Friday, April 6

Joey Graham , Back In Business . Again Or For Good ?

Toronto F/G Joey Graham continues to baffle a lot of Raptors fans and NBA watchers around the league. When Joey G. first came into the league as a rookie from Oklahoma State , coach Sam Mitchell groomed him as a defensive stopper/ scorer in the mold of the Suns' Rajah Bell and the Spurs' Bruce Bowen . Joey G. started as a member of the Raptors starting 5 ahead of fellow rookies Jose Calderon and Charlie Villanueva , now of the Bucks. His talent was so tantalizing that Boston coach Doc Rivers singled him out as one the promising rookies during a pre season game between the Celtics and the the Raptors. Why not ? Joey got the defensive mentality, scoring abilty and the BIG body. Something that Bell and Bowen do not have . Bewhen will Joey G. reach full his potential ? Why is Joey not a star yet ? In some games, Joey even finds himself warming the bench ! There is one constant answer as to why that is . Joey is consistently inconsistent ! One game , Joey works inside the paint like Karl Malone. The next game he' rather be inside the locker room... painting. One day , he plays tough 'D' , the next day , he's as soft as Lady Di. One day he dunks like Vince Carter - half man , half amazing . Next game , he plays like Vince Carter - half man . Period. Joey is a complete player if he remains consistent.
With the recent sidelining of Andrea Bargnani due to appedectomy, Sam turned to Joey G. So far , Joey is delivering . Not relief goods via single engine plane that he flies during off season but delivering great stats. In the last 4 games , Joey G. is averaging in double figures in points . Last Wednesday , Joey displayed a hidden talent-the ability to shoot and make 3 point shots. He made 75% (3 of 4) in the 3 pt. area leading to 19 points and a Raptors victory over the Magic. I think Joey is really back in business. Not again but for good. All he has to do is play well all the time . Otherwise , Joey must hope those Italians have multiple appendices !

6 Comments:

Blogger john said...

LOL.Like Vince-half mam.period.Graham with his big body can be one big defensive stopper.

4:57 PM  
Blogger arsenalist said...

Joey really needs to polish up his outside game for him to become a constant on this team. He's aggressive enough going to the rim but what makes him inconsistent is when defenses lay of him and he's forced to shoot. Sometimes he makes them pay but most of the time he doesn't. Lately he's been making the jumper and it's helped the Raps out. He's due for a bad game now.

2:34 AM  
Blogger RaptorsTalk.com said...

i agree arsenalist. i hope he has turned the corner, but i have no read on this guy. he has the tools, it is a matter of motivation. he is still a kid, so that needs to be taken into account.

2:58 PM  
Blogger The Redeemer said...

coach!!!!!, i seriously prefer Joey Graham than "point my leg towards Hong Kong" Garbajosa, and why isn't Mo Pete getting minutes??

6:43 AM  
Blogger RaptorsTalk.com said...

man...i would never take graham over garbo. garbo gives you consistency, which is a key element in developing a good program. joey graham is too up and down for my tastes...thats just me though.

3:05 PM  
Blogger coach said...

Jory delivered again last night vs. the Bulls w/ 19 points and 9 rebounds.He seems to have gained extra confidence now.
Garbo 'though provides the Raps something else. I wrote when the season started that Garbo is Chrles Oakley without the wayward bedind the back pass.
As to Mo , B.C. has a tough decision to make this summer . But if Petterson delivers this post reg season , he's still a Raptor !

5:45 PM  

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