Good morning all, some tidbits to digest

You know what I hope?
I hope Chicago hires a coach really soon so I can read all the “trade T.J. to the Bulls” e-mails.

The New York ones are getting downright boring, and quite repetitive.

Just because Mike D’Antoni goes to the Knicks, everyone starts thinking how much he’d love to have T.J. Ford on his roster because he plays fast.

Here’s something to think about: Maybe Mike D’Antoni’s smart enough to adapt to his players, rather than get Donnie Walsh to ship everyone out and try to mirror the Suns.

Maybe he can coach another style, one that fits the likes of Nate Robinson (who is almost as fast at T.J. by the way) and Jamal Crawford and even the slovenly big men on the roster.

Just because many of you think it makes sense doesn’t mean it does.

Me? I think the Knicks are looking at 2010 as the time they make their big move, when they have cap room and some of those slugs are gone. I don’t know that they necessarily would want T.J. Ford. Or anyone from this Toronto team.

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This is why I love David Stern.

The whole idea of pyrotechnics is so over the top in some arenas, it’s ridiculous.

In Detroit, you can feel the heat from the flames 10 rows back; here in Toronto it’s not nearly as bad but there’s still too much. Watching the dudes having to come out and sweep the debris off the floor sure gets the fans pumped up.

I, like Stern, could be accused of “maniacal rantings of a fan from a different era” but sometimes with age comes wisdom and I’m sure we can do away with half the crap that tries to “enhance the entertainment” aspect of a night at the arena.

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Here’s one from a very light mailbag (hint, hint. And no over-the-top trade stuff, please):

Q: Two quick questions:
1) If the Raptors are able to address their wing player deficiencies through free agency or a trade and are able to keep their draft pick, do they look for a big man in the draft? With Rasho potentially on the trading block, the frontline would become quite thin without another big man (Quick note: Andrea had a similar rebounding average as Nate Robinson this season).
2) Boston has Tom Thibodeau as their defensive specialist coach, who's the defensive guru in Toronto?
Jacob M, Edmonton

A: I think that’s exactly why they’ll be looking at a big in the draft. It’s far easier to acquire a swingman with a trade or a free-agent signing, and even if Rasho isn’t dealt, he’s only got one year left on his contract and they’ll have to worry about the long-term future of the position. Of course, if they deal for a big in a trade, or figure they can get on in free agency, their thinking might change.

The Raptors don’t have a “defensive” guru and before you go all Fire Sam on me, realize that seven of the eight teams still playing today don’t really have one either. Most staffs are collaborative efforts when it comes to instilling defensive schemes – they figure out what style best suits their players and then drill it into them over the course of the season.

Thibodeau, who is recognizable mostly because of his manic sideline behaviour, is an exception rather than a rule.

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I’m stealing this from Doug G over in the comments section:

"I want to be a starter and to be in a team that aspires for everything. Of course, I will not be on a team in which I cannot be an important contributor nor if there is not a solid structure or if there are not options to be in the Playoffs.”

Doug. do you think Jose was taking a swipe at MLSE or BC with the comment about structure and being in the playoffs? If not, what do you think he was talking about?

Thanks

I’m not sure if you’re trying to read something nefarious into this but don’t.

I know Jose pretty well and he wants to start and contribute on a team that’s going to win. He’s not going to solicit offers from bad teams with no hope, he’s not going to put money ahead of on-court success, which is exactly what he’s been saying to us for about 18 months.

It’s not a swipe at anyone.

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Depending on what they are able to go with the glut of swingmen they already have, one free agent on the market who’ll interest the Raptors, I’m sure, is New Jersey’s Bostjan Nachbar.

Now, I’m not saying he’ll be here and he wont’ be unless they can move one of Moon, Parker, Kapono and Delfino leaves but they had some interest around the trade deadline in February and I’m sure it’ll be rekindled in July.

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Did you watch Boston-Cleveland last night?

Couple things struck me as the Celtics went to 0-5 on the road in the playoffs:
One: They don’t really have a guy who can create his own shot (sound familiar). Paul Pierce is the closest but if he’s got to get past LeBron James to do it, it isn’t going to happen. Ray Allen’s a catch and shoot guy; Kevin Garnett’s got great post moves but isn’t going to break anyone down and the Cavs think so little of Rajon Rondo they hardly guard him.

Two: The one thing that made the Celtics stand out over the course of the regular season was their night in, night out intensity, thanks very much to the presence of Garnett. In the playoffs, that’s not a big advantage because everyone brings it every night.

I still think the Celtics can win this series, likely in seven games, and I still think they can win the East but maybe whoever comes out of the West can get ‘em in the final.

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You guys and gals don’t know Lacy Banks at all, I’m sure. He was a long-time beat grunt who covered the Bulls in their heyday and when they sucked. But now he’s writing different stuff and I think you might like to read it.

