Op-Ed: Toronto Raptors Spanked by Utah in Jay Triano's Debut

It was great to see the Raptors respond to the firing of their head coach Sam Mitchell. Instead of getting hammered by 39 points like they did on Tuesday night, the Raptors lost to Utah by only 27. That, my friends, is what I like to call progress.

Jay Triano, welcome to hell. Click here to read Yahoo's game recap from last night. I wonder if Bryan Colangelo still thinks this is the most talented Raptors squad he's ever put together. He can't possibly believe that anymore. I mean, I've convinced myself of some crazy stuff over the years, but let's forget contending. It's looking more and more like this Raptors team is going to have to fight for its life just to qualify for the playoffs. Much like Tuesday's debacle, last night was no contest. The Jazz shot 52% from the field and dominated the boards, outrebounding the Raptors 52-38. I caught the game on radio. If I had a nickel for every time I heard "Calderon gets beat," I'm pretty sure I'd have enough coin for a pint or two of Cameron's over at The Bow and Arrow. It was another pathetic defensive performance by the Raps on a night when I figured they would come out with, at the very least, some intensity, heart and desire. You know, all that intangible B/S. But, nope, the Raptors couldn't be bothered. Utah scored 66 of their points in the paint, for Christ's sake. Jazz forward Paul Millsap, in 33 minutes on the floor, had as many offensive rebounds as the entire Raptors team: three. And your guess as to who this Millsap fellow is is probably as good as mine. After yesterday's performance, I guess we can all rest assured knowing that what ailed the 2008/2009 Toronto Raptors was clearly Sam Mitchell manning the sidelines.