Of Jack and Leo and a blast from the past

You know what’s weird?
You go in the office a couple of days and they ask you to write about China so you write two days about pollution and smog and cheating and bird flu and some more pollution and smog and air quality and then they ask you if you’re excited to be going.

Huh?

Anyway, T-minus four days ‘til departure so still more time for boring old summer basketball news. Except today, there are some nuggets of news.

Here we go:

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I’m hearing that we won’t get the schedule today but we may get a look at least part of the pre-season schedule, which includes that CSKA Moscow visit, which I’m hearing is Oct. 14. That’s gotta be right around Thanksgiving, no? Funny about the Raptors and Thanksgiving. I’m not sure, in the past, they’ve actually taken that holiday into account given that it’s not, you know, the American version. I don’t know how many years they’ve had games on the weekend that either didn’t consider the paucity of fans since they’d be with family or didn’t consider the inconvenience to, you know, us media types who miss just about every other holiday for games.

But I digress …

Not sure what else they’re going to announce today but whispers are we’re going to Los Angeles for a couple of games, likely in the four-team tournament they usually run out there, and then I think there’s a quick trip up to Edmonton for the traditional “Spread The Gospel Game In Canada” game.

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Word, late if you’re a regular reader here, comes down yesterday that, yes, Jack and Leo are back to share analyst duties on TV this season, with Jack handling TSN and Leo doing The Score and CBC, both along with play-by-play dude Matt Devlin.
But because we like to advance stories here in blogger-land, I’m hearing that the breakdown is about 45 nights of Jack Games and 37 nights of Leo Games.

It’s unofficial, and maybe off a game or two because the schedule’s not cast in stone yet, but those are the ballpark numbers.

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A topical mail one, given yesterday’s jurisprudence events:

Q: Not really a Raptors question, but a basketball one nevertheless.  So Tim Donaghy gets 15 months for his sheniagans. Frankly, from the reports and speculations, I figured he would have gotten a lot more. Do you know if he will have to serve the whole time, or is there time off for good behavior?  Also, you may have addressed this before, but do you think Donaghy was the lone rogue ref in the league?  In looking back on some of the more controversial calls (and yes, the refs are humans and will make mistakes), it sure makes one wonder.

Colin W, Toronto

A: I’m actually thinking the sentence was about what everyone I talked to expected, in fact some figured it’d be a year. And given that I don’t think too many criminals ever serve their entire sentences, I’d presume he’d be in the hoosegow for fewer than 15 entire months.

I do think Donaghy was the lone criminal among the officiating staff, the refs I know are honest men who have a difficult job and feel horrible about the hit their profession has taken.

It’s funny, but all of Donaghy’s more astounding assertions – about that Laker-Kings game in ’02, the number of calls he made to Scott Foster (who is thought of as one of the best young officials in the game) – all came while the judge was trying to determine a sentence and were well known to law enforcement officials who never pursued criminal probes against the officials who were slagged.

I think it’s good that the league restructured the top of its officiating hierarchy – a new big boss, two underbosses will oversee officials from now on – and when the Pedowitz report comes out (the independent investigation into the whole affair) I think we’ll get a better look at what’s wrong, and what has to be corrected, within the league office.

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So, if you’re looking for a Euroleague team to cheer for, how about Khimki Moscow.

Not only do they have Garbo and Delfino (and I know at least a couple friends who will be closely watching for whatever Garbo does – apparently he has that affect on some of the ladies) a look at the roster today shows one Milton Palacio and the esteemed Jerome Moiso.

(Wonder if Milt’s got the layup problem licked yet?)

Moiso brings back one of the great Sam moments of the last four years. We’re in Orlando, they get killed and in his post-game scrum Sam, totally unprovoked and entirely out of character for a coach who rips players publicly, absolutely kills Moiso – can’t play, empty uniform, won’t work, piece of poop, all very un-Sam-like.

I don’t even think Moiso played in the game so, being the enterprising grunts we are, we immediately head to Moiso’s locker and the kid’s like a deer in the headlights.

"Huh? Said what? Who? Sam? Me? Um, I dunno. Work hard. Try my best. Ah, don’t know. Who? Sam? Said what?”

Classic.

Wonder if Sam’s gonna call Khimki’s coach?

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Emeka Okafor gets $72 million and what’s a guy to think? Well, centres don’t come cheap, I guess, but the suspicion here is that Okafor is a bit over-rated and that’s not money well spent. Not that the options were plentiful, though, so I guess you can just chalk it up to the Bobcats over-spending to keep one of their own.

And I think you can draw some parallels to the past here, where if you wanted to keep your own free agents, or attract others to a situation that’s gloomy – given what’s gone on with the Bobcats with crowds and on-court performance since they returned, it’s as a gloomy there as it ever was here – you’ve got to spend a bit more than you’d probably like.

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Another one from the mail:

Q: Hey Doug - love the blog. Two quick questions for you:
1. Has there been any more discussion of the Raps creating their own D-League team in Ontario. Any narrowing down of locations?
2. Regarding the debacle that is our National Program (even though the kids are looking alright...), is there any chance that Basketball Canada would look outside of Canada for someone to lead the program or coach if they don't go with Leo?  It seems to be relatively common with European soccer/football in countries where they are far more passionate about that sport than Canadians are about basketball.  Does Triano have what it takes to lead the whole thing?  Would he forgive the previous slight?

Dan D, Hamilton

A: The D League thing is still cooking but it can’t, or won’t happen now until the ’09-10 season at least and I don’t think they’ve narrowed the possible locations down at all. In fact, given how things worked at the Ricoh Coliseum for the Canada games this summer, it may be on the list as a legitimate location now and I’m not sure it was before. It’s a very good, small, basketball venue.

As for Canada, when it comes time to look at a coach, and that’s gonna be a while ‘cause they’ve got to structure the system first, but I think their first choice will be someone from here.

Jay? I know the new regime has reached out to him, and to Nash, and to several others from the past, I don’t know how far along that process is.

Comments

[Victor]

Great to see that Jack will be working colour on the majority of games this year. No offence to Leo Rautins, but Jack's energy and overt enthusiasm for the game is just what is needed to push the Raps on the national level. This is especially true with the departure of Chuck and the arrival of a (seemingly) straight-laced Matt Devlin.

I also agree with Doug in believing the Donaghy was the lone wolf. Particularly because the accusations he was making were straight out of the NBA Urban Legend handbook. Fans have been joking about Stern pulling the strings backstage for years. I'm surprised Donaghy didn't go the full nine yards by also alleging that he saw Stern slip the Ewing envelope in dry ice, or that he had evidence that Stern suspended MJ for a year for gambling. Maybe if he made some ground breaking allegations he'd be more credible, but his last allegations just looked like a desperate attempt to smear his former employer.

[Joe T.]

45 games or so of Jack next season? It's great to have Jermaine O'Neal and all but THIS is the news that makes next season better already, no matter how the Raptors finish. HELLO!...

[DieHardRaptorFan]

Hey doug, this is a canada basketball related question. Do you think Canada basketball would ever consider Butch Carter as their head coach. I remember last time around (before the Leo hiring, there was some interest on both sides I think). Do you think Butch would be interested again?

Blogger's note: I don't think so, but it'd be great for the beat guys.

[Edgar]

Doug whats this about an Edmonton pre-season game? I'm the crazy Calgary guy so its nice to hear something heading out in this direction...(details please)

Blogger's note: I believe, and this is not confirmed 100 per cent, that they're coming to Edmonton after the two games in L.A., so I'm guessing around Oct. 21 or 22? But,again, it's not 100 per cent on the date.

[Shawn]

What do you think of the Artest trade? Does Houston move to a top 4 team in the West now?

Blogger's note: At first blush, if Yao and Tracy stay healthy, they'd challenge for a top four spot for sure.

[Josh]

With Ron Artest being traded to Houston is there any chance that the Raptors could try and make a move to trade for Battier? I'd love to see him in a Raptors uniform.

Blogger's note:Slim and none and Slim just left town.

[Rick Stotz]

Luv your stuff Doug,Ican not believe the raptors are coming to this B.BALL hotbed of Edmonton . Maybe they will even make it into the local newspapers!! Will it be the 13 man squad or will it be JOEY and the summer leauge allstars? Good luck in China and make it back safe.

Blogger's note: Oh, no, it'll be the real Raptors.

[ro]

More Jack than Leo? Hooray!!!

[Derek L]

Thanks for the broadcast info - I'm really liking the Jack:Leo ratio here. It's nice to see that Jack is getting what he deserves. Maybe, just maybe the execs at TSN took time out from their pick-up hockey games to find out what the fans wanted? Back-handed compliments aside, I think this is a good move.

As for Leo, I'm hoping the change in partners will bring out the best in him. For the last couple of years it seemed like he and Chuck weren't on the same page. Perhaps the new guy will be a better fit.

[Marc in Burlington]

Doug,

The guys that you know as NBA refs are all honest men? How long have you been covering this game? You didn't know any of the guys caught in the Air line ticket scam a couple of years ago? The IRS didn't think they were "honest guys" that's for sure. There is far too much coincidence in the timing of the calls between Donaghy, his "gambling buddies" and his ref buddy Foster to my mind. While Stern may claim that Donaghy was throwing mud to see what sticks regarding questionable calls and actions of refs in previous playoffs as an attempt to get his sentence reduced, and the NBA's total overhaul of the men in charge of the refs leaves a guy to wonder what really is the story here. I think a comparison to what Donaghy has said can be made to Jose Conseco's first book where allegations were leveled and vehemently denied by players, agents and MLB front office people, yet suddenly guys who were productive ball players were out of the league, or showed up at training camp 40 lbs lighter a la Pudge Rodriguez. Where there's smoke, there's usually fire.

The NBA has no credibility at all now, and Stern's time as Commish should be done. How is it that a timing error in the Miami game last year warrants a "re-play" at a later date, and the scoring error of the Raptor/Hawks game didn't? How can you believe a league that fines one of it's own owners (Cuban) hundreds of thousands of dollars for saying what he believes to be true when he questions the integrity of the refs? How can you trust a league where after all of this nonsense has taken place still do not make their refs accountable for their calls? One guy from a pool of reporters can ask a question that doesn't have to be answered? Then why doesn't someone start asking questions to Stu jackson? Wasn't this all part of his purview?

Don't get me wrong, I love the NBA game, but right now I don't believe a word that comes out of the League office, and I don't think I am the only one. Doug, I like the blog, and write in often; I respect your opinions, but sometimes you come off as an NBA corporate shill spouting the company line, and this sir is one of them.

Respectfully disagreeing with you,

Marc in Burlington

[DieHardRaptorFan]

Butch was awesome. He had a tremendous system. Everytime down the floor they would run the offence through the post. Very few teams do that these days and I believe that is one of the easiest ways to play/win in the NBA. If you have a talented post player or a wing that can play in the post (eg. Vince Carter), basically the only way to stop it is doubling and that throws the d out of whack. I cannot believe Butch has not even got a sniff of an nba job besides last year with bobcats and that took long enough. This considering he was strong in x's and o's and one of the few coaches who was able to motivate VC (who is notoriously unmotivatable-if that is a word)

[Andrew]

Hey Doug,
Surprised there was no mention of the Ron Ron deal in the blog today. Personally, I think it definately makes the Rockets a championship contender. I know it was never going to happen, but don't you think, theoretically, the Raptors could have given a better deal than Bobby J, Donte Green and 1st round pick? What is your opinion on the trade?

Then again, now he's reuinted with Adelman so it makes way more sense for the Rockets to make the move than us.

[dean]

Morning Doug,

I'll put it out there as you will be asked this a lot today:

If SacTown was willing to take a late 20's pick(likely), a so so player and an unproven rookie for Ron Artest, how likely was it the Raps could have been in the running? This seems to be another "something for nothing" trade, do you agree? Parker, 1st round and any expiring contract would have the same value as the trade they accepted.

I will say this, I have not been this excited about an upcoming NBA season in a long time. Lots of power shifts, teams loading up, interesting rookie class, Donaghy out of the way for know, and a little more parity it seems, especially in the East.

Dean

Blogger's note: I don't think these guys even had a whisp of interest in the somewhat high maintenance Artest. And I can't say I blame them.

[Sean]

37 nights of Leo Games is about 37 too many. How much you wanna bet none of those games involve that team from Philly with the Canadian center? AWKWARD.

[Paps]

Yes! More Jack less Leo.

[Vince Lam]

I found this on the NBA site, "Atlanta names Jim Todd and Tyrone Hill assistant coaches."

First off, good for Jim Todd. I always enjoyed him at halftime on Raptors broadcasts.

Second, is this THE Tyrone Hill? The one that owed the Oak man money back when Philly was playing the Raps in 2001? Did he get the job to pay back the interest he owed Oak?

Blogger's note: Oh, yeah, I believe it is.

[Jason]

Any thoughts on the Artest move, or are you saving that for tomorrow?

Blogger's note: Things are light these days, I better save that for the moring. Besides, I'm Olmypic baseball boy today so I've got a bit on the plate, so to speak.

[Robert]

Doug, I have to agree with Marc's comments which were very well written.

It is very hard to believe that the number of calls that Donaghy made to Foster just before games for a very short time had no sinister or illegal activity. This is a huge story which deserves more public attention.

In fact, it is interesting to note how the NBA's public comments about Donaghy have changed. They first started out by saying that he was a single rogue ref and now that these Foster allegations have surfaced they have since changed to statements like "we are not aware of any other criminal or other wrong-doing". Clearly, the NBA is very worried about some other referee being discovered as being involved in criminal activity.

You can be sure of one thing, if the NBA's credibility and reputation has not already been significantly damaged, it will be completely destroyed if even just one more referee is discovered to be involved in any criminal or other wrong-doing. That would mean a systemic problem. In this case, where there is smoke there must be fire.

[Brian]

37 games of Leo is 37 games that I will hit the mute button. I hope the powers at MLSE will change it to 82 Jack, and 0 Leo for 2009/2010. The only hope is that Matt Devlin, who has already worked heavily with Jack previously, can somehow find a way to make Leo at least listenable, something that he has not been for many years working with Swirsky.

[James Borbath]

So happy that Jack Armstrong is back and will be doing more games. Doug you were one of the many people that made Jack and his status known to Raptor Fans. I want to thank you for doing that. I have the pleasure of getting to know Jack he has been helpful to me and very kind. It was a real concern to me that Jack would not be returning back at that time. I was thrilled to learn that he would be returning and now that it is official I am happy to be able to share that with people. But main reason I am posting here is to thank you Doug for making Raptor fans aware of this when it this story first started. I know Jack himself was grateful for it cause he told me. A happy ending for all Raptor Fans and Media folks alike. So I guess best way to end this is to say....HELLLLLLLLOOOO Again Jack Armstrong. It beats the heck out of a Good-Bye

[Don]

45 & 37 games, is that mean all games are covered on cable tv this year? even the late friday west coast games i.e. Utah, LAC, will be covered?

[Kalson]

Thank goodness Jack is calling more games than Leo. I'm sick of Leo and his broken record colour commentary. Jack's awesome. He's funny, he's got energy and he keeps it real (without always repeating himself). Plus he gets more nitty gritty with the X's and O's.

As for Jerome Moiso. I think Sam was right to rip into him. Let's just say that during the time he was in Toronto, I would see Jerome Moiso at some afterhours clubs in Toronto on Sat. nights. Everyone knows Raptors play every Sunday, so to see our pal Jerome partying it up every Saturday night (the night before an afternoon game) being FARRRR from sober is very telling.

No wonder Sam ripped into him.

[Eric]

I'm still wondering, Doug, after the O'Neal trade and before the draft, you were caught on your blog saying, "The Raptors are not done. Not even close." Or something to that effect. It was a decisive statement. Informed fans were wondering, "How can they not be done, or rather, not even close? What's left to peddle? They have no money and no players... no?" But these questions went largely ignored.

In the time since we've witnessed the monumental signings of Hassan Adams and Will Solomon. "That's it. We're done," says Bryan Colangelo.

Does this not prove that the fanbase may be if not better informed, then at least more realistic than both the media who cover the team and the management itself? Or did the words "Not even close" mean the Raptors were not even close to understanding how shorthanded the Jermaine O'Neal trade would leave them? If the answer implies that the Raptors made the trade on the basis of misinformation and/