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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

TJ Ford: Stayin On Point.

Raptors nation has been lately been up in arms, over the the point guard tandem of TJ Ford and Jose Calderon. Since Raptors fans need something to bitch and complain about the debate has been raised on who should start and who shouldn't start. Unfortunately, due to the injuries to TJ Ford, Jose has now become the starting PG for the Toronto Raptors.

Before TJ was injured in that game against Dallas earlier this year. He was arguably the MVP of the Raps so far. Only dude who was bringing it night in, night out, while Bosh and Bargs were battling injuries and 1-11 shooting nights. He was playing a more controlled pace compared to last year and was shooting almost 50%. TJ brings alot more than just scoring and distribution of the basketball, he brings an edge, an intensity. His Swag is Phenomenal... when his jumper is falling, TJ Ford plays like the top tier point gaurds, even though he is still only 23 and ranked #6 behind the usual suspects(Nash, Parker, etc.) for Efficiency.

TJ haters like to point out that he plays a bit reckless, takes ill-advised shots and is not a pass first PG. Also that when TJ scores big we lose. These people would prefer Jose Calderon as the starter of our team. While I like Jose, he could definitely be a starter on the bottom half of the teams in the league, he's nowhere on TJ's level.

While TJ's decision making is improving by leaps and bounds, he shouldn't be described as reckless. TJ plays a little more reckless or "dynamic" when compared to Jose. TJ's the only player who can consistently get to wherever they want to get on the court using a combination of his quickness and dribble. He causes havoc for teams who run set defenses especially when breaking them down off the bounce and kicking to our open shooters. While Jose runs a mean pick and roll, he can't get those open lay-ups that he was getting last year. Teams read the scouting report and don't let him turn the corner which means he has to shoot or swing it around. This leads to our offense becoming stagnant if jumpers aren't falling.

TJ's ability to find the open man is underrated. People like to point out Assist-to-Turnover ratio as a basis of the TJ-Jose debate. I say thats a useless stat because the top tier point guards in the league have a high # of turnovers, Steve Nash averages 3.2 per game. D-Mart is currently leading the league with a 12-1 ratio and we all know how great of a PG D-Mart is. Jose has a respectable 5.83 Asst/TO ratio. Jose's stats have been inflated due to the fact he plays against other team's benches but more importantly because he plays a safer game. When I say safer game I mean, he will not try to go to the lane for a foul mostly because the officials don't respect him but because he chooses to make the safe pass... to Bosh on a pick and roll. Our fast break points have been fully minimized when Jose's out there due to his lack of playing the passing lanes on defense but also due to the fact that if we do have a fast break he just pulls it back an waits for the rest of the team so we can set up the pick and roll. This is all great and dandy but we run a PREDICTABLE Offense. The scouting report on us would be don't go under the pick and close out on all shooters. We would be left shooting contested jumpshots all night, rather than having a free flowing offense looking for the open man. When it comes to the playoffs and you're playing the same team atleast 4 times in a row, you think they'd figure out your plan on offense when all you run is pick and roll and no one can beat you off the bounce? TJ's dynamic play keeps defenses on their heels, constantly having them to adjust rotate or be wary where the open shooters are because TJ will find them. The Raptors do not have any other player who can create their own shot. Without TJ attacking the defense the Raptors are a jumpshooting team, and a team that lives by the shot, dies by the shot as well.

People like to mention that TJ takes ill-advised shots. I like to think, good for him that he has the confidence to take that shot whenever the defence gives it to him. TJ's intensity and confidence on the court instantly make our team better. He's afraid of no one, has the intensity and edge to get through a playoff series. On a soft team like the Raptors, he is the only player on our team who's consistently brings it. As much as I like Bosh, he admitted he was shook in last year's playoff series but what player was bringing it night in an night out no matter what, thats right TJ Ford. As shown last year when he won that game against the clippers at the buzzer or with that game winning assist to Bargnani for the win in Portland the following night. Even after the injuries, TJ still has the confidence that he can make the shot when the game comes down to the wire. That my friends is called Balls, he's the most clutch player on the team, hands down.

People like to say that "we need a pass first point guard, we have enough scorers". While I agree to that in theory. In theory, communism works. The top PGs in the League can and will drop 20 points a night if needed, if other players are not getting the job done. TJ does a good job at recognizing when our players aren't playing well and takes teh shots himself to keep us in the ball game. Our players are all shooters and if the jumpshot isnt falling, it usually does a number on their confidence. To average 8-10 assists is excellent for a young point guard, averaging over 10+ assists doesn't equal victories (unless you're Steve Nash, but even he's surrounded by slashers and cutters) . As a PG you have to be able to score to keep the defenses honest, and keep them on their heels. The reason TJ scores so much when we lose is because everyone else just starts tossing up bricks, TJ decides to add a bit more scoring himself. When TJ is scoring between 15-20 and dishing 8-10, we are that 47 win team which won the Atlantic Division title.

Get well soon TJ!