Roko Ukic was trying to hold court. Jamario Moon felt the need to interject.
Ukic, the Raptors’ reserve point guard, was reflecting on his virtuoso 22-point evening that propelled the Raptors to an unlikely 91-89 victory over one of the league’s elite teams, the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre. His performance included a game-winning running jumper [Pete's note: I thought it was a "floater."] with just 20 seconds remaining.
Moon was screaming over his teammate’s thoughts.
“Roko, tell them you live for it,” Moon hollered.
The sizzling line: 30 mins., 22 pts on 9-13 shooting (69.2%), 2 treys, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, +14.
Haht.
More from Koreen:
But nothing was more impressive than the game-winning runner. Still trailing by a point with just 21 seconds remaining, Ukic, with no passing lanes available, drove at Spurs all-star guard Tony Parker and hit a floater [Pete's note: Aha!] over all-star Tim Duncan.
And from our Roko, our rock star:
I really like those situations when I have got the ball on top [of the key], and I just need to score. I feel pretty comfortable in that situation much more than, for example, shooting the free throws in the end or something like that. I really like live play and trying to make something happen. I didn’t feel much pressure. I just took him to the basket because I saw nobody was helping and the lane was pretty much open.
What did you think, Coach Jay?
When he gets into the game, we like to put him in the screen-roll situation because he’s good at getting to the basket and he’s good at making other guys play him. When San Antonio started to switch, he started to attack the bigger guys and he was pretty effective.
Your Spurs just didn’t show up, right, Coach Pop?
The Raptors won the game, not because we were down or came off of Boston or anything else. We busted our asses tonight and down the stretch they hit about two or three [three-pointers.] They earned the victory so it has nothing to do with us not being ready. Give them credit.
I’m sure Pop meant “give him credit.”
Need more evidence that Roko’s a rock star? Here are a couple photos of Roko in his trademark Mick Jagger pose (thanks, Mookie):
UPDATE: Oops! Missed this nice quote from The Sun:
When noted jokester Jason Kapono stopped by to add his own pat on the back he did so with the parting shot, “Just don’t forget to pack my bags.”
Ukic, not missing a beat, replied “No. Tonight you pack mine.”
Empire Theatres, the NBA and Cinedigm will team up to broadcast coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night in Live 3D at Empire Theatres’ Empress Walk location in North York, Ontario, Canada.
Here’s some David Stern-inflating background:
The NBA has been a sports pioneer in live 3D HD. The league featured the first live sports event in 3D HD with special viewing parties for NBA All-Star 2007. For Game 2 of The Finals in 2007, at the direction of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA delivered the first public viewing of a live sporting event in 3D HD when more than 14,000 fans in the Quicken Loans Arena watched the Cavaliers take on the San Antonio Spurs on four 60-foot screens. Last season, the Dallas Mavericks produced and delivered the first live 3D HD sporting event to a motion picture theatre at the Landmark Theater in Dallas to 500 fans.
Sadly, the Raptors have only one participant this year, Jason Kapono, in the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout. No doubt he’ll win, but not likely is it the most exciting event in 3D.
Of course, we Moonies are looking forward to the Sprite Slam Dunk contest. I’ll go out on a limb and say Dwight “Superman” Howard will repeat as champ.
Oh yeah, the essential part: Tickets are $23 each and are on sale now. Click here to buy tickets.
Pete Marasmitch is all about protecting the interests of Roko Ukic. With Jermaine O’Neal proving healthy and the Miami trade still on the front burner, it would be wise to find out what kind of player Marcus Banks is — become equipped to destroy him as we did Will Solomon, if you will. Therefore, I tapped into the blogosphere and created
THE ULTIMATE MARCUS BANKS SCOUTING REPORT
Note: I’ve made bold any expressions that summarize Banks’ ability (or lack thereof).
The basics:
Full name: Arthur Lemarcus Banks III
Position: Guard
6’2″, 200 lbs.
