Erick Blasco's Mailbag: Three From The Corner

Several Bleacher Creatures have populated my inbox recently, inquiring my opinion on a handful of different NBA subjects. Since every good question deserves a good answer, and since these answers might stimulate further questions, I’ve decided to make an article out of it.

So welcome to the initial “Three From The Corner.”

Erick, you say Andrea Bargnani is soft. Who are some other soft players? —Chris Cowen.

I’ll give you a list of ten, in no particular order.

Ben Gordon: Gordon can light up the scoreboard when his jumper is working, but he’s one of the worst finishers in the league, and a gutless defender. Fighting through screens? Converting semi-complicated layups? None of these fit Gordon’s scouting report.

Antawn Jamison: Jamison’s forced to rely on his array of flip hooks because he doesn’t have the toughness or belligerence to score going to the basket. And he’s a straw man on defense.

Jermaine O’Neal: O’Neal’s been hesitant to bump and bang his entire career, preferring to shoot turnaround fadeaways from the post, while only playing defense when he can register a weak-side shot block.

Charlie Villanueva: Villanueva can do many things on offense. Taking a hit and finishing is not one of them. And the stronger forwards in the league undress Charlie V on the other end of the court.

Yi Jianlian: Jianlian is a stick-figure playing a man’s game.

Tim Thomas: An all-time Mr. Softee, Thomas has gone entire contests without stepping foot inside the three-point line. On defense too!

Tracy McGrady: McGrady’s fragile game has been the reason he’s never persevered in the playoffs.

Brad Miller: Not only is Miller soft, but he’s unathletic to boot.

Adam Morrison: Marshmallow soft, Morrison gets abused defensively and no longer has confidence on offense. What were the Bobcats thinking when they drafted this guy?

J.J. Barea: At 5-foot-11, Barea is too much of a runt to keep opposing point guards from running roughshod through his mite-sized defense.

Erick, I just wanted to comment on your writing ability and knowledge of the game, while enjoying your many articles. A topic of interest for me is to respectfully ask if you would consider writing on the subject of the more talented GM‘s in the league. —Dee Cooper.

Certainly. When looking for the best, it’s best to start at the top.

Mitch Kupchak has done a great job deconstructing and rebuilding the Lakers into a tall, quick, athletic squad that runs circles on the rest of the league.

R.C. Buford consistently puts the right pieces around Tim Duncan allowing San Antonio to be a perennial contender.

While fleecing the Timberwolves and Supersonics isn’t a huge deal, Danny Ainge gets high marks for taking smart risks, and recognizing talent in Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, and Leon Powe.

Houston's Daryl Morey is one of the brightest outside-the-box basketball executives in the business.

Kevin Pritchard cleaned up Portland’s poisoned soil and has the Blazers smelling like a rose.

While Detroit's Joe Dumars isn’t the golden child he was several years ago, he’s still the best at turning another team’s junk into treasure.

Rod Thorn has done a great job in barren New Jersey. He built the Nets from scrap into a contender, and now he’s done an immaculate job of creating cap room for the nuclear free agent class of 2010.

Hey, I’m big Raptors fan and many people have been counting the Raptors out for next season’s playoffs. Anyways, based on Hedo Turkoglu coming to the Raps do you think they can take the seventh or eighth spot? —Calean B.

The best thing Toronto has going in its playoff quest is the fact that Eastern Conference is so wide open. After Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando, it’s impossible to guarantee a playoff spot to any team, at least not this early in the offseason.

However, the Raptors have a host of problems that Hedo Turkoglu alone cannot fix.

For starters, the Raptors have very little muscle power on their team, a problem that plagues them mostly on the defensive end. Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani are simply too lean and soft to offer adequate defensive force in the middle of the paint. Indeed, the Raptors often get picked apart from the outside in, something that badly needs to be rectified.

Reggie Evans will help some, but with Bosh being toothpick thin, and Bargnani having horrible defensive instincts, Toronto will always be at a disadvantage with those two manning the paint.

Plus, it’s no certainty that the one diligent defender the Raptors have, Anthony Parker, will stick around. Their second best defender, Shawn Marion, will also likely have a new address next season. This means that their perimeter defense will consist of Turkoglu, Jose Calderon, and DeMar DeRozan—two inadequate defenders and a rookie.

This means that Toronto will have to light up the scoreboard to counteract their porous defense. The only problem is that the Raptors aren’t a team that creates easy offense.

Calderon is steady, but he’s not creative enough to be a top-flight point guard. Bosh and Bargnani are all finesse, and Turkoglu isn’t athletic enough to create offense all by his lonesome.

Turkoglu’s main strength is his decision making on screen/rolls, but since the Raptors lack a powerhouse roll man and post player, that tactic will be easier for opponents to defend than it was with Dwight Howard cutting to the basket, and three-point marksmen blanketing the arc.

The Raptors will only go as far as Bosh’s elbow jump shots and pillow-soft post moves can take them, which will probably be the lottery.