Catching up from the weekend

Finally, some juice to the post-season. If we can get a Cleveland win tonight – and the way the Celtics play on the road that’s a distinct possibility – the end of the week might be very, very cool.

Looks like you had a quiet weekend, too. Only a couple of comments and very little mail. Hope it was just a nice weekend blip and you haven’t gone on to other things.

But before we get into the weekend, some Raptor news.

Think there’s another Jamario Moon out there?

Talking to Bryan last week, he says they’re planning another of those free-agent, pre-draft camps here that yielded them Moon a year ago.

Of course, that was a bit of a find, can’t imagine there’s another one around but it will give them a chance to see a bunch of guys at one time instead of wading through a handful of scouting reports or individual workouts.

And unlike last year, when the camp was as much a make-work project for a team without a draft pick, the week leading up to the June 26 draft will be spent dealing with draft speculation and trade innuendo. You know, good days for a beat grunt.

Let’s check in with the series, okay?

Who was that guy?

I’m checking my Raptor guide, under Former Raptors, page 166 and I swear it says Lindsey Hunter shot 35 per cent from the field and 32 per cent from three-point range and played in only 29 games in 2002-03 because he was done.

Who, pray tell, was that out there for the Pistons on Saturday then?

Oh, and what in the world was Hedo Turkoglu thinking? Biggest play of the entire season and he lollygags for about three seconds before driving into traffic? Talk about your mental blips.

I guess I’d given the Magic too much credit, thinking they’d take advantage of no Billups and make it a series.

Dopey me.

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The road’s a terrible place

Simone in Toronto writes over the weekend:

Just finished watching the Cavs/Celts game and was wondering about your take on why the Celts can't seem to buy a win on the road? I'm sure a lot of people thought they would have swept the Hawks, yet it went 7 games and had it not been for home-court advantage, we could have seen an upset. Now we are in the second round and they have yet to grab that road win. Your thoughts?

I wish I had an easy answer for you, Simone.

It makes no sense that a team that defends so well at home defends so poorly (all of a sudden) on the road, like 25 points a game more poorly.

All I can surmise is that maybe the concentration wanes a bit when they don’t have the emotion a home crowd provides? Surely, it’s got something to do with the Cavs and Hawks being more comfortable at home but that can’t be the entire reason.

A combination? Yeah, think that’ll be the most logical explanation.

I will say this: Watching the Cavs absolutely ignore Rajon Rondo on offence all night on Saturday – the Boston point guard just won’t shoot a jumper it seems – means it was a 4-on-5 game and I’m taking the five all the way.

I can see this one going seven with the home team winning every game.

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A blast from the past

Zaki of Mississauga points out something very cool:

I'm sitting here watching the wonderful Lakers-Jazz series, watching Sloan and Jackson on the sidelines, and then it hits me! This is the '98 finals being repeated again. I mean, the similarities are amazing - Jackson's big 3 of Bryant, Odom, and Gasol, is akin to Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman, while Sloan's team is being lead by Williams and Boozer which is similar to the team which was lead by Stockton-Malone. Not to mention the fact that Derek Fisher is the equivalent of the crafty Ron Harper, while Korver is playing the role of Hornacek - just unreal.
In your years of reporting, have you ever seen a similarity such as this before?  I mean, what are the chances that the two coaches are leading the exact same teams 10 years later?  I love this game!

It is something, isn’t it.

Now, I can’t make the case that, as a group, Bryant, Gasol and Odom are better overall than Jordan-Pippen-Rodman, just like I can make the case that Williams and Boozer aren’t close to Stockton-Malone but it is fun to watch.

And, I’ll tell you this, if Kobe’s back doesn’t un-spasm, or whatever it is that happens when spasms go away, I can see Utah winning that series because without his explosiveness, Bryant can be guarded well enough by Kirilenko that just enough of his effectiveness will be lost.

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Who was that guy?

Oh, and while Super Son was watching Survivor (I personally would have voted for teary-eyed Amanda), I was flipping back and forth between commercials and didn’t see very much of the Spurs-Hornets non-game last night.

But in a semi-sleepy haze some time after 10 p.m., I swear I heard Marv Albert talking about Mike James being on the court.

That couldn’t be, could it?

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A question: I know those end-of-quarter interviews with coaches are supposed to add something to the broadcasts but if Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan are going to be as crusty as they have been, I’m thinking the networks are better off selling something than subjecting viewers to that.

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Hey, I guess Mike D’Antoni isn’t coming here! Oh, and he never, ever was, by the way.

But outside of 24 million reasons, I can’t think of a 24,000,000,001^st 24,000,001st reason for him to take that Knicks job.

And because so many of you think the world only revolves around the Raptors, can we snuff the T.J. Ford-to-New York talk at least until D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh sit down and really talk about their roster.

I cannot see it happening in any way, shape or form. I’d think D’Antoni would like to coach Jamal Crawford and David Lee, who seem to be the apple of all of your eyes and there is nothing else on that roster that would fit here.

