It doesn’t get easier
Winless Raptors now face LeBron James as Cavs pay a visit Toronto youngsters getting an NBA education, Rose says
Jalen Rose didn’t even wait for the question to be finished. The colourful Raptor was asked yesterday whether it’s hard to go to other arenas and see guys he’s played with. Before the reporter could finish, Rose jumped in: “ And they hug you and they act like they’re coming to your funeral?”
It’s only three games into the NBA season, but the dark humour is already firmly established at the Air Canada Centre. The team played decently in an opening night loss to the Wizards. But they were shoddy against the Nets at home on Friday and even worse against Detroit in Michigan Saturday, leading to some grumbling that it could get worse as a tough early schedule ( they’ve got Cleveland and LeBron James at the ACC tonight) plays itself out.
There have been suggestions — some from inside the team — that some of the younger players haven’t displayed the energy one would expect from kids. But Rose said effort and energy are two different things.
“ When you’re young, you don’t understand sometimes the effort it takes to be competitive in this league,” he said.
“ We have a multitude of guys who haven’t played a lot of seasons and a lot of minutes in this league and in this league sometimes you have to learn to work during a game.
“ I don’t think it ( the team’s 0- 3 record) is because guys aren’t willing to bring it,” Rose added.
“ You win in the NBA with know-how and experience and you win with having chemistry where guys know what each other’s thinking before they do it . . .” Rose said he’s not about to wade into the debate over whether the team needs another big man.
“ At the end of the day the guys that get rebounds are the big guys. All of the good teams, they have good big men.” The Raptors, on the other hand, have centre Rafael Araujo.
Araujo has played 18 minutes in three games and has six fouls, two points and three rebounds but is expected to start again tonight. Coach Sam Mitchell yesterday said he expects the same starting lineup tonight as the Raptors had on Saturday, meaning Araujo at centre and Joey Graham still at small forward. He said the team will activate forward Eric Williams, and put point guard Alvin Williams on the inactive list. Mitchell said he wants to protect Williams’ knees from being hurt. The fine play of backup point man Jose Calderon also was a factor. Asked what went wrong after the opening game against Washington, Mitchell replied, “Game two, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson. Game three, the Detroit Pistons.”
Mitchell said some of it, of course, is the Raptors’ fault. But then he sighed.
“ You have to understand, some of our guys have never seen anything like Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd, and then you throw in two 7- footers ( for the Nets). Then you walk out of there and you run against ( the Pistons).”