Okay. I meant to start rolling this out yesterday but then Sam did or did not go golfing and that kind of sucked up my time, except for the half hour after lunch I pecked away at curing cancer. As mentioned earlier, a nice batch of comments and emails and I'm going to do my best to get to all of them over the next few days. Just a question: I'm happy to get emails but obviously it's hard to get into a back-and-forth all the time, why do some folks prefer email and some prefer comments and some do a little of both? Call it market research. Anyway on the first annual post-season post-mortem/off-season catch-all. There is no rhyme of reason to any of this, so hang on. We'll start with the most important question first. And remember: this is not a mailbag (TM) Hey Michael, Just a quick question...Are the Raptors the only NBA team with their own "gang sign" (a la Jose after a three)? Thanks, Nolan Kerr

I think Nolan is referring to the gesture Paul Pierce made to Al Horford the other day, which is kind of close to Jose's symbol after a made three, but apparently also close to the signals associated with various gangs.

Well Nolan, I think the safe answer is Jose's symbol is not meant as a gang sign, unless maybe it's the European Union Crew. You do them wrong and they might hit you with a tariff when you're not looking.

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Michael, We all know what Bargnani will be up to this summer to improve his game, but what can we expect from the other key players in terms of areas of focus? Would you agree with any of the following: 1. Calderon and Kapono improving their defense 2. Bosh working in the weight room 3. Moon improving ball handling (and hence attacking the rim)

Does the coaching staff suggest (and enforce?) various improvements for the players to work on in the summer? Also, do you know of any of the veteran player's summer routines and how they differ from the younger player's workouts?

This insight is greatly appreciated, thanks. Shawn.

Some good questions here Shawn. My answers, in order:

1. The scary thing about Kapono anyway is that he is already a good defender …for him. If you noticed against Orlando, Kapono was perhaps the most dedicated Raptor at rotating over and trying to interfere with Dwight Howard as he barrelled down the lane in various pick-and-roll situations. He also fouled early and often to send Superman to the line. But you may also have noticed that whenever they had a chance Orlando would create an isolation on Kapono every time he was caught covering Turkoglo or Lewis for the simple fact that he can't contain those guys. It's not that he doesn't care, he is physically unable to hold down elite twos and threes at the NBA level. He can defend in a system, but not in isolation. Calderon isn't quite as limited, not even close, but remember he's guarding the quickest point guards in the world. He thrives at the other end because he's a brilliant decision maker and good shooter who makes defense pay whatever approach they take with him. But he does give up some foot speed and I think it shows against a smaller, quicker guard. One of the reasons Calderon always started behind Ford before the injury is Ford would regularly blow Calderon away in practice. That didn't make him a better player over all, but illustrates that Calderon will always likely have his struggles against the smaller, quicker club of NBA points.

2. Bosh's strength of lack of it is over-sold. Having watched him work out from a distance and seen his body develop over the past five years I think the gains remaining to be made are pretty minimal. He's much stronger than he was (though I can't quantify that) and probably strong enough. Some guys will always be able to push him around, but they're pushing other guys around too. He makes them pay in other ways. His key is to find ways to train that make him more injury resistant and that probably has to do with body alignment and balance and things like that rather than simply strength.

3. Sorry, I don't see Moon becoming that kind of player. He's very slight and finishes poorly under contact and doesn't really seem to enjoy it, which I think you have to if you're going to be that player. Rather than worrying about trying to get all the way to rim I think some improvements to his catch-and-shoot skills from three combined with a really strong two-dribble pull up game would increase his scoring chances and consistency.

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4. Yes, the coaching staff does suggest an off-season improvement plan, but are limited in enforcing it, though coaches and strenght and conditioning staff try to visit each player over the course of the summer. In Moon's case his contract ins't guaranteed for next season, so he's got plenty of motivation and I do expect to see a reasonable improvement from him

5. It varies player to player, but my sense is that the veterans who stay in the league and improve learn how to build their game up in the off-season and find that balance between rest and improving. Training is a skill like anything else, and there's no doubt that you can get more efficient about it the more you do it. I do know that a lot of agents have basketball trainers on staff, basically, to work with their clients in the off-season. A lot of young players get exposed to that process in preparation for the draft and maintain those habits from the start, so it's not like young guys are clueless. As the summer progresses players will visit various hot-spots - Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago - to work out and play pick up with other NBA and college players. Sometimes they'll train and do skill work in the morning and play in the late afternoon.