Born: November 19, 1981
Let’s start with the professional opinion of John Hollinger:
Banks is incredibly fast, especially going to his right, and his blazing speed makes him a real threat in transition. In the half-court, though, his games lacks refinement — too often he dribbles into trouble, and he lacks the court vision to find the open man. Banks had also been an erratic shooter until last season.
Defensively, Banks is strong and quick and excels at pressuring the ball, but he can overdo it at times and pick up cheap fouls in the backcourt. He cut his foul rate last season but it was still the sixth-highest among point guards at 4.65 per 40 minutes.
2008-09 outlook: … the best role for Banks would be as a combo guard off the bench, where his failings as a distributor would be less glaring.
Banks, in his Celtics days. Trust me. (via Celtics.com)
Marcus Banks is an extremely undersized shooting guard, and the fact that he prefers to score at the rim is either a statement as to his intelligence or his stubborn nature. Since he left Boston before I acquired credentialed access to the Celtics locker room, I will never know which. His tendency to drive at the rim with reckless abandon would not be so bad if he had any inclination to kick the pass out to the corner, which he does not. He has limited range on his jumper and most marginal point guards in the league do not survive with poor perimeter shooting. His luck runs out with his contract in ’10-’11 and he’ll head overseas.
When forced to mention Banks’ positive qualities I would say that he is physically quick, a halfway decent on-ball defender and a bit of a gambler in the passing lanes.
If he couldn’t find a way to succeed in Phoenix then he’s not likely to do so anywhere else. The offense under D’Antoni was about as close to ideal for his game as he can expect to get during his professional career. Remember, Phoenix signed him to a low mid-level deal and shipped their first-round pick that year to Boston, Rajon Rondo… Uh oh, Snap, Ouch!
Ah yes, the Suns, and the mid-level deal that doesn’t end soon enough — $4,260,000 (’08-’09) / $4,553,793 (’09-’10) / $4,847,586 (’10-’11). But before Banks ended up in Phoenix, he was packaged off to Minnesota (second half of 2005-06 season). Wasn’t he better there, Wyn (Canis Hoopus)?
He played 40 games and averaged 31 minutes for the Wolves after being traded from Boston to Minny. The biggest thing I recall is that McHale talked about what big part of the trade Banks was, that he really wanted him. So much so that he agreed to put the 1st rounder in that trade.
I think the fact that Banks’ strengths and weaknesses today are the same as they were coming into the league is the very reason that he’s struggling now. I’d say speed and defense are his strengths (they were when he played in Minny), but shooting and the ability to run an offense were his weaknesses. But, again, I think those have been true for him his entire career.
He was able to put up 12/3/4.7 with 1.2 steals on 48% shooting, but I think it’s clear now that he was playing toward free agency. Once the Suns gave him a 5-year deal, he went right back to mental lapses and sloppy play.
I will say that a motivated Banks was fun to watch that half of the year. He wasn’t asked to do much on a team with KG, Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Trenton Hassell, Rashad McCants, etc., and he made some exciting breakaway plays with his speed. But even at the time, no one in Minnesota was upset that the Wolves let Banks take Phoenix’s deal without offering a better one.
Contract Year Power!!! (via DeRok.net)
Contract year — didn’t think of that. Sure worked out for him. What did you see, College Wolf (TWolves Blog)?
My first response would be to say, I remember him scoring a bunch of points in a handful of games, but other than that he was largely unspectacular. To be fair, I think the reason his best statistical season was with the Wolves can be attributed to playing alongside Kevin Garnett. If you take some time to look at the roster of playoff teams in the Wolves history, you’ll see that they are largely KG and filler. What I am getting at is that KG can (and does) make everyone around him better. So that would be my guess as to why it might look like Banks did well during his short time in Minnesota.
To go a bit more in-depth, his strengths were that he was strong and had great quickness, particularly when taking the ball to the hoop. If I remember correctly, he was somewhere between an “average at best” and “horrific” jump shooter. I remember cringing whenever he would shoot, and especially when he’d hoist up three-point bricks. However, myself and other fans did like the way that he would take the ball to the rack on occasion, resulting in a pretty lay-up, or more often, foul shots. So he did have that going for him. He was capable of making some great passes and setting up teammates, but he was largely inconsistent in that facet. Banks would be prone to turning the ball over with much more frequency than you’d see a spectacular pass.