Friday delivery, specially for you

Hey folks.

Well, I asked, and you answered. Or I asked and you asked, to be more correct.

Anyway, lots of good ones here and I’ve held over a few to get us through the start of next week.

Thanks for coming through, as always.

Q: I'm surprised to see you casting the Pistons aside so quickly! Especially with your man Walter there holding down the fort and getting some burn (Wednesday) night. If the Pistons don't get Chauncey back, who do you think needs to step up their game the most in the back court - Stuckey or Rip?

Amanda F, Barrie

A: Walter’s great, isn’t he? All crazy hair and weird gait and energy.

Now, for the question. Because the Pistons offence is so, um, plodding and because Billups is so good at getting the ball to the right guy at the right time, you’d think the pressure would be on his replacement if he can’t go, wouldn’t you? But I suggest it’s going to be on guys like Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince to be more creative, get their own stuff, if

Detroit’s going to hold off the Magic.

And I don’t know if they can.

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Q: Doug, as frequent viewer of NBA games I noticed something that bugs me a bit, which is players cursing out loud. I understand some of players were really into the game, but dropping S-bombs out loud and mouthing the f-word (the broadcast doesn't have audio on players) might make kids think it's acceptable to swear out loud. And one more question, how tolerant are referees when players protest/discuss against calls, especially in the playoffs. Are they more tolerant?

Kenneth L, Mississauga

A: Yes, 20-something and 30-something pro athletes curse, some of them quite frequently but I don’t see any remedy to that situation. Unfortunately.

The officials do give players a bit more latitude in the post-season, mostly because the intensity level is so much greater than in the regular season and everyone’s wound a wee bit tighter. There are still basic trigger points for technicals – stuff like throwing a head band, openly showing up a ref – but for the most part, the reigns are loosened a little bit.

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Q: Hey Doug, can we assume Garbo is going to be healthy and resume being an important piece for the Raps' next season?

Hunter B, Kentville

A: You can assume nothing. When the regular season opens in November, Garbo will have played seven NBA games in almost 19 months, expecting him to come back and be an “important piece” right away is asking a lot.

It’s not that he can’t, or won’t, it’s just that it’s going to take him some time to get back up to speed.

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Q: Watching teams like Suns and Mavs make early exits, and both looking for new coaches, do you see the landscape of the West drastically changing next year? Is there finally hope for the likes of Portland or Golden State to get back into the playoffs? I imagine there is no quick fix for the Suns lack of defence, or Dallas's lack of "onions" ... maybe rebuilding years are ahead for both? What teams if any do you see dropping out, or moving up the Western ranks next year?

Caleb H, Ottawa

A: Not drastically, no. I think it’ll be more competitive in the regular season, which may lead to fewer teams with 50-plus wins because I think the Clippers, if Brand’s back, and the Blazers, with Oden, are bound to be better and win more games.

If you’re looking for teams to take a step back, I can see Golden State dropping back a little bit and I do think Dallas will struggle more than they have.

I’ll dispute the Suns defensive issue; if they get a coach who stresses some sort of consistent theme and they actually work on it, I can see them being an average defensive team. Not good, just average. After all, the likes of Barbosa, Diaw and Bell are athletic enough that if they wanted to, they could be okay defenders.

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Q: Here's one for the mailbag. You asked the crazies to take a step back, breath deep, count to 10, and consider how their ridiculous trade idea looks from the other team's perspective, so I'd like to pick your brain as to how other teams see the Raps this off-season - some reverse-trade speculation. We're a team that had a mediocre/disappointing season amid high expectations, a quick first round exit, and it's pretty much universally acknowledged that *something* has to be done - BC can't/won't walk into next season trotting out the exact same roster. We're a team with some obvious deficiencies and clearly looking to make moves.
That said, which teams might be looking at certain Raps assets, our desire to make changes, and lick their chops? Houston is probably salivating at the thought of getting Primoz and Joey for the low low price of Yao Ming, right? .....right????????
Who would be most likely interested in who, and what would suit the Raps? Is it time to break out a list, Dougie??

Michael M, Toronto

A: If you’re a rival GM and trying to pick clean the Raptor roster – and you realize that the untouchables are Bosh, Bargnani and one of the point guards – you start by asking about a sign-and-trade with Calderon. I cannot see that happening so if you need a PG, you switch over to Ford, who has shown he can dominate a game at times.

After that, I’d think a guy like Anthony Parker would be attractive for his ability and his contrat, Rasho the same thing if you’ve got lots of money to spend, although at more than $8 million, that’s pretty steep.

Kapono would be next because he redeemed himself with a good post-season but with three more years on his team, there might be financial concerns.

That a good enough list?

The coaching carousel is slowing down

Man, some of you are bitter, angry people, aren’t you?

Take a look through some of the comments here about Swirsk and tell me how many readers-slash-writers need to be medicated.

