Fashion news and The Morning After The Night Before, XXXVII

Little on the light side today, slow start to the morning but an easy day awaits since The Colleague’s on a jet plane to Philly and I can hang with the family, even take in a little bit of Mississauga Minor Basketball action today. Whoop!!! And Eeee!!!

Three Things I Learned

A new look coming

A year or so, a wise old sage suggested these guys should have a third jersey, that should be black ‘cause that’s cool. Finally, someone listened to me.

The prototypes are done now, it’s a very cool all-black Jersey with red trim and a wee bit of silver and a very nifty tiny Canadian flag on the back at the top above the name.

Right now it says “Toronto” on the front.

But before you race out and give MLSEL more of your money, the jerseys aren’t going to be worn until next season, when they’ll trot them out a dozen times or so.

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That’s why you drive

We all know Sam’s been on Jamario Moon to drive the ball more and Friday night we saw why.

From our perch on press row, had a great angle to see Moon catch a pass about the left elbow with nary a Hawk in his path to the basket. Had a great angle to see him set to take a jumper when you know the dulcet tones of Yelling Sam were rattling around his head. He took the ball down, drove it, when the defender collapsed he dished to Bosh who scored, got fouled and completed a three-point play.

I swear I saw Sam smile.

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Given a chance

Since Andrea Bargnani hardly plays in a fourth quarter – think the last time he got significant crunch time minutes was in San Antonio right after Christmas – many wondered why Sam didn’t leave him in in the first quarter when he gets his obligatory two personals.

Well, he left him in last night and it only took about 90 seconds for him to get his third.

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A visit to the mailbag

Q: Hey Doug, a hockey fan here who nonetheless loves your blog (and is slowly becoming a fan of Dr. Naismith's game because of it) -- particularly the touch of linking to other coverage, it's always a good read.

(Thursday) you mentioned sitting around telling stories with the Detroit grunts about the Kevin O'Neill era. How 'bout sharing some of them every so often? One of the things I love about your blog is that your writing style feels like we're all just sitting around having a beer, and a regular selection of stories would only make an already great blog ridiculously awesome.

You could call the segment, "Stories for Stephen" as a permanent homage to my ingenuity. Or perhaps "Smitty's Stories" as a tribute to your own.  Either way.

Stephen H, Toronto

A: Okay, some of ‘em are not meant for family reading but anything to get you away from the pucks.

It’s the second night of KO’s only season here, Halloween against Washington. If you knew KO, you knew he didn’t suffer fools, or foolish questions, too well. Could be cranky like you’ve never seen.

We’re at shootaround and dude from Raptors TV is working on a rather off-beat story and KO doesn’t do off-beat. Not at all.

Guy asks the coach, “what was your favourite Halloween costume.”

KO, being KO, gives the guy a look that could kill, turns to PR czar Jim LaBumbard and says, “Will the ridiculousness never end?”

Never did find out if KO ever dressed up as a ghost.

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Here’s how Cousin Sekou summed up last night’s affair?

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And here's how Uncle Phil gets us ready for the Sixer game tonight.

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Washington 111, New York 96.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled Knicks season.

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More mail

Q: Okay, I know Smitch's thing is to go with who ever has shown they came to play in the fourth, but I don’t think the T-Raps can top the Bosh-Delfino-Moon-Parker-Calderon lineup that just tore the Hawks up. How good were those 5 looking together? Everything else equal, is that the lineup you'd throw out there to finish off games?

Sean K, Ottawa

A: They looked excellent, didn’t they? Not sure if it can be done every night, though, because the Hawks were playing small, too. But if there’s a power forward on the court that Delfino can guard, I’d trot that group out without any hesitation.

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Timing is everything

A year ago today, these dudes lost to Utah and fell to 19-22 (I’m sure the inbox was flooded with fire Sam, start Jose, Bargnani’s a bust e-mails).

But that loss was followed by 10 wins out of 12 games before the all-star break as they cemented themselves as a playoff team.

There are 11 games between tonight and this year’s break: at Philly, at Boston, Milwaukee, home-and-home with Washington, Lakers, at Miami, Clippers, Minnesota, San Antonio and Jersey before we all head to New Orleans for the bash.

If they go 7-4, that’d be all right, 8-3 would be excellent.

Then they’d find themselves right in the race for third, fourth and fifth for the stretch run.

Comments

[GM]

Oh, how I loathe black uniforms.

[Zack]

Hey Doug, no insight on Anthony Johnson and Jose Calderon? What the heck happened with those two?

Blogger's note: Never did see Johnson, or hear what he had to say, after the game and Jose was taking the high road. Maybe some sleuthing at the beginning of the week will yield some insight.

[Nik (Ottawa)]

I've been longing for a "Toronto" jersey as I always found the name "Raptors" to be a little ridiculous but I wouldn't mind supporting the city of my youth and I am a fan of the team.

[David Pritchard]

Hey Doug, i was reading the morning briefing column in the LA Times sports friday morning(yes i do have a job) and interestingly the Lakers do NBA 101 sessions for their fans live. what got my interest was one of the last items in the column when someone asked Kareem why no one uses the skyhook anymore. his reply was Dr J and Michael Jordan. i can think of a certain someone who we won't pick on, who could use some really valuable advice 1) someone send him a video of Kareem not going to the basket (and give him a pair of shorts that only a speedo loving European would wear)2) ask him to change his name. which do you think would work?

Blogger's note: (3) Get him to use a drop-step or an up-and-under move before trying to expand his repertoire to use a sky hook.

[Jacques LeBlanc]

I think for Bargnani to get out of his slump is for Sam to let him play his game at least for 3 or 4 games. Run more plays for him behind the arce. I think if he's not forced down low by Sam, he'll go when he thinks the timing is right. Also, your thoughts on trading Jason Kapono??

Blogger's note: If you can find someone who shoots three as well as Kapono, maybe deal him.

[Jorge]

Kapono hasn't been shooting three's well in almost a month...

[GM]

Is it that Kapono hasn't been shooting 3's well in almost a month or that he's hasn't been shooting 3's period in almost a month. Nobody's looking for him and he's not getting the minutes. Granted, they're a little harder to get off when you don't have Shaq down low. Isn't that right, Damon Jones?

[Craig Johnson]

Doug,
I worry, I worry.....If BC and you would be uncomfortable having Dalembert as a 10 million dollar back up,where does that leave Jose? He will be a back up, and if an okay centre earns that much, how about a back up all star (predicting of course) point guard?

Blogger's note: Jose, as good as he is, is not going to get a $10 million a year contract to start.

[Jamario Moon Fan]

Well the thing is...Jose Calderon has always been over rated in my book, and I'm a die hard Raptor fan, but should he realistically even been considered to the all star team over someone like Antawn Jamison? No. Let's come back to earth fellow Raptor fans.

Blogger's note: I think the generally held opinion was Calderon is as least as deserving an all-star spot than Joe Johnson. No one is quibbling with Antawn Jamison being on the team.
And, yes, there is huge school of thought among NBA people that Calderon is having a year worthy of an all-star berth.