I can’t say that he was a great point guard by any means, and I think his floor vision was probably average at best. I don’t remember him being a leader on the court by any means, so that doesn’t bode well either. Other weaknesses were that he was not a good defender, although he had the quickness and size. I just don’t think he “got it” on the defensive end. He was tantalizing in that regard, because he had all the tools to be a good defender, but just couldn’t put it together into a complete package. I already spoke of his poor shooting from anywhere that wasn’t a lay-up, and if I remember correctly there were a lot of issues regarding his attitude and character when he came on board with the Wolves. I don’t think his reputation served him well on our squad, nor has it probably since then. Thank God the Suns signed him away from us.
When Marcus Banks was playing with the Suns he showed some very promising skills in his games. Potentially he looked like the long-term solution to the backup PG question the Suns had, and still have, of course.
He was good in the open court, a decent outside shooter. Don’t forget he was scoring over 12 points a game, with almost 5 assists with the Wolves the year before. He was even a solid one-on-one defender. He was perceived to be an upcoming player, perfect to give the Suns 20 minutes every night.
What happened in Phoenix? Tough to tell, maybe the big contract took some of the fire out of him, but I believe he got lost in D’Antoni’s game. The Suns’ game was built around Nash’s unique skills. What seemed chaos was indeed the most perfect
organized system in the game, but it required first of all a bright basketball mind and the ability to understand plays developing before they happened … it’s not easy to build an offensive play in less than 7 seconds, it means you have to think faster than the defense.
Add the fact that D’Antoni never showed the needed patience to develop young players. Amaré was the only rookie to play significant minutes for Mike in his 4 years in Phoenix.
Marcus was overrated, that’s for sure, but I think he could still be a much better player than he’s showing. I think he could be a 20 minute, 10 point, 4 assists back up PG if put in the right situation. He’s still relatively young and should be able to regain his focus. Maybe he could use a year or two in Europe…
Here are the poll results from: Who would you rather have at SF? – a selection of small forwards from the 2009 free agent crop for your Toronto Raptors. (Thanks for all the votes.) I’ve also added their ’08/’09 salaries, just for the heck of it, and some analysis.
Hedo Turkoglu (25%) – $6,864,200; player’s option for ’09-’10
Ron Artest (22%) – $7,400,000 expiring
Shawn Marion (17%) – $17,810,000 expiring
Lamar Odom (16%) – $14,148,596 expiring
Al Harrington (5%) – $9,226,250; player’s option for ’09-’10
Marvin Williams (5%) – $5,636,142; restricted free agent
The Raptors need an athletic defender and/or a scorer who can create his own shot. Hedo, as talented as he is, is neither. And let me get out my giant paintbrush and say that Al Harrington, Marvin Williams and Walter Herrmann fall into that category, too. Feel free to correct me in the comments.
Ron Artest is the defender type we need. However, he’s also crazy – we want Chris Bosh to stay, remember? No, thanks.
I’d like to see Shawn Marion return to Suns form with the Raptors – a Phoenix-like resurrection, if you will. Athletic, defends like mad, and will benefit offensively from Jose’s passes. He likely won’t see a big payday in Toronto (where might he?), but he may have the best fit here, and hopefully not the temper-tantrum kind.
Finally, Matt Barnes. I haven’t seen him play much, so have to rely on this pre-Suns scouting report:
When he isn’t spotting up for 3s, Barnes basically plays as an energy guy who can come in at either forward spot. Though he’s dramatically undersized for power forward at 6-7, 235 pounds, he’s very tough and manages to hold his own on the glass. His problem is size mismatches in the post, which is why he tends to play in the frontcourt only in small-ball lineups; that was every day in Golden State, but is likely to be less often with his new employers.