Boots here. Not much has been said in the media about why BC clings to Bargnani as "the one", as though Bryan is Morpheus and Andrea is Neo. He believes it, even though everyone around seems filled with doubt.

I think the reason (and this has hardly been covered) is the Caliper test, which I'm sure you're familiar with. There's this story on ESPN, back in Feb of 2007:

"Teammate Anthony Parker cuts through all the psycho-babble. He says, "He's absolutely fearless. Why? I think he was just born with it." Bargnani himself brushes off talk of his extraordinary self-confidence. "I'm just a normal person," he says. But the trait is real, measurable, in fact.

"For years, NBA teams have used the Caliper Profile to evaluate potential draft picks. The Caliper is a personality profile used by numerous corporations and organizations to measure one's capacity to excel in specific situations. Over the past 24 years, Caliper has assessed more than 20,000 athletes, including NBA players from Detroit, San Antonio, Denver and Phoenix. Colangelo has long been sold on the system. When he heard how Bargnani measured up, he nearly dropped the phone.

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"They said his upside and potential were off the charts," Colangelo says from the tunnel of the Air Canada Centre as Bargnani drains a three against the Cavaliers. "They said, 'Out of all the athletes we've profiled, we've never seen anything like this.'

"The test showed that Bargnani is virtually oblivious to what others think of him. And his tremendous ability to block out such potentially negative pressures enables him to focus completely on the task at hand. So the expectations and anxieties that come with being the No.1 pick, or the only Italian-born player in the league, or even taking a game-winning shot, don't even register with him.

Then, there's this from Dr Greenberg, the founder of the Caliper Test:

That's the kind of thing we're very, very proud of. We did some … I wouldn't say "arm twisting," because they liked him, but they knew they'd get a lot of criticism for drafting him. I can tell you right now: He will be one of the top eight or ten centers in NBA history."

So...could that be it? Is that why I, and others, are still holding out hope that Bargnani will grow into a special player? When you read things like that, you have to hit the brakes on any trade sentiment towards Bargnani this summer, his poor play this year be damned.

I'm hoping to hear your thoughts on it. And for you to tell me I'm not delusional in thinking we can nab Josh Howard in a larger (possibly 3-way deal with Sac) for TJ Ford.

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Thanks for all the good work this year

Boots

Boots! Thanks for the great item, and remember, the failings of the FDFA all-star were entirely the fault of my management team. They know that and have paid a steep price.

Yes, I remember the article. Chris Broussard wrote it. We're fairly friendly from his days covering the Knicks for the New York Times and we talked a fair bit about Bargnani when he was in Toronto working on the story, which I thought was really good.

And yes, the caliper angle is interesting, but it's not really holding up right now, is it? Far from being able to tunnel through the doubts and expectations, Bargnani seems to have really had his confidence shaken and it's affected his play and is reflected in his shooting, which has been generally awful. This, of course, affects his confidence, and the cycle continues. Trade Bargnani? The only reason I'd say no is because his value could hardly be lower.

As much as I've gone cold on the guy I can still see him becoming a pretty good player, maybe even a really good one. But barring injuries I can't see him becoming the best player in the 2006 draft. And he will not become one of the best 10 centres in NBA history. No way.

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Michael,

Have enjoyed your columns immensely over the year, so a big thank you from this Raptors' fan. Thank goodness for the Internet, because it's not easy to get proper coverage of any Toronto sports team here in Denver, where I live.

I note your comments today in relation to Jack McCallum's analysis of D'Antoni, Mitchell, Toronto, etc. Agree that NY or Chicago might not be the best fit for him, but to my way of thinking, the guy who might make the best fit for Toronto is Avery Johnson.

The team needs to toughen up defensively and stop falling in love with perimeter ball. I think Johnson could improve them here. And although I don't blame Mitchell completely for the relatively disappointing season (disappointing in part because of last year's unexpected success), the fact that the same mistakes were made over and over again throughout the year does reflect on the coaching to some extent, as does Bargnani's regression.

