Game 79: Raptors vs. Wizards - Post-game
I’m not sure which sub-plot was more interesting: the Raptors looking to close out the season with a 7 game losing streak to balance things out from their recent success or the DNP-CD beside Gilbert Arenas’ name on the scoresheet.
At this point, I’m not sure why Gilbert doesn’t just retire. He said that he isn’t doing his blog anymore, that he is packing it in on that front, but realistically, that is the part of him that is actually still entertaining. He should just hang’em up and walk right into the broadcast booth, because I have a feeling that he would bring some of what Charles Barkley has brought to TNT broadcasts: some entertainment with good insight and no filter.
Speaking of filters or lack thereof, we saw another game slide through the Raptors’ fingers. Okay, it’s not like the Raptors had the Wizards come back and steal this one from them, but we did see Caron Butler (again, one of my favourite guys) come through with a clutch shot after nearly breaking Shawn Marion’s ankles. When you’re breaking down Shawn Marion like that, you have just done something special.
I don’t think Bargs is completely healthy based on what we saw last night. He looked a little slow and definitely uncomfortable and at this point in the season with the Raptors’ record being what it is, just shut him down and call it a season. What’s the point of sending the guy out there to further injure himself when there really isn’t anything to play for? When you have something like a foot, knee, or any joint that is injured, don’t risk it, especially when you are a big man. The Raptors are going to need Bargs to play a big role in the next few years and it would be stupid to set that back by any degree at this point in his career.
I like the way this kid Blatche plays on Washington. He has a little bit of grit to him. Sometimes he seems a little careless with the ball, but he’s not in there to be handling it. He’s in there to grab some boards, get some putbacks and put a few people on their backs. He’s a young guy and has a lot of good years in front of him and if he can either get on a team that has a little more upside than the Wiz or help turn the Wiz into something a little stronger, he should have a decent career in front of him.
The thing about last night’s game is the Wizards are one of the few teams in the league who the Raptors should be beating. The Wizards have been hampered by injuries the past few years, but they had 18 wins going into this game for a reason. They don’t play very well as a cohesive unit and it shows. There is no chemistry on this team and the lack of aggression on most nights is glaring.
Speaking of chemistry (lots of segues here, eh?), the Raptors might have to look at blowing a few things up, starting with Chris Bosh. Now, readers of RF might know that I am a Chris Bosh fan. I think he has worked hard on the parts of his game that weren’t as strong as others (his D, his ability to attack, his toughness) to the point where he has made significant progress and he is almost a complete all-round player. I also think that at this point, he is starting to look at his future and things he wants to accomplish in the league. Based on what he has seen this year, I don’t know if there would be a strong argument for hanging around after next season. I don’t really want to get into all of this talk about 2010, but this time around, whether the Raptors plan on trying to keep Bosh or trying to trade him, I just hope they have more of a plan than before when high profile players were on their way out. It didn’t really seem like there was a lot of planning that went into the Vince deal and somehow the Raptors let T-Mac walk for nothing. No matter what the Raptors do, they are going to have to figure out what they want to do with Bosh and how they are going to shape the team.
Linkage for Apr 10 8pm to Apr 13 7am - Raptors Republic on April 13th, 2009
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