Of Garbo and the WNBA

Late again, blame time zones.

Be back in Boston on Monday – maybe – and will be back to the regular routine.

Garbo's as good as gone and you have no idea how much we’ll miss him.

Funniest guy on the team (maybe a tie with Rasho), fine player, good person but, you know what?, it’s time.

With all the stuff swirling around him, playing last summer’s Euros when the team didn’t want him to, the lawsuit against the federation over the insurance money, the fact he’s will have played only seven NBA games in 18 months when camp rolls around, his desire to play in Beijing this summer, sort of had a sneaking suspicion in the back of my mind this day might arrive.

Financially, it’s not a huge boon to the Raptors, although there will be some luxury tax help when they finally come up with a buyout number, but it won’t give them any extra room to chase free agents, they’ll still just have the mid-level exception.

On the court? Well, I don’t think anyone had any idea what Garbo would have brought to camp so if there were no expectations, he’s not going to be missed a lot. If he’d been the 2006 Garbo, tough, smart, a defensive anchor, that would have been great. But if he’d been less than that, I’m not sure how big a role he would have played.

It bites when things come to an end, it especially bites when they come to an end because of an injury; this departure bites an awful lot.

-

Oh, and no, it won’t have any impact whatsoever on his buddy Jose.

-

We’re sitting around the hospitality suite here late last night, swapping stories and doing what beat grunts do – a wee bit of complaining, a wee bit of laughing, a wee bit of imbibing – and of course they have NBA TV on all the sets

This, my friends, is classic.

-

-

Well, now I can tell my grandkids I saw Candace Parker play basketball in person.

To satisfy personal curiosity, and because some friends from the league invited us to suite, took in the WNBA game between the Sparks and Detroit Shock last night.

Now, I don’t want this to sound at all condescending because some people who know me know I’ve been a fan of the women’s game for a while, but the caliber of play was outstanding.

Fast, skilled, better shooting than I can remember from other WNBA games I’ve seen in person or on TV and Parker is the real deal. Even though she was in foul trouble and didn’t play an awful lot, you could just see how excellent she is.

Now I can tell her brother I know for a fact he’s not as good (I keed, I keed).

And, let me tell you, was sitting along the baseline for a few minutes in the third quarter and I saw Cheryl Ford deck Lisa Leslie with an elbow that was every bit as nasty as any her father threw in his NBA career.

I know there’s not much chance too many of you will get to see a game in person but if you do, I’d recommend it for sure.

-

From the mail, and tomorrow’s mail day, don’t forget:

Q: You said in your blog today (June 11) that Basketball is the toughest sport to officiate. Why is that? What makes it so tough? What makes it tougher to officiate then soccer or hockey?

T S, Markham

A: Many, many reasons. The speed, the size of the athletes, the physical nature of the game, the compact size of the playing field and the fact there probably could be a foul called on every single possession.

You could put two of the best basketball officials in a room, show them video and they may not agree with each other on a handful of calls. There’s a lot of subjectivity that goes into officiating the game.

Hockey? It’s tough, sure; but the players aren’t as big and the playing surface is huge.

Soccer? Please. I’ve watched a lot of the European championships these past few days and, yes, the officials have to run and cover a lot of area. There are also times when two thirds of the players on the pitch are either walking or standing.

-

Oh, right, there’s a game on out here tonight.

Trying to figure out who’ll win? So are we. If Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are merely average in Game 3, the Celtics win and the series is effectively over and it’s hard to imagine them both being that bad again tonight.

On the other hand, it’s quite possible that neither Lamar Odom nor Pau Gasol have any significant impact on the game.

That said, though, if Rajon Rondo can’t go – and there’s no word this morning on how his ankle is – I don’t think the Celtics have a chance. As we know. Sam Cassell’s done, Eddie House is a shoot-first guard and he couldn’t handle any measure of ball pressure the other night when the Lakers had Jordan Farmar guarding him and there’s really no one else.

That ambivalent enough for you?

I’m thinking the Celtic win another ugly, low-scoring game.

Comments

[jhaus]

hey doug, i read your article on KG and his lack of production in game 3 and wanted to ask if you think it is due to his lack of playoff experience? despite the intensity with which he plays and the obvious drive to win, it seemed to me that in game 3 he was absolutely exhausted. when the game was really close in the 3rd and 4th quarters i noticed that he seemed to always be the last man back on D and just came trotting down the court like he had all the time in the world. do you think his stamina is an issue?

Blogger's note: Lack of playoff experience? I don't think so. And his stamina seems fine; his jump shot stinks.

[Aga]

Garbo will definitely be missed, it's a sad day for the Raptors fans, the #15 is indeed cursed. I propose we bring back He Who Shall Not Be Named to complete the full cycle of the curse

In other news, just finished reading a fine article in the hockey section about Leafs search for GM. Doug,what's your take on Mr. Peddie and his 'different' ideology?

Blogger's note: I really don't have a huge opinion I can share in this space on the Leaves, I just like mocking them.

[Edgar]

Doug, not to seem heartless but.... why would we buyout Garbo in his last year when we could trade his expired contract along with others to get a starter? Why not let some other team buy him out....

Blogger's note: Expiring contract notwithstanding, there is absolutely no NBA trade market for a guy who hasn't really played since March 2006

[Marc in Burlington]

Doug,

I don't understand this buy out of Garbo at his time. If as you say his contribution is unknown at this time due to his injury, why don't the Raptors bring him to camp and see what he's got especially if he's in any kind of shape after getting ready for the Olympics? The savings from the buyout of his contract are minimal. Wouldn't he be more salary ballast available to B.C. at he trade deadline and isn't that important for managing the cap?

Was Garbo that much of a distraction last year that he was deemed to be a bad influence in the locker room, or is it simply the Raptors are that pissed about his disregarding their wishes and attempting to play for his country. At least he cares enough wants to play for his country, Mr. Nash are ya listening?

If Garbo was a Canadian Hockey player and he attempted that kind of comeback to play for Team Canada he'd be hailed as a hero. The way this plays out, he looks like a villain and that's a shame.

[ghostface]

Hey Doug,
Your so called predictions are hilarious. Everytime you say a team is gonna win, they lose. Everytime you say they'll lose, they win. It's a sure bet. The Vegas odds makers would do well by simply checking out your blog and looking at your predictions then favouring the opposite team.
That said, since you "predict" the Celtics will win tonight, I will put my money on the Lakers to even the series.
Thanks Doug.

Blogger's note: Finally, someone figure it out. You must be proud.

[Serge Papineau]

Hey Doug, I understand that the Raptors are trying to do the right thing by buying Garbo out so that he can go back to playing in Europe, however do you think this is the wisest move from a basketball standpoint? Would Garbo's expiring contract be an asset for BC to use in a trade, especially come deadline time?

[DougG]

"If he’d been the 2006 Garbo, tough, smart, a defensive anchor, that would have been great. "

Especially since it is so rare on the team. This is sad news to me. He is one of my favorite Raptors. I hope they plan to replace his toughness and smarts. Actually, I was hoping they would add to what he already brought.

[Jeff Hazzard]

Not that I really expect to get an answer about this but here goes nothing! I am having trouble understanding the point of buying out Garbo's contract at this point in time. If he is going to play in the Olympics despite what BC is saying... and the Raptors are planning on buying him out anyways... Then why not let him play in the Olympics and see where he is at skill wise before making a decision? What happens if we buy him out and then he plays like the old Garbo in the Olympics? Is there any advantage to buying him out now as opposed to waiting? I didn't think buying him out gives us any more cap space or anything like that.

Blogger's note: You can check Friday's mailbag for more on Garbo

[Brad]

Doug, I don't understand why a buyout for Garbo is necessary? If he plays in the Olympics without permission from the Raptors, and continues to injure his leg, wouldn't that nullify his contract? I remember someone with the Lakers a few years back that hurt himself snowboarding and the Lakers had the option to nullify the contract. Regardless, if he is getting paid by the Raptors, and not willing to listen to his employer, it should just constitute 'quitting' just like it would in a regular job, thereby forfeiting his salary. The NBA seems to be the only place that pays people to NOT play (ie Mourning etc) If a team no longer wants a player then a buyout seems reasonable, but when the player does not want to play for the team, or does something that directly impacts his performance with that team (Garbo) it doesn't seem right that a buyout is even considered. Breaking his leg was a terrible thing, but then getting paid $4 million to sit on the bench, and $2 million to walk away is a pretty good consolation. Especially considering he should have been playing last year if he would have listened to the people paying him. Garbo circa 2006 will be missed though.

[Kevin D]

What percentage do you think the Raps will/should swallow on the rest of Garbo's deal?

Blogger's note: I have no idea, I hope it's 100 per cent 'cause I like Garbo

[DS]

"To satisfy personal curiosity, and because some friends from the league invited us to suite..."

Well at least you didn't go because you actually wanted to watch womens basketball. That would make you a sissy-pants.

Grow up.

[Imran K]

Garbo will defenitely be missed as a player but his antics last year as a person were uncalled for. I mean you are getting paid millions of dollars to play in the NBA. Why would you waste your entire life over 1 Euro Championship. I mean he plays for Toronto one of the very few teams in the NBA who most likely could qualify for a Euro Championship seeing as half our team is Euro. LOL. I say take the 4 million and go but dont make Jose upset!!!

[chris]

When Garbo's bought out....any chance he signs with another NBA team or is he going to stay in Europe?

Blogger's note: I cannot imagine any NBA team taking a chance on a guy who's played seven NBA games in 18 months (when camp opens). And certainly not at the kind of salary he'll probably make in Europe.

[Alain Rousselle]

It's sad to say, but I don't think the Raptors can greatly improve the team in the off-season. Don't get me wrong, I believe BC will be able to get something good out of our Ford/Calderon situation. I just don't think anything we do will place us in the top 4 in the East. We can still be a playoff team next year, but we should always look at the long haul.

Any trade I try on ESPN's trade machine that works doesn't really blow me away.

The most interesting one is:

Parker and Ford to the Knicks for Crawford, Balkman and Chandler. It could help our team if Crawford performs well, but it's nothing that will put us up over the top. Does anybody else have a possible trade in mind?

[christine]

Do your sources know what are Maurizio feelings about Garbo situation?

If Maurizio was GM of the Raps, do you think it would of been easier for him to persuade Garbo not to play for Spain this summer? Thanks in advance.

Blogger's note: I'm sure Maurizio is in entire agreement with what the Raptors are doing.

[axl]

oh garbo we hardly knew ye

going to miss his bball iq big time

[Eric]

How people can still say Garbajosa could've helped the team last year boggles my mind. If anyone dares watch the seven or eight games he played, they won't notice much of a physical difference between that Garbajosa and the 06/07 starter. After all, he never functioned on superior athletic gifts in the first place. He was a "healthy scratch" last year, whether he knew his leg hadn't fully recuperated or not. The fact that the team went on to use his absence as yet another excuse makes me sick to my stomach. How many excuses can you have before you have the courage to deal with your problems?

Garbajosa's a nice man and funny man, but that changes nothing about his play: he wasn't good enough to play on the mediocre team of 07/08, whether injured or healthy. Let's stop with the lies. Please. I hate saying guys I like are overrated but it's a fact here: Garbajosa was massively overrated in Toronto. Massively.

[Neil]

Ya I find it funny, if this was a good ol canadian boy in hockey playing for his country while injured he would be a national hero, guess not in basketball.

Can the Raptors still trade his contract?

Blogger's note: If they buy him out, he has no contract