Barnes handles the ball very well for his size and can be used as a point forward. He’ll get out of control on drives to the basket at times and doesn’t have the strength to post up or muscle his way to the hoop off the dribble, which is why he’s mostly used as a spot-up shooter.
2008-09 Outlook: Barnes signed a one-year deal with Phoenix for the veteran’s minimum — a solid value signing by the Suns. Even if Barnes’ shot doesn’t recover, he’s good enough in the other phases of the game to be a reasonably good backup for 10 to 15 minutes a night, and if the shooting stroke bounces back he could prove even more valuable. He may not have a major role on opening night, but given Grant Hill’s injury history, there’s a chance he’ll be a fairly vital player by the end of the season.
While useful, Barnes doesn’t sound like the starter we’re looking for.
So that leaves us – if we had to choose from free agents – with Marion. Let’s say we can get the Jermaine O’Neal trade done. (“We can get the Jermaine O’Neal trade done.”) And let’s say Marion in Toronto works and we re-sign him in the summer. (“Marion in Toronto works and we re-sign him in the summer.”) The roster becomes:
C: Bargnani, Jawai PF: Bosh, Humphries, Graham SF: Marion, Kapono SG: Parker PG: Calderon, Marcus Banks, ‘Pištolj’ Roko Leni Uki?
Let’s say Parker will re-sign for $5 mil’, and Marion for $18 mil’. (“Parker will re-sign for…” ah, forget it.) That means the grand total for ’09-’10 player salaries is – pull out the ol’ calculator – $73,020,689.
In our continuing-but-irregular series of intimate and interactive chats, Pete Marasmitch welcomes Brendan K. O’Grady of 2nd Round Reach. Aside from being a fantasy guru, Brendan also happens to be a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Raptors’ executioner opponent tomorrow.
Pete: Brendan! How goes? Brendan: Heya. Goes pretty well, considering it’s Monday. Pete: And considering the status of your founder, Andrew Bynum? Brendan: Indeed. Mookie talked me off the ledge but… jeez… Pete: How bad is it, anyway? Brendan: Still not sure. It looks like a fracture rather a sprain. Don’t know why I said that BUT There’s still no definitive word after seeing the specialist in NY, which strikes me as bad. I’d guess Kidrew is out at least a month. [Pete's note: Latest report says at least eight weeks.] Pete: They often blame swelling, don’t they, for the late word? Brendan: It’s the indeterminate factor I suppose. But if the x-rays are negative, why can’t you help a fantasy owner out, you know? I’ll make it. Pete: Who takes Bynum’s place in the meantime? Brendan: It ain’t Chris Mihm, I’ll tell you that. I think Lamar Odom is the obvious pick, with extra minutes for the bench corp (and Trevor Ariza in particular). How this might disrupt Odom’s play when he returns to the bench nobody’s sure. Pete: Hey, speaking of Odom, Brendan: As we are… (nice segue)
Pete: Any talk of him being traded, to beef up for the playoffs? Brendan: Honestly, nothing more serious than any other rumor we’ve heard for the last few years. With Shawn Marion clearly on the market and a more proven commodity, I’d be surprised if we saw anybody trade for Odom. People think he’s overpaid. Pete: But his contract is expiring… Brendan: True. I wrote something down about this… See, I have a suspicion that no contract worth more than $8 million is getting dealt this year. Last season’s big deals were about a glut of highly competitive teams trying for the push over the top and into the finals. This year’s contenders are pretty solid as they are, but everybody else would only be negotiating position for the free-agent feeding frenzy to come, and all the biggest players in that world seem pretty poised already. Pete: Ugh. Bad news for Raps fans. Brendan: How much is left on Jermaine O’Neal’s deal? Pete: $23 mil in 2010. Brendan: Ouch. I take it back. Bryan Colangelo will try to make something happen there. Pete: I sure hope so. Brendan: Not sure if they’ll pick up an expiring deal to re-sign a player though. It’s not like players are busting the door down to play up north. (No offense, my father is a canuck.) Pete: You do have a point. Winning attracts. Brendan: And the Raps are going the wrong way on that elevator. How nervous are you that Chris Bosh leaves? Pete: Not really. Brendan: One more season, right? Pete: Yes. The big 2010. [Technically, he's got a player option for the 2010-11 season. Thanks, Carolyn.] Brendan: He’s got to like making franchise money there, anyway. I’ll tell you a secret. Pete: Okay! Brendan: He was my pick as the bird-man in my banner. I’ve always thought that Bosh looks like a raptor, like a bird of prey. I’ll tell anybody who listens that I think he looks birdlike. Pete: Or ostrich-like? Brendan: SURE! Facial features, thin limbs. He’s, like, two evolutionary steps from defunct patagia. Pete: Hahaha.
