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TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors, still smarting after being eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Orlando Magic in five games, reported to the Air Canada Centre Tuesday to clean out their lockers and unload some baggage that had been piling up behind the curtain of team solidarity.
To a man, the players felt the team had underperformed by getting knocked out of the playoffs early. The Raptors had ended last season with aspirations of moving ahead, and had better talent and more experience, but failed to make headway, said captain Chris Bosh.
In a long session in front of the media, Bosh didn't hide his feelings that Andrea Bargnani had taken a big step back.
Other players said that the team needed more scoring to help out Bosh, who on too many nights was the lone Raptor player to perform at the star level. If not a scoring boost, the team at least needed to play a tougher defensive game to shut down opponents and keep the Raptors in the match.
The Raptors' Jose Calderon. (REUTERS/Peter Jones)
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T.J. Ford made it clear he isn't happy to be job-sharing with Jose Calderon at point guard. He concedes Calderon “is probably a starting guard in the league,” but Ford wants the Toronto job.
“This year's been tough,” Bosh said. “We raised the bar last year and we kind of took a step back. That just shows we're human, that we always have to be on edge, we always have to have a chip on our shoulder and continue to work hard because we don't want to take steps back.”
The team's lack of toughness and lack of depth got exposed when key players such as Bosh and Ford were out of the lineup for prolonged stretches. The rest of the conference, particularly young teams, is getting better and the Raptors can't afford to lose ground, said who will spend part of the time this summer preparing with the U.S. Olympic team.
“I don't think we're far at all [from being a top team in the conference]. We've just got to make a couple of moves, we have to get better as a team. If we keep a positive mind frame and just continue to think about getting better every day, it can bee soon as next year or the year after.”
A lot of that vision for improvement falls on Bargnani, who was a ghost of what he was expected to be as Toronto's big man. If the team took a collective step back, Bargnani showed the way. Bosh was diplomatically critical, but he did what a captain had to do: he ripped a teammate who failed to live up to his No. 1 status.
“I think a lot rests on his shoulders,” Bosh said. “Just him being the No. 1 pick. As soon as he was picked No. 1, his plate was full. There are a lot of expectations when you're the No. 1 pick.
“He just has to get better. That's all he has to do, work on his game. Work on his weaknesses. And he just has to believe he can be a star in this league...
“With his talent level, he can definitely improve his game. It's just on him. The rest is one his shoulder. Personal development with anyone is a big ‘if'. He has to believe in himself. It starts with him. If he puts forth the effort, I think he can do great things. If he's not going to work, it's not going to happen.”
Bosh said Bargnani still needs a lot of hand-holding and Anthony Parker said the big Italian needed a pat on the back and to be told to keep going when things were tough.
“But pat on the back, kick in the biutt, it's all the same to me,” Bosh said.”
Certainly, Bargnani was reluctant to drive inside and get his nose dirty, too often shooting from a distance rather than braving traffic.
“Sometimes, he struggled with his shot, and some nights when he doesn't shoot the ball well, he's not a factor,” Bosh said. “He has to develop the mentality to get down low, get some easy baskets, block some shots, get some rebounds. Be a force in the game if you're not making shots. That's how you have to be. You have to play defence, you have to rebound, you have to always be a factor. If your shot's not falling, that doesn't take away your success in the game.”
Ford, sidelined for much of the middle of the season with a neck injury suffered in Atlanta, isn't happy with the fact Calderon fills the same role on the team. Down the stretch in the season and in the playoffs, head coach Sam Mitchell kept giving Ford starting assignments so he wouldn't lose him psychologically. But it was Calderon who got the late minutes when the game was on the line. To Ford, the starter's role is paramount. To Calderon, it's doing what he needs to for a winning mix.
“ I think where I'm at right now in my NBA career, I consider myself a starter and I don't see myself coming off the bench for 82 games,” Ford said.
Recovering from Atlanta I think the training part was tough.. I'm pretty sure that people didn't' think that I would be able to play at the same level. I think I showcased my determination, my heart to play this game,” Ford said.
His injury time was Calderon's opportunity “and he definitely got a lot better form his rookie season to now. You can't be upset because he continued to take his game to the next level. Hopefully, he still has a lot more room to grow and be a better player.
“You can't be mad at him as player, as an individual because he works hard, he had an opportunity and he took full advantage of it and quieted a lot of critics (who wondered) if he was capable of being a starting point guard. Obviously, we do know he's very capable of being a starting point guard and probably is a starting point guard in this league. You can't take that away from him. I'm not trying to be controversial about the situation between me and him. I think we have a good relationship, no bad tension between us.”
But a decision may have to be made between Calderon and Ford. Calderon, who also is going to the Olympics for Spain, will have a contract meeting with the Raptors this summer.
“Right now, I feel I need to do something for this team, and I'd like to be here,” Calderon said. Job-sharing, he said, doesn't offend him. “Why not. I think we want to be a better team and there's always going to be competition for your position...
“I want to win. I don't want to be a starter or not a starter, I want a ring. I'm Jose, I want to be a winner.”
Parker said Bryan Colangelo may need to make some personnel changes to get the bodies he needs to help Bosh in the scoring department and to be more aggressive about defending and rebounding.
“The goal is to take that next step. In order to do that, something is probably going to have to change as long as it makes the team better. If there's an opportunity to try and make the team better, I'm sure Bryan will pull the trigger,” Parker said. He himself may wind up being moved.
“It's a business. It's a business first. I love the organization here: The people that work in it, the team that I play for, and the coaching staff. I love coming here and it's not something that I dread. I know a lot of situations aren't like that. There are not a lot of situations like this in the NBA. But it's a business and maybe my situation might be attractive to somebody... Mr. Colangelo, if it makes the team better here in Toronto, I expect him to do the job.”
