shoot the rock

It has been hard to write about my beloved Barneys, with the lofty preseason expectations seemingly already dashed against the rocks. The losing skid has reached six in a row, and with a tough matchup against the Cavs coming on Wednesday, it could easily be seven. What am I saying, it could easily be twenty, this is the Raptors after all, the team who last year set the bar for early season futility. My roommate Aaron said last night: “I don’t care, tank the season already, get a lottery pick for next year”. It’s a little early for that, but I see his point, as cynical as it may be. At this rate they aren’t going to make the playoffs, and even if they do they aren’t getting out of the first round. Maybe this is the type of logic that the Kansas City Royals employ on an annual basis, I don’t know.

Boozer and Millsap simply manhandled the Raps down low last night. All the while I am screaming at my TV: “Sam! Where the hell is PJ Tucker?” PJ would have matched up perfectly with Millsap, they are about the same size and build with a gritty attitude and a nose for the ball. WHERE WAS HE? Rooted on the bench, that’s where. I don’t know where Kris Humphries was, either. I know he’s been banged up the last few days but he’s not on the injury report. Cuzzy, get back to me on the whereabouts of Humphries, please. Instead we got to see Millsap dismantle Fred Jones (too small) and Garbajosa (too slow). Speaking of Garbajosa, I am not warming up to this guy at all. Sure, he’s had a few decent shooting games recently, but I still see this guy as a stiff who can’t really guard anyone. He seems to love giving the opposition three point plays, I think its his favorite play in basketball and he just likes to see it. Let’s look at the numbers: 37% from the field, 21% from 3, 69% from the line. I don’t care where you come from, that just stinks. It’s not like he’s seeing a lot of different pressure or looks from the defense, either. Every shot I see this guy take is wide, wide open. Last night’s loss hurt especially considering my preseason disdain for the Jazz chances of success this year. This brings me to what I hope can be a regular feature of my Cuzzy posts:

S**t I was wrong about:

The Jazz – When Cuzzy predicted the Jazz would win the Northwest division, honestly – I scoffed. Who’s going to score on this team, I asked, Dee Brown? What can Brown do for you? (I’m hilarious) It turns out, they didn’t need much from him, as Boozer, Okur, and Deron Williams have proven to be more than enough firepower in the absence of Andrei Kirilenko who, along with Ron Artest, is the only player in the league who can probably defend anyone in the league at virtually any position. The Jazz are the best team in the NBA (9-1), and I have a big piece of humble pie stuck in my gullet.

 

S**t I was right about:

Monta Ellis and The Warriors – They have been another surprise (to most people, anyway) in the west. They currently sit at 7-4, with impressive wins over Dallas and Detroit. Ellis has scored 31 in two straight games, and looks like an early 6th man candidate (that is, if he doesn’t crack the starting five soon).

 

I’m going to the game on Wednesday, so I’ll let you know what his majesty looks like up close. I love what Calderon has been doing, and I like Ford’s energy though I still find his shot selection questionable at times. It is hurting the Raptors and my fantasy team. Rasho just doesn’t fit with this team, he should be making sausages in a Slovenian meat market somewhere. The Jazz essentially handed them the game last night, I have never seen so many unforced turnovers from a Jerry Sloan team, I thought he was going to have a coronary. As we say in Toronto, the Raptors always manage to find a way to lose, they never let you down.

please leave comments for J-Rock and he will get back to you 

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