The Boshtrich ain’t happy lately.
Brendan: Not that I dislike Bosh, though I’ve always thought him an overrated fantasy player. Unless you’re playing roto, he’s a second rounder for sure (at best). Pete: Agreed, but he does have the drive to improve, and he has improved over the years. Brendan: Absolutely. I kind of like him in real life. But you said it, winning is all. And he might be devalued a tiny bit by 2010. Lebron + Bosh = rings. All I’m sayin’… Pete: You believe the rumors – Bosh and LeBron (and Wade?) in New York?
Brendan: Nah, not really. It’d be terrible for the league, too. As much as we all think talent has been diluted by expansion, the spread of wealth keeps each team profitable. Pete: Good point. But it would be fun to see the New Big Three. Brendan: Oh, absolutely, but they’d also be the ONLY thing anybody ever talked about, and that would get old. As long as they ain’t Celtics, I’m cool. (there’s no angry-face emoticon) Pete: (Sure there is!) x-( Brendan: Haha. I’m internets-lazy, apparently. Pete: Hey, I wanna talk to you about a particular player. Brendan: Bargs, right? Pete: No… Brendan: Ah… hit me. Pete: Check out the poll. See who’s the top pick for Raps SF. Brendan: Ahhh. I thought that was interesting. Marion vs. Hedo. Pete: Hedo won. Who-da thunk? Brendan: That’s the big debate. I’ve been pretty adamant that Marion needs a pass-first PG, and I think he’s the obvious choice for Colangelo’s Suns-North ideal. Plus I’m not sure (from what little I’ve seen) that the Raptors’ problem is ball movement. I’m a little convinced that Turkoglu’s value has been meshing with the system in Orlando, and (sorry Jermaine) O’Neal just isn’t Dwight Howard. I’m thinking it’s more likely that Marion has a resurgence with fewer expectations (and probably less money) in the new setting than Hedo fits and pushes you guys over the top.
Pete: So you think Marion’s not breaking down? Still something left in the tank? Brendan: I think he’s DEFINITELY got some great game left, but he – more than ANYBODY on those Suns teams – thrives under pace and with a PG feeding him on the break. Plus I think Turkoglu’s a little flukey. Pete: I know – he’s on my fantasy team for the second year in a row. Brendan: Oooohhh. I warned ya. One of my few correct calls this season. Pete: And I agree, Raps need a Marion-type more than a Hedo-type. What about your Lakers? Offseason, that is. Brendan: I like this team. I do. I think they might actually benefit from losing Odom, as horrible as that sounds. He’s been a warrior for us, playing hurt in the playoffs. And I’m not nearly as hard on him as a lot of folks, but he’s just not being maximized by any stretch of the imagination. I’m not fully convinced of our ability to score off the bench. Jordan Farmar is nobody’s Pistol Pete. But as constructed, I think they’re a title contender for years, obviously. It just means more minutes for the starters. I’m very content, ultimately. (And, incidentally, the Ariza-for-Cook trade was the beginnings of Mitch Kupchak’s emergence as a good GM!) Pete: And once Odom’s gone, do you guys have much cap space? Brendan: Not really. Haha. He’s got a sizeable contract, but we’re pretty well over the cap. Not a big 2010 destination for anybody. Pete: And Bynum’s contract starts? Brendan: That seems to be the plan. Would you go to war with Bynum/Kobe/Pau as your core? Pete: It seems to work, no? Brendan: Absolutely. I was up and down on Bynum – I honestly was – but you don’t score 40 points by accident, you know? He could be a legit offensive presence someday, and maybe rather soon. Pete: You know, I was thinking: Hedo would work in LA. Brendan: HE WOULD! But he’ll command around $10 mil this year, and we don’t NEED him. He’s not the best wing defender, and our intermittent/lazy D is our achilles heel. But that’s a triangle player right there. Pete: True. That’s what I thought. But his so-so D … another reason why he’s not good for the Raps. Brendan: Honestly, we have an embarrassment of riches. And Marion is forgotten as a tenacious defender. He was the ONLY actually defender on those Suns teams. He can guard 4 positions, etc. You don’t lose that in your early 30s.