On to the stuff:

Sounds like we’ll get some resolution to various coaching problems this week.

CHRIS O'MEARA/AP

Bad news for Mr. Big Shot.

It seems Rick Carlisle’s going to Dallas as early as tomorrow, surely Mike D’Antoni won’t leave everyone hanging and choose between the Bulls and Knicks in the next day or so and that will leave just a couple of openings.

My bet is that D’Antoni ends up in Chicago although I could be wrong, which leaves two openings at the moment: Phoenix and New York.

Which of those jobs is better?

I’d say Phoenix in a heartbeat but I haven’t heard a name linked to that gig at all. I know it’s in the West and the team’s getting old (hello, Shaq!) but it’s certainly got better pieces than the mess in New York

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I can’t imagine why a guy like Mark Jackson would want that Knicks job. The last thing a first-time coach should do is take over a team that’s awful because they get saddled with losses on the record and people get antsy about having a first-timer in charge.

Unless he gets a four-year deal at big money, it’s a big gamble because a second job is harder to get if you get fired for losing at your first one.

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A personal favourite Chuck story.

We’re in Sacramento a couple of seasons ago and Stumpy’s ex lives there with her new beau, who’s a Kings fan or something. The dude goes to the game and when we’re driving back from Sacramento to San Francisco (you never stay in Sacramento if you can avoid it), Stump’s on the phone to the ex.

She says it’s nice that he had a conversation at the game with the new boy and she’s impressed to hear that Stumpy was all dressed up.

Well, that sends off the alarms because Stumpy’s a lot of things, well dressed not being one of them.

Turns out the ex’s new boy had a long chat with Swirsk, thinking Chuck was Stumpy and Chuck played right along.

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Hey kids, the mailbag’s a little low and tomorrow’s supposed to be mail day so get some in there, would you? And can we get a wee bit more creative that “what do you think of this trade?” please. Thank you.

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Speaking of mail:

Q: I'll keep it concise. Aside from Mo Pete (who I think a lot of Raps fans are rooting for, myself included), are there any other ex-Raps left in these playoffs?  Are any making a contribution or are they buried at the end of their respective benches?
Thanks
Matt K, Toronto

A: Well, you’ve got Mike James doing nothing for the Hornets and Juan Dixon doing nothing for the Pistons. Do they count?

PS: I presume you were looking for someone more obscure than Chauncey Billups, right?

PPS: Wow, I must have been asleep answering this one this morning. How could I have forgotten The Red Rocket, Mighty Mouse and Carlos Arroyo. My bad. My very bad.

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No, I don’t think Richard Jefferson allegedly getting into a scrap in a Minneapolis bar last January makes him any less desireable to the Raptors, who will probably have him on the list of players they’d think about trading for.

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Oh oh.

Watching the Pistons last night and seeing Chauncey Billups go out with a hamstring injury put a whole new spin on that series.

Billups, a big favourite around these parts, is the guy who makes that team go and if he can’t play, I honestly don’t think the Pistons can win.

It’d be a tough finish to a good season for Mr. Big Shot. He won the citizenship award given out by the writers and broadcasters earlier this week but not being 100 per cent for a big playoff series would kill him.

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Hey, when you’re bouncing names around to fill the Swirsky void, remember this: You’re looking for a play-by-play guy, not an analyst. That’s an entirely different, and some would say more difficult, job than the one Jack and Leo do on TV and Eric Smith does on the radio.

Best possible name I’ve heard out there is Seattle’s Kevin Calabro, who would be in any discussion of best play-by-play guys in the league. He’s said he’s not going to Oklahoma City – which shows me he’s smart – but maybe Toronto’s got some more allure?

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There’s be Raptors spanning the globe, spreading their unique brand of cheer, most of the summer.

Assistant coach Jay Triano will take part in Basketball Without Borders clinics in Istanbul, Turkey in early June and director of global scouting Masai Ujuri and assistant trainer for strength and conditioning Keith D’Amelia will be in Johannesburg for clinics in September.

Basketball Without Borders is one of the very best things the league does, by the way.

Some stuff that isn't Swirsk, and some Swirsk too, of course

Holy Salami and Cheese, Batman.

Even for you crazies, this Swirsky stuff is over the top. About 80 comments yesterday, I see another 30 or so in there now I have been able to get to yet and there have to be two dozen e-mails.

I swear it’s bigger than Jose-TJ. Sorta tells you something, doesn’t it?

TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

Give us your favourite Swirsk moments in the comments section below.

Here’s my take:
A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do and if there are family considerations in play – and there are – Chuck’s gotta go.

Guess it sucks but, you know what, life goes on, for all of us.

In the decade he was here, he did a wonderful job promoting the game and the team when it was needed most. How in the world he maintained any semblance of enthusiasm through some of those wretched years is beyond me (of course, he missed the truly awful first couple of seasons).

