Paul Jones

Paul Jones is the voice of the Raptors on the FAN 590 and writes regularly for Sportsnet.ca.

Hedo Turkoglu wasn't happy with his first season in Toronto.

It's a time for some serious reflection in Toronto as the Raptors had their end of season locker cleanout day much earlier than they expected.

Another season without the playoffs, this one is a bit tougher for Toronto fans to handle since they were holding a playoff spot from the time they defeated the New Jersey Nets on Dec. 18 to climb to 12-17 and grab the eighth seed in the East. They had one of the playoff dance cards for the next 50 games until Sunday night when they were defeated at home by the Chicago Bulls and suddenly, 'Poof!' -- they were on the outside looking in, again. If the eighth spot was the finish line, they pulled a Gail Devers and stumbled at the last hurdle allowing Chicago to pass them and claim the prize.

But some could see it coming as the Raptors’ inconsistent play that plagued them at the start of the season returned for the final 27 games when they finished with a 9-18 record. The team that played so well in the middle of the season was gone. Why? It was a lack of execution on the defensive end of the floor that was the undoing.

You can bet defence will be a focus next year, perhaps even at the expense of offensive efficiency. And with the possibility that Chris Bosh may not be around, Andrea Bargnani was told that he had to get better at his knowledge of help-side defence.

So as the players and head coach met the media Thursday, many of them took accountability for the team's narrow-miss in making the playoffs.

Hedo Turkoglu was straightforward when he said, "I'm not happy with the way I played or the way I performed. I know I disappointed a lot of people especially, the fans after they watched me many years."

Turkoglu discussed the expectations that came with his huge deal last summer and apologized for not living up to what was anticipated.

It was a difficult year for Turkoglu as he could never establish consistency and when he seemed to be on the cusp of regular success, a barrier stopped him. Head coach Jay Triano admitted that if they could do it all over again, he would have started things differently with Turkoglu right from beginning of the preseason. And with Turkoglu playing in the world championships this summer in his homeland of Turkey, Triano says things will be different next year come training camp.

"In hindsight we wouldn't do that again," said Triano in reference to Turkoglu being given some extra time to recuperate following a trip to the NBA Finals last June and a summer playing for his national team to help them qualify for the world championships this year. "And will it happen next year after the world championships? No, and we've discussed that with him already."

Triano also did some self-reflection and said that he needs to trust his assistants more with some of the X's and O's of the game and strategy which would enable him to get to know his players better. Tactics and strategy are only one part of NBA coaching. Most of all, it says here that coaching at the NBA level is about managing people and Triano has vowed to do a better job of that next year. Laugh if you want at Phil Jackson's Zen teachings, locker room meditation and dissemination of books on long road trips, but the words of veteran Lakers guard Derek Fisher resonate when he talks about Jackson learning what makes you tick and know how to get to you.

Allow me to digress a bit here. Over the last few weeks of the season, I've had the opportunity to discuss with many head coaches and assistant coaches how you motivate a millionaire player. The consensus seems to be a two-pronged answer. Initially, you need to have them understand that you are trying to make them and ultimately the team better. Secondly, in trying to improve the individual and the team, people need to be held accountable. How you stress that accountability takes on different forms. Some coaches use playing time, some use practice sessions and others say the best way to prove your point is the use of game video, both positive and negative. On the player’s side, he's got to have an inner drive and want to get better.

I had the good fortune of being allowed to sit in a video session between an assistant coach and a player when we were on the road in the second last week of the season. I watched carefully as the coach used video clips to reinforce the positive and negative -- both offensively and defensively -- to the player. And yes there was balance as the coach praised the player and then asked the player when they reviewed a particularly bad turnover, "what was happening there?" When the player responded with "Teammate 'X' was upset that he didn't get the ball on the last play and said something to me and I was just trying to get him the ball." The coach's retort was, "Who cares! Now you've turned the ball over, hurt our team and you got me mad at you. Forget him, do what's right for the team." After a slight head nod of acknowledgement, the point had been understood. Score one for accountability.

The Bosh saga and my thoughts will be covered at a later date after we hear from Bryan Colangelo next week. The president and general manager is scheduled to talk to the media at noon on Monday.

In all Bosh says he's undecided about where he will play next season and being a strong willed person, he says that if he knew, he would tell people so they would stop bugging him. If he says he's undecided, then I believe him. Maybe all that chatter around "I don't know what I'm going to do" is like a parent’s code when they tell a kid maybe but the answer will eventually be no. Who knows, but it will be an impact decision for the franchise one way or the other.

The one thing we do know is it looks like it will be amicable and mutual as Bosh says that he and Colangelo will continue to talk.

----------

The ballots were due on Thursday and I certainly sent mine in. Take umbrage if you please but here is how I voted:

MVP: LeBron James, Kevin Durrant, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade

Coach of the Year: Scott Brooks, Mike Woodson, Scott Skiles

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Andrew Bogut