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.

Yes, we're still going

So here’s the deal.

I think we can keep this going Monday-Friday, at least throughout the rest of the playoffs. Not sure there’ll be a lot of stuff every day and we might end up spreading mail in throughout the week but what the heck, you folks have asked and we should try to deliver.

So keep clicking so the bosses stay aware that this thing’s pretty good.

Thanks

Now, had a couple of requests for a “report card” on the players, coaches and season. I generally don’t like them – they are far too subjective – but what the heck. I’ll put grades on but they will be based on a player’s ability, not against the rest of the league. A ‘C’ is an average year for that player. Let the arguments begin.

T.J. Ford

Guy missed 31 games and the best one he played was night he got hurt in Atlanta. Oh, what might have been.

C

Anthony Parker

Almost exactly the same averages (12.5-12.4, 4.1-3.9) as a year ago for Mr. Consistency. He brings same effort every night.

C

Jamario Moon

They asked an awful lot of a rookie and for the most part he delivered. Led the team in deflections, which is a stat the coaches love.

B

Chris Bosh

Rebounding numbers were down (8.7-10.7) but field goal percentage practically the same and here’s something: He was the third-best fourth-best three-point shooter on the team (40.0)

C

Andrea Bargnani

Was supposed to make his NBA chops as a shooter and then his shot left him in a woeful second second. Still, he is 22 and has lot of time to grow.

D

Rasho Nesterovic

No, I have no idea where they would have been without him in the second half of the season.

B

Jose Calderon

Made himself a lot of money, and likely earned himself next year’s starting assignment with a fine season. Needs to improve defensively.

B

Carlos Delfino

If Parker was Mr. Consistent, he was Mr. Inconsistent but when he was going good, he was all over the stat sheet. Tough off-season call.

C

Jason Kapono

Part him, part coaching, part scheme but he was a non-factor in the regular season. Playoffs provided hope.

D

Kris Humphries

Fell out of favour because he tried to do too much, as he always does. Also hurt by the emergence of Nesterovic.

C

Joey Graham

Guy’s had all the chances he’s going to get here. And has never, ever seized the moment.

D

Maceo Baston

Hardly an impact free agent signing.

C

Jorge Garbajosa

Oh, what might have been.

Incomplete.

Primoz Brezec

Oh, what never will be.

Incomplete.

Sam Mitchell

Did he have his best year? No, not by a long shot. Some of Bargnani’s failings are on him, as he admits, but he didn’t have a Celtic-like roster to work with.

C

Bryan Colangelo

Moon was  a great find, Kapono wasn’t the greatest of acquisitions but when he went out to make trades, it’s not as if he had a wealth of riches to do deal.

C

So there you have it, a bunch of average guys who had average years. Anyone really surprised they finished 41-41?

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Not a lot of you know Jim LaBumbard and his merry band of media relations types but writers and broadcasters sure do. So it came as no surprise the Jim And His Peeps (Jamie Deans and Roven Yau specifically although Declan The Intern and Before Him Stephanie were on the team at times, too) were named the media relations staff of the year in voting by the Professional Basketball Writers’ Association.

The award’s only been around for two years and for them to win it is quite the feather in the cap.

In this era where too many teams employ Media Relations Obstructionists, finding a group that’s fair, willing to help and willing to go to bat for the writers is refreshing.

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So, since I’ve got some time on my hands these days, actually got to lay on the couch last night and watch basketball. And I can just say that if the Washington Wizards weren’t such dopes that they riled up LeBron in those first few games by being knuckleheads with their comments and goons with their fouls, they’d be winning that series rather than clinging to life.

LeBron’s supporting cast is average, at best, and the Wizards have no one to blame but themselves for the predicament they’re in.

Oh, and does anyone still in the playoffs woof more than James Posey?

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Let’s get a mailbag query, and we’ll have the usual Friday mail tomorrow, too:

Q: Hi Doug, what do you know about the players' exit interviews? Who's involved (any coaches or agents)? How long do they last?
We obviously know what's discussed in TJ's interview, but what do they spend the majority of the time talking about with the others, the past season or next season? Do they offer specifics on what skills to work on in the summer?

Michael K, Toronto

A: Not sure what the reference is to T.J. so I’ll let that pass.

The interviews take 10, 20 minutes, are with the coaching staff, Bryan and the player, no agents allowed. They go over things the team wants them to work on over the summer, a summer schedule and they just chat about what’s gone on. Players also get checked over by the team’s medical staff to make sure they’re all right heading off to their homes.

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So, Avery Johnson is out in Dallas, there’s rampant speculation that Mike D’Antoni’s done in Phoenix, there is some questions about P.J. Carlesimo in Seattle, Chicago’s still looking for a coach and so is New York. Did I miss anyone? Oh, I probably wouldn’t want to be Flip Saunders if the Sixers some how eliminate the Pistons. And who knows what those wacky people down in Atlanta might do.

What did I mention the other day about Best Off-Season Ever? Looks like it’s not only players who’ll be moving around.

One question though: How did Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni get to be such bad coaches? Oh, wait. They had owners meddling in humongous mid-season trades. Too bad you can’t fire owners.