Obviously he evoked great passion – on both sides of the aisle – and as an entertainer-slash-broadcaster, isn’t that what he’s supposed to do?

He’ll be missed by many, not missed by others but there will be broadcasts next year and someone will fill his shoes.

But, what the heck. Since I’ve got nothing better to do, let’s see if you can come up with your favourite Swirsky moment, dump ‘em in the comments section and I’ll get to ‘em a couple or three times over the next couple of days and post them.

Yes, I seem to be a glutton for punishment.

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Now, on to the big question.

Who’s next?

I presume resumes were being polished all over the GTA last night and the big shot broadcasters with agents – if there are any in this market – will have calls made on their behalf this morning.

But I also presume there is no short list for a couple of reasons.

One, the Raptors don’t have next year’s TV lineup set yet, they don’t know for certain how many games are going to be on what networks and whether those networks – like the CBC did last year – might want to explore having their own “voice.” It didn’t work for the CBC because they were so late getting their final schedule down pat but this might be an opportunity for any network to put its own stamp on its show.

And, secondly, if I know Maple Leaf Sports, this is not going to be the highest-paying gig in network television, regardless of who gets it.

So all of us who’d love to repatriate Dan Shulman or even John Saunders should come the realization that it’s not financially possible. Too bad, though. Either of those guys would be great.

Oh, and one other thing to think about when you’re hoping some big name NBA broadcaster might be interested: As much as some of you’d like to think otherwise, broadcasting Toronto Raptor games to the relatively miniscule audiences they draw is not the biggest plum in television history.

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The great man speaks. And if he’s cooking, I’m eating. The one thing few knew about Oak was that he knew his way around the kitchen like few others.

And it’s always nice to see an Oak story.

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Here’s a little exercise for you all:

Every time you make a trade proposal, walk away for five minutes, come back and look at it from the other team’s angle. Take everything into consideration, contracts, lengths of contracts being traded, players already under contract. Then see if you still think it’s realistic.

It’s nice to talk about all these deals, and very nice of you to ask me about each and everyone but, really, some of them are too far-fetched.

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You know why it’s good to have the Celtics in the playoffs playing meaningful games?

(Beside the fact it’s a great city I’d like to be in for June and the final).

Because when they show guys like John Havlicek and Jo Jo White on TV and an old dude like me starts remembering back in the day.

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Had to wade through about a kabillion Swirsky questions to get a good mailbag offering:

Q: Just a general question about trades. When does the trade deadline lift during the post-season allowing eliminated teams to make deals again? I seem to remember the Araujo-Humphries deal happening when the Finals were still going on.

Dave G, Toronto

A: The moratorium on trades is lifted at the end of the regular season but remains in effect for teams in the playoffs. But once a team’s eliminated, deals can be made, which is why Toronto and Utah pulled that one off during the Finals.

It’s rare that teams do make trades until everyone’s able to, actually.

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So Kobe’s the MVP (I’ll resist the ‘I told you so’ moment) but if there was on thing that was surprising, it was the margin of victory. I figure, just from talking to a few other voters I know, that he’d win; I also figured that Paul would be a lot closer.

But I also think we got the top four right, in order, with Bryant, Paul, KG and James.

Guess that puts the lid on most of the awards for the season, the only significant one left to come are the all-NBA teams. It’ll be interesting to see if Bosh is able to crack the top three.

I’d be surprised.

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Final mail:

Q: Everybody's talking about trading for Yao or Antawn, why? They are looking for a 20 pt.-dropping wing player.I personally really like the team they have now but if you ask me why not go for a Richard Jefferson? He wants out of the Nets and I think he would be awesome in the Raptors playing style.

Justin A, Saskatoon

A: The Antawn Jamison talk is only less slightly off the wall than any mention of Yao, can we please, please, please, please stop mentioning either of them.

And Jefferson does not want out of New Jersey in any way, shape or form. But the fact is the Nets may want to move him. Trouble is, they’ll want a wing player back and there’s really nothing on the Raptors that intrigues them I’m sure.

More on the Swirsk

Hey folks, had to get this up there now after glancing at the comments some of you have already sent.

You've all got to believe me on this, this was a family decision, pure and simple. No more money, radio's not nearly as glamorous as TV and when Chuck told me a couple of hours ago that "family has to come first" I believed him.

And you should, too.

Say what you will about him, the dude gave his heart and soul to the team, the franchise and the organization for a decade. He leaves as one of the most recognizable names and faces the Raptors have ever had.

There will be a lot of people sad to see him go.

Now, give me the rest of the night to come up with some more and we'll see you in the morning.

Right now, I've got a pile of comments to post and a newspaper story to write.

Voice of Raptors leaving for Chicago

The voice of the Raptors is going silent in Toronto.

Chuck Swirsky, whose energetic broadcasting style won him legions of fans over a decade here, is leaving to become the radio play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bulls.

"It's in the best interests of my family at this point," Swirsky said this afternoon.

