’s typically true in sport.

However, in the case of Jose Calderon, I propose that the NBA and its fanbase contradict the aforementioned principle.

Jose Calderon deserves to be an All-Star—or at least to be recognized as being of All-Star caliber—because he wants it the least.

In his recent blog (scroll down), Gilbert Arenas attacks all backers of Calderon who have claimed over the past months that the Spanish Fly is worthy of All-Star status.

Arenas first claims that Calderon’s league-leading assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t a statistic worth notice. He then claims that Antawn Jamison is more deserving of the All-Star nod because he averages a double-double.

Finally, Agent Zero adds that he feels Calderon shouldn’t be on the All-Star team this year because Arenas didn’t make the team a couple years back when he was averaging a whopping 29 points, five assists, and five rebounds per game.

What Arenas failed to realize during his rant is that all of these statistical arguments are irrelevant.

Jose Calderon is an All-Star because he doesn’t care about statistics. Calderon’s one and only goal as the Toronto Raptors’ floor-general is leading his team to a successful season and ultimately a championship. He fails to value individual accolades (such as All-Star appearances). For this he must be commended.

How many “borderline All-Stars” have emotions of complete indifference when it comes to starting games and floor time? How many proven stars are happy to share the point guard spotlight with another player, TJ Ford, because they know Ford’s contributions can help the team perform better?

And Calderon is a restricted free agent at the end of this season! Most players try to rack up their stats to increase their market value in such a situation (*cough* Mike James *cough*).

Jose Calderon’s market value and All-Star worthiness should not be based on his stats (although they are damn good stats).

To quote Mr. Arenas: “An All-Star is an All-Star! He’s playing at a high level. That means, if you take him off the team, that team should fall down if he’s that one guy.”

If Calderon were removed from the Raptors’ roster, they would fall down. It is his selfless attitude that strengthens and kick-starts their incredible team chemistry. As the Knicks have shown us, team chemistry and personal sacrifice are pretty darn important when it comes to wins and losses.

And as Arenas has himself shown us: 29 points, five assists, and five rebounds does not equal, “If you take him off the team, that team should fall down.”