Know who I feel good for?

Jim LaBumbard. One of the best in the business, he’s been in the NBA forever – in Minnesota for a long stretch before eons here – and he’s never worked a 50-win season.

That’s a whole lot of losses and whole lot of misery and 50 may not actually mean anything tangible but it does mean a little something so good for him.

And now to our stuff.

-

THREE POINTERS

-

Handling different things

I don’t think the Hawks were absolute best defensively for most of the night, they seemed a half-step slow reacting and didn’t try an awful lot of different things.

But they did try to junk it up a bit a few times and the Raptors did what they had to in order to combat it.

A couple of times – notably late in the second quarter – they sent a double-team at DeRozan in the mid-post and a couple of times – notably in the fourth quarter – they double-teamed Valanciunas in the post.

I don’t have the complete results for what happened by it strikes me they did quite well handling it and that’s got to give them confidence. I know teams don’t like to scramble games too much in the playoffs and straight double-teams are a gamble because they get defenders running hither and yon but I would suspect that’s the kind of look the Raptors are going to see with some frequency, especially if Kyle Lowry’s shooting remains suspect.

-

Speaking of …

Lowry had a tough shooting night – 4-for-19 although he did knock down a couple of threes – and even though he had an impact on the game with his 11 assists and seven free throws in eight tries, that’s a disconcerting number.

And, yes, he should have played, no need to take a night off, there are plenty of rest days ahead. The last thing you want is him sitting down for a few days because that’s all it takes to get out of rhythm and they can’t afford it. Maybe one more game off, maybe two but he needs to keep playing.

The odd thing was the compression sleeve he wore for about 3 1/2 quarters before finally ditching because, well, because he said it didn’t work and it’s hard to argue with him.

“Yeah, it’s really annoying. Even I got hit with the sleeve on and it still didn’t protect it and I said (eff) it and took it off. At the end of the day, I’ll find a way and be all right. I’m going to go out there and do what I need to do to help my teammates.”

What he can do to help is just what he did last night, run stuff, get everything organized and give them the grit he’s going to need.

The only issue is that teams may now consistently go under screens to clog the paint and give him 20-footers. The Hawks did it a few times, I know more teams will if his shooting struggles continue but he can’t get sucked into taking those shots; he’s got to attack and kick or move the ball.

-

Encouraging words but …

It’s all well and good that DeMarre Carroll is back around the club – I know lots of people were happy to see him just sitting on the bench during the game – and it was good, if predictable, to tell us before the game that he’s going to “ramp up” his work with an eye to getting back for a couple of regular season games.

But …

There really was nothing in his little session to suggest the flareup that set him back during his rehab isn’t going to happen again. I know he’s feeling more confident about dealing with the swelling after having seen “several” doctors in the last couple of weeks but if it occurs again, who knows what the reality will be.

Look, I’m sure he can help for a few minutes some night here and there when the playoffs get underway but, really, if there’s anyone counting on a major contribution I think they’re barking up the wrong tree.

And I wonder if it doesn’t just become some sort of weird distraction when they can least afford it.

I know we were all kept in the dark about it, it seems the players were, too.

This, from Lowry:

“Now we’re in the clarity and we all know what’s going on so we know what to expect. I think it’s just one of those things where now it’s no guessing games. It is what it is.”

It has not been a moment in which the franchise has covered itself in glory.

-

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

More?

Couple of little things because we’re getting to the usual length already on a long-winded Three Pointers night.

-

Heard something about a show here last night by this group and I’m definitely a fan.

So …

-

Mail. Need lots. And since this week has somehow totally gotten away from me and it’s already Thursday, we need to put a rush on it.

I’m doing Memphis but not San Antonio on the trip so there’s some idle time; get yourselves to askdoug@thestar.ca and give me something to fill that time with.

-

B.B. King’s and Blues City Café and a stop at the Rum Boogie Café and, yeah, I’m kinda looking forward to a night in Memphis, now that you mention it.

-

I’m not saying one had to do with the other but I bet it did a little bit and when I saw that Charlie Kissi was named coach of the year at Brock after guiding the men’s basketball team to a very good year, it made me harken back to this piece and where he might have gotten a little help for his journey.

Not a bad story, eh?

As I’ve said often, the rise in the level of basketball right across the country has come as the level of coaching has risen; the coaching program at Canada Basketball is top notch, the Raptors heavily involved in clinics whenever they can be. Having someone coach the coaches was for the longest time missing from the game’s development across Canada.

That’s no longer the case.

-

Yeah, wish I was headed to Montreal this weekend to see some baseball, I bet it’ll be a rollicking good time.

And, hopefully, another sign that the only logical progression for the game is to put a team back there.

Just find the will to build a stadium, please. That’s the obvious first step.

-