A tireless promoter of the sport and the team, the veteran broadcaster will continue as an afternoon host on the The FAN590 radio station "for the foreseeable future" but will be in Chicago at the start of the next NBA season.

What do you think about Swirsky's departure? Submit your comments below.

Click here to read the full story at thestar.com.

More of the same, only different

Keep those cards and letters coming and, no, I don’t think the Raptors could put together a package to trade for Yao Ming, as someone suggested yesterday in the zany trade proposal of the day.

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The only thing that would have made last night’s Detroit timing faux pas even funnier would have been if the Atlanta crew had been on the table.

The NBA sends third-party timers to playoff games but I understand last night’s dude was from Minnesota.

In case you missed it, there was a mistake with the clock at the end of the third quarter – it started and then stopped again – that allowed Detroit’s Chauncey Billups to get off, and make, a three-pointer that should not have counted. It did, the Pistons went up by one and went on to win.

The whole thing would have been avoidable if the refs had been allowed to use replay to figure out how much time had elapsed. Even Steve Javie admitted as much to Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy but he was limited by the rules of instant replay.

You can imagine what’s going to be near the top of the agenda whenever the board of governors meets again.

It makes absolutely no sense that with the technology available that they don’t expand the use of replay. Give a coach a challenge, or allow officials to use it when there’s a clock malfunction, whatever. Just do something because this is getting ridiculous.

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Some NBA players spend the start of their off-season decompressing and relaxing. Others? Well, others do more interesting things. Like this.

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You know what I hope?

I hope Mike D’Antoni gets a new job really fast.

That would mean the inbox wouldn’t take a daily beating from the Fire Sam, Hire Mike faction out there that seems to grow exponentially every day.

Now, I like D’Antoni, he’s a good guy and his teams play a wildly entertaining brand of basketball. His teams also play defence like they are allergic to it, and his teams have had Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw and a rash of other excellent role players. His teams have been quick and athletic and big. His teams have not been the Toronto Raptors.

And if there are flaws in his style and his ability – and apparently there are if you listen to the bleatings out of Phoenix these days – what makes you think they wouldn’t surface here?

Now, Sam has his flaws, all coaches do, but this incessant harping on Mike D’Antoni is really getting old.

D’Antoni might be the next Red Auerbach, he might be the next Red Klotz when it comes to coaching this group of Raptors. You don’t know, I don’t know.

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Hmm, let’s see.

Chris Paul goes for 30 and 12, New Orleans leads San Antonio 2-0 and a guy wonders, “can we do an MVP recount?”
I keed, I keed.

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Let’s get into the mail:

Q: When NBA players are in playoffs what financial benefits do they get/achieve besides their regular salary and bonus that some players may have in their contract when they reach playoffs? Do they get to share the extra revenue that playoff venues generate? Does their salary get prorated for the time they are in playoffs? Any special financial benefits if they win/play in conference/NBA finals?

Vineet B, Ottawa

A: Oh, it’s lucrative all right.

This year, there’s an $11 million post-season pool that’s split between teams depending on how far they advance. For instance, by finishing sixth in the conference, the Raptors earned $74,394 as a franchise and for losing in the first round of the playoffs, they picked up another $164,168. That money is divvied up among players and support staff, the hard-working fellows like Kevin DiPietro and Paul Elliott who actually make the thing run. And who could probably use the cash.

Depending on where they finished in the conference standings in the regular season (teams get money for finishing first through sixth), the NBA champions will share a playoff pool of about $2.7 million when it’s all said and done.

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So, I’m watching New Orleans dismantle San Antonio last night and I’m feeling really good for Mo Pete. Nice to see good things happen to good guys.

And before you all start in on me, yes, it’s too bad he’s not in Toronto and, no, they shouldn’t have kept him, his time here was up.

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Once more to the mail and we’ll shut it down for the day. Unless something happens, of course.

Q: Last question and "thanks" for the great blog season.
I guess I'm more of a homer than a general basketball fan and without the Raps (and Suns) in it, the NBA just doesn't hold my interest...
(and my beer league team just finished our 2nd and last out-of-town beer, er, I mean basketball tournament so time to pack it in for the season.
Which leads to my question: Despite the remaining events you have to write about in the blog (did I mention it is great!), when will the new season BEGIN for you and therefore for US, your starving-for-meaningful-Raptor bball-news-fans?
Barry P, North Bay

A: Glad you asked.

The next big thing for the Raptors, of course, is the June 26 draft, they’ve currently got the 17^th pick. The week leading up to it will be filled with trade speculation (as if there’s not enough of that now) and mock drafts.

From there, we go to the July 1 start of free agency, when teams can start talking to guys; and the July 11 signing day, which this coincides with Toronto playing in the Las Vegas summer league.

If I were a betting man – and gambling, I remind you, is illegal except where sanctioned by the bookmakers in our government – I’d say that period from the June 26-July 1 is when the big moves are going to be made.