The Matrix can still defend like old times. (from Basketbawful)
Pete: That’s why I want him! Brendan: As well you should! Pete: Just scared by his health. Brendan: Yeeeah. But again, your options are slightly limited. And he’s nowhere near the risk you took in acquiring JO. I think it’s a fit, but a trade would have happened by now if it’s gonna. I’m thinking the FA price of Marion is around $13 mil. Somebody’ll give him that, maybe a little less. And that’s a paycut. Pete: Would Matrix be too proud? Go to Europe? Brendan: Probably not. He’s got the NBA bonafides, and somebody will pay him, probably the Raps if they can make the cap work. I like your GM. I do. Pete: Me too! Brendan: Hang in there, Toronto. (Maybe the best Raps blog name: Mediocre Forever.) Pete: I thought the best was Pete Marasmitch. Brendan: OMG! I am SO SORRY Master Pete! Look what I’ve gone and said. Seriously though, “Smitch’s Smash” is great. If only you had the Smitch… Pete: He’s now hanging out at the Atlanta Hawks games. Brendan: Is he? Pete: Apparently. Brendan: Is Mike Woodson on the outs? Pete: Smitch – whatta vulture. Seriously, I dunno. Brendan: I can’t see them firing Woodson after sticking by him and them becoming a playoff team. I wouldn’t mind him in Memphis though… Pete: Hey, one more thing before we leave the fire. Brendan: Sure. Pete: How goes the Chinese Magic Johnson? My countryman? The Monkey King? Brendan: He prefers “The Monkey King”! Pete: Snap! Brendan: Sun Yue’s a fan favorite. A Chinese victory cigar. I don’t see anybody that deep on the depth chart in LA making a name there. But from what I’ve seen, he wears warmups VERY well. Pete: Haha. But he hasn’t been cut (yet), so that’s positive for him. Brendan: Sure. I guess he’s got some talent. And remember, Sasha Vujacic was a practice player for a few years, so maybe that contract is coming after all. Pete: The Machine, The Monkey King, and Kobe. LA has it all. Brendan: Best buddy-cop movie ever? “The Machine, The Monkey King, and Kobe” I’d shell out nine bucks, ’cause I sure can’t afford Lakers tix.
Looks more like a crime drama to me. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
Pete: Kobe has to feed his family. Brendan: Hehe. Rick Fox is crying to himself somewhere becaus he thinks we could be serious, and that Kobe could get cast in something. Pete: I could see that. MJ got to work with Toons, why not Kobe? Brendan: In this economy, why not? Mother of all career reinventions… Eagle, CO to a new Looney Toons flick. I honestly shudder at the possibility. For all the world, really. Pete: On that note… Brendan: On that thoroughly depressing note… Pete: Thanks for sitting down by the fire with me. Brendan: Hey, it was honestly my pleasure. I love Pete Marasmitch! (Was that the line we agreed to?) Just kidding! Thanks a ton. I’d love to do it again. Pete: Great! By the way, what does the “K” stand for? Brendan: “Kelly.” My lineage is apparently of Irish cop characters from old Hollywood movies. I am “Brendan Kelly O’Grady.” Try not to do a borderline-offensive accent on it. Pete: I can’t help it now! Brendan: Ha! Nobody can. Thanks, Jeff.
