<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>WATERLOO, Ont. (CP) - T.J. Ford might be the smallest guy in the gym, but that's nothing new. The Toronto Raptors point guard, whose listed height of six feet is a bit of a stretch, says growing up in Houston he always played against older, bigger kids. That's how he developed the drive, he believes, to overcome obstacles such as the serious back injury that could easily have ended his career. "When I was seven years old, I was playing with the 10-year-olds," Ford said on Day 3 of Raptors training camp Thursday. "I always want to be considered the best and play the best, that's the competitive spirit that I have." Besides, size is irrelevant when you're as fast as Ford - think small, sleek and supercharged like a Formula 1 car. "He opens things up, he's so quick," said Raptors veteran Morris Peterson. "I haven't seen a point guard so quick, the only other guy I can think of is a guy like (Philadelphia 76ers guard) Allen Iverson." Asked if there's anyone in the league faster, Ford replied: "I don't think so." GM Bryan Colangelo traded popular forward Charlie Villanueva to the Milwaukee Bucks for the 23-year-old Ford in the off-season. It was a move that drew some groans from Raptors fans but was made with an aim to implement a run-'n-gun style, much like Colangelo's old team, the Phoenix Suns. It's no coincidence that Ford's style resembles that of Suns guard, and reigning league MVP, Canadian Steve Nash. "Even though (Ford) is slight of build, you used to be able to hand-check a guy and control him - now, you can't do that," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "I think Steve Nash was the one of the first guys to figure out, 'Hey, I'd better get lighter and quicker. Because they can't put their hands on me now.' And T.J. - he's just so quick and so fast." Surprisingly, Ford shows no ill effects of the spinal cord injury he suffered as a rookie that cost him a season and a half. Ford was upended in a collision with Minnesota's Mark Madsen in a game on Feb. 24, 2004, crashing hard onto his tailbone. He had surgery on his spine but eventually battled back to the NBA. In his first game back on Nov. 1, 2005, he finished one rebound shy of a triple double with 16 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds. Since then, he says he plays every game as if it's his last. Ford played two seasons with the Texas Longhorns before joining the NBA, becoming the first freshman in NCAA history to lead the collegiate league in assists. He earned the 2003 Naismith Award as collegiate player of the year after leading the Longhorns to their first Final Four appearance since 1947. The school retired his No. 11 jersey, making him only the fourth Texas athlete to earn such an honour, joining football players Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams, and baseball's Roger Clemens. The Bucks drafted Ford with the No. 8 pick in 2003, four picks after Toronto took Chris Bosh. The two, both Texas natives, have been friends ever since draft night, and now joining forces in Toronto they could become a lethal duo on the court. "He can really pass the ball and he's pretty explosive," Bosh said of Ford. "He changes the dynamic because he's going to make it easier for guys to step into shots, take wide-open 15-footers and wide-open threes." Ford compared his role in Toronto to Nash's in Phoenix - his job is to make his teammates better. He's a pass-first point guard, estimating that he's probably taken less than 20 shots total so far in training camp. "My ultimate goal is to run the team, I'm not a selfish person, I'm not a person who's playing on stats, playing on numbers, but the ultimate goal is wins and losses . . . and have way more wins than losses," Ford said. The new Raptors guard believes he can definitely make Bosh better, saying the fourth-year forward earned all-star status last season virtually on his own. "He is the ultimate focal point," Ford said. "Chris was an all-star, and he basically did that one-on-one, isolated himself. If I can get him eight to 10 points on easy baskets and he doesn't have to work as hard, he's better off." The Raptors players say with the crafty Ford running the show, fans can expect a fast-paced, free-flowing game. "T.J. is a very fast player, he can find guys open," Peterson said. "I've been watching him all his career, ever since he was at Texas, and the thing I admire about him is he's a true point guard, he finds guys in the right spots." At practice Wednesday night, with Ford setting the pace, Mitchell ran a three-man fast-break drill, the aim being to score as many baskets as possible in five minutes. "It's been good, (Ford) has been getting up and down the court making guys run," Peterson said. "I think at the end of the day, having him on this team has been a real positive for us." If there's a negative, it's Ford's contract status. He's in the third year of his rookie contract and eligible for an extension, and the Raptors could negotiate an extension between now and the Oct. 31 start of the season. But the guard isn't sweating it. "I've been through ups and downs so a contract is not anything that's on my mind, because if I come out and do the things I'm supposed to do, I'll be rewarded," Ford said. "It's not something I'm really worried about, it's not going to dictate how I play or my mindset in training camp."</div>Its a good read. I hope he can influence Bosh's scoring alot more than Mike James did. Bosh wont have to score on iso's as much,a nd he should get more fast break dunks. Hopefully his scoring guys up to 24-25 ppg.
I'm sure that he will give some needed support that the team needs offensively, but that isnt really their problem. The team has to show some real defense if they want to be a for real team.Good read btw.
Fred Jones, Mo Pete, and Rasho will provide the defense. And Chris Bosh already said that he really wants to improve his defense. We'll see how he does at defense.
Yeah, I just want to see it before I change my veiws on how they play.. hopefully they back up what they say
Man I am so happy Mike James is gone. I never liked how he played. He is sucha cocky player. He thinks he can take anyone. Looks to shoot 1st and it cost the Raptors a few games last year. Now that Ford is in, look for Bosh to put up more shots and ask for the ball more often because he knows he will get it from Ford. Nice article.
I like T.J. Ford a lot, he's a good passer and sets a good tempo but he's an overrated playmaker. CB4, how many damn times do I need to tell you that Radoslav Nesterovic is not a good defensive player, at best he's average. He's just a big body that can hit the jumper.
Rasho reminds me of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. They have so much in common. They are both European. They both are over 7 feet. They both can shoot for big guys. They are both overrated defenders. They just played a lot a like.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ Oct 8 2006, 09:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I like T.J. Ford a lot, he's a good passer and sets a good tempo but he's an overrated playmaker. CB4, how many damn times do I need to tell you that Radoslav Nesterovic is not a good defensive player, at best he's average. He's just a big body that can hit the jumper.</div>Average is atleast better than Rafael Araujo and Pape Sow. He is a decent defender from what Ive heard from Spurs fans.
Even if Rasho is a better defender than Araujo and Sow, how does that make him a good defender? 1st of all Hoffa is a horrible defender and he always gets in foul trouble. Same goes with Sow. I can name 30 better defenders than Rasho in the NBA.
You dont get it, do you?I was hinting at the fact that Rasho will be a BIG improvement over the guys we had defending at center last year. And according to Ballerman, Rasho is a decent defender.