So get some rest, take care of the aching muscles, and get ready.

Some this, some that, and a blast from the past

Miss me? It was nice to have a weekend off, even if it was spent battling a stoopid end-of-season cold. We’ll keep trying to go Monday-Friday through the playoffs ‘cause there’s still lots of good basketball left, even if there’s scant Raptor news to worry about.

AP FILE PHOTO

May 4, 2001: It was a good day.

Before we start, can I just say one thing: You people are indeed imaginative. The mailbox and comments section are full of trade suggestions, some of which make sense, some of which are so over the top I chuckle when I read them.

But one thing I can’t do is respond to every single one of them. Takes too much time, the ones that have no hope of ever happening aren’t worth the effort to explain why. Sorry. You can keep sending them but I’m not going to comment on every single one.

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What a letdown

Guess those Celtics showed just what home court’s all about, didn’t they? Can’t imagine a less suspenseful Game 7 then that dog of a game.

Quite aside from the fact the Hawks couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean from a boat, the kind of defence Boston threw at them yesterday is the kind of defence that wins championships, easily.

And here’s the thing: It’s not so much schemes as it is effort, they swarm the ball, have the Basketball IQ to figure out where a guy wants to go and then there’s a second guy there waiting for him.

Not sure exactly why they’ve bought into giving that kind of consistent effort but they have all year and that’s what’s made them stand out.

Now, can they beat Cleveland?

In a nanosecond. Cleveland has LeBron, who can maybe win a game or two himself against such a stacked defence, but the other Cavs aren’t the kind of explosive, athletic scorers that cause Boston trouble.

The way the Celtics swarm the ball and still get out on shooters will expose the Cavs.

Boston takes that one in six, maybe five.

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A coincidence? Maybe not

Oh, watching Marvin Williams tackle Rajon Rondo, and remembering Al Horford on T.J. and seeing the other hard hits in the Boston series, I’m wondering if the Hawks are a really just a bunch of good guys who make mistakes in judgement or whether that’s a dirty team.

Just asking.

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Here’s one from the mail:

Q: Question about the MLE.  A player like Antawn Jamison is an UFA and makes about $15-16M right now.  Can teams like the Raptors sign him using the MLE in his first year but backload his contract so the average salary would be somewhere closer to his market value?  Or does the NBA do the same thing as the NHL and count the average salary of the contract?

Brad W, Waterloo

A: No, they can’t. If they offer a guy like Jamison a contract, any raises in subsequent years are limited to eight per cent. No back-loading.

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Did anyone catch any of the Euroleague’s Final Four on the weekend?

Bryan Colangelo did. He and Maurizio were in Madrid for the games but, as we’ve said quite often, Europe has been pretty picked over and they aren’t going to come away with a Garbo or an AP free agent.

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Been pretty gloomy around here, has been for a week now. But here’s a trip down memory lane, a story from this paper on this date in 2001.

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More mail

Q: This is kind of un-basketball related, and with the season winding down, I figured if I waited any longer with the season over, I may not get an answer. So here goes. Your articles are insightful, helpful, and have a touch of humour. I would say I enjoy reading them each morning.  Another writer for your paper, to my knowledge, has always written about the doom and gloom surrounding everything. From Vince dropping 50, to real doom and gloom like bowing out in the first round. The negativity makes me not want to read.

Sorry, a bit ranty. Question: Are you told what type of article to write (ie, happy, sad, doomy, gloomy? The over all mood?) Or is it up to the particular writer to find their angle/mood?
Thanks, and please keep up the great work. The blog is an official part of my morning.

Dean O, Toronto

A: No, I’m given pretty wide berth in story angles. It’s really dictated by the news of the day and, in the absence of any hard news, it’s up to me to come up with the “right” angle, the topic that will drive discussion, inform and entertain. Some off-days, that’s the hardest part of the gig.

A post-script: I wouldn't cover any other writers, or myself, with broad strokes. Fair comment is fair comment and I know our guys to be fair and to offer genuine opinion.

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Time to settle an argument:

Edward C of Toronto writes:
Mr. Smith, I would be very interested in your opinion on a heated debate I'm having with a friend of mine.

Overall, who is the better player? Pau Gasol or Tim Duncan?

Today, I’d say hands-down Duncan. His disappearing act in Game 1 against New Orleans notwithstanding, I’d say he’s a better all-around player, more shooting range and as good as, if not a better, defender and there are all those championships he’s won.

I’d say Duncan’s the best power forward in the history of the game, and Gasol’s not even in the conversation.

Mail's in, the usual Friday fare

We’re going to get back to the usual one-a-week mailbag, I think, because things are bound to slow down. I’ll try to get the more timely ones sprinkled into the blog, though. And there are a couple of doozies already waiting for the first of next week. Not sure if there’s enough stuff to keep doing the blog seven days a week, so if nothing huge happens, I’ll be back Monday with the normal fare.