And even though he's got issues, I wonder whether Colangelo shouldn't make a pitch for a guy like Ron Artest, who would bring a degree of meanness and defensive toughness currently so lacking. True, he has issues, but didn't Charles Oakley? To me it is more than coincidental that their best year (and Vince Carter's best performances came) when they had a guy like Oak, who would slap people into gear when they kept making dumb mistakes. And he wasn't the easiest guy in many respects, so you can't always get a choirboy!

Anyway, hope it proves to be an interesting offseason for you.

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All the best, Marshall Auerback

Ah Denver. I remember it well. I spent nearly three days in the airport there the season before last. Good times.

1. Avery Johnson? Hmmmm. Just watching him flex his jaw muscles gives me a tension headache. I see where you're coming from, but I'm not feeling it.

2. No Artest because he'd be expensive and he's crazy. Nothing against crazy people. And if Artest was so good, why have his teams been so bad? The exception being the brawl team in Indiana, and how did that work out?

3. Oakley was crazy like a fox. Artest is a whole different category.

Here's my two cents worth: Thanks for your reality-based coverage of the Raptors. As I grew evermore weary of the apparent naïveté of the broadcasters (maybe that's just their job), with each passing disappointing performance, your insightful columns ("post-mortems") became the only refuge.

I have a great deal of respect for your honesty and for your ability to get to the heart of the matter. It must put in jeopardy your relationship with your "subjects", or at least those of the fragile ego. But this just makes your reporting of the truth that much more admirable.

So thanks again Michael.

Best regards, John

What a nice note! Not really a question in there, but a few points and maybe a story. As far as the broadcasters go, the guys who do the Raptors games on Radio and TV are really knowledgeable about the game and the team. I have learned a lot from them, just talking hoops, over the years. Do they have strong opinions and insights? Definitely, but they obviously have a different responsibility than writers; criticizing them for not raking one aspect of the team or another is kind of misplaced, I've always thought. I'm glad to be perceived as providing 'reality-based' coverage; it's kind the goal.

The only time it ever caused a problem was at one point this season I made the point on a blog item that Darrick Martin's usefulness in the NBA had come to an end; no offence to Martin -- and I made a point of giving him his propers for making it 13 years in the league, which is an amazing accomplishment -- but he looked to be a step or two slow, even in a very limited role.

I've kind of been resisting this because it's so obvious and a bit unpleasant, but Darrick Martin's time in the NBA, generally borrowed in the first place, is just about up.

I'm not really supposed to say these things, but I like D-Mart. And I definitely respect him. He is a man of routines, which is the foundation of any successful professional. On days when he's got a chance of playing, like last night when Ford was out and on the many more days when he's got no chance, he does the same thing. He's at the arena early and among the very first on the court, often bringing a developing young player with him. He does some skipping to warm-up and then gets into a solo shooting routine. Then he's out there for some group work and stays long after to encourage other guys. He's always in the same mood, always upbeat. Everyone likes him and he seems to like everybody. I subscribe to the theory that he adds something to the team even if he never takes to the court.

But the problem is when he takes to the court, I don't think he can hold his own the way he has in the past. He did buy some minutes for Calderon and ran the team decently enough last night, but that was a high point so far this season. His perimeter shooting is suspect, but it doesn't stop him from shooting, and when he penetrates he's as likely to get the ball sent back to centre as to score. He's had an amazing run for a guy with his athletic talent, but if the Raptors get in a situation where Ford or Calderon are out for an extended period, the drop-off to Martin is too steep for a team with a deep playoff run on their minds. This was December. Flash forward to February and the Raptors are in New York and Martin comes off the bench and plays some pretty good minutes and the Raptors win. I'm in the tiny visitors locker room after the game and D-Mart has his back to me and says to Hump in the is loud stage whisper: "That's the guy who said I was all washed up."

I can barely remember what he was talking about, but I find the passage and read it and figure that must be it. He'd just been sitting on it for a month until he had a chance to rub it in my face, I guess. We talked about it the next day and D-Mart pointed out that his assist to turnover ration was 18-1 or something. Actually not or something. Exactly: he had 18 assists on the season and one turnover. I could only nod. I'll say this: confidence has never been an obstacle to Darrick Martin reaching his potential.

Otherwise no real problems. For all the heat T.J. has taken he alwasy stands up and talks and never makes it personal. He'll tell you why you're wrong, but he leaves it at that, which I respect.

There's more where this came from. I'll catch up on Monday. Enjoy the weekend.