Q: Just wanted to ask, what's your opinion of Nunyo-gate (i.e. the golfing story making rounds in Toronto)?

Chris B, Toronto

A: That’s the one where Sam went golfing or something on the afternoon of the off-day on Sunday in Orlando?

I don’t have a problem with it at all, actually. They flew, they practiced for the usual length of time, Sam fulfilled his media obligations (I know, I was the only print guy who was able to get there) and if he went and killed four hours on the golf course, I have no problem with that at all.

I wouldn’t have had a problem if it was a player who went and played, I wouldn’t have had a problem if it had been a general manager who went and played.

While it’s nice to think those are 24-7 jobs, sometimes you need down time and if it’s spent napping or hitting long fades into tucked pins, who cares?

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Q: Can they get Josh Howard?

Everyone, Everywhere

A: I’m putting this right near the top and making it generic because there are thousands of similar queries out there.

Easy answer: I don’t, for a second, think Josh Howard will be dealt, although I guess stranger things have happened.

And go sit in the Maverick front office. What on the Raptor roster, outside of Chris Bosh, would you want for Josh Howard? T.J. Ford? To back up Jason Kidd? Yeah, right. Rasho? To back up Erick Dampier? Yeah, right.

Come on, look at this both ways, there is no fit there. At all.

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Q: Love the blog! I know we're all upset about the Raptors being eliminated so early, but come on, as a Raptors beat writer aren't you KINDA happy the season is over? I mean, your summer starts now...

Sally S, London

Oh, I wish it were so.

Between the rest of the playoffs, the draft, free agency, summer league and Beijing (not to mention Super Son’s Little League season), summer starts about Sept. 1.

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Q: Yup, Orlando was better. Yes, we lost.
AND we enjoyed lots during the season including this blog.
It's a good time not only to identify weaknesses and offer criticisms - it's also a good time to say what was good and appreciated. Here's my very short list:

Coach Mitchell was a hoot and, when not stressed, provided insights into what he is teaching - I liked that
Jamario dunked like a dainty person pouring tea - I liked that
Chris Bosh spoke well, very well at times and let us in on how he views his and the team's development - I liked that
You let us in on what it is like to travel and seek food and drink and colleagues to talk with as you do your job - I liked that.
What did you like? Readers, how about you? It would be a shame to let the season go as a whimper and recrimination - there were many pleasures and they are worth recollecting.
Charles N, Toronto

A: Well, let’s hear it. I’ll try to put some together and get ‘em up next week.

Mine? The day in Treviso when Super Son hung with dad and the grunts all day, watched practice at the Benetton facility and got up some shots on the outdoor court. We rode the bus to another open practice, hung out there, talked to some people, saw some players in a relaxed atmosphere and then an 11-year-old and his dad enjoyed a great plate of fresh pasta e vongole in a lovely restaurant while sipping a glass of wine (me, not him) that was made from grapes grown just outside the front door of the hotel. And then off to bed for him and the old man spent a few hours telling basketball stories with Bryan and Wayne Embry. It doesn’t get much better than that.

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Q: After reading your blog the whole year as well as watching the news over the past few months, I have one burning question.

Which is more convoluted: the U.S. Democratic Party nomination process or the NBA collective bargaining agreement?

Dan P, Sarnia

A: Ding! Ding! Ding!

I understand a lot of the cap so I’m taking the politics. And, after all, there’s been an election rigged recently (See Dubya-Gore, Florida) and they don’t fix NBA games.

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Q: Hi Doug, I have a question based on the Raptors substitution pattern in the playoffs. Since you didn't get me once all season, here goes for year-end.

Sam didn't play Brezec (2.9M), Humphries (2.5M), Bastion (1.8M) or Graham (1.5M) one meaningful minute, so why have guys making that money glued to the bench? Isn't the alternative of having one more 9M 'star' and a group of D-leaguers more ideal? Toss Garbo's 4M in there and you're looking at a Josh Smith type player.

I love that we talked about having so much 'depth' early in the season, but there are no accolades for the team with the best 11-15 guys on the bench.

Forest K, Toronto

A: You’ve got to have 13 guys on a roster and they have to get paid something. And a lot of those – Brezec, Baston and Graham – aren’t ‘depth’ they’re guys to fill out the roster and to be used only in the case of emergencies.

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Q: Hey Doug, I asked this to Grange and I'm going to ask you as well. Who'd look best in a Raptors uniform out of these guys?

Luol Deng, Boris Diaw, Andrei Kirilenko, Mickael Pietrus or Jamal Crawford

Tyler M. Toronto

A: Well, I hope I get it the same as M. Grange ™. You’re looking for overall talent, right? And how they’d specifically help this team?

I’d put ‘em in this order: Deng, Diaw, Pietrus, Crawford, Kirilenko.

And I could be convinced to switch Diaw and Pietrus pretty easily.

Can’t wait to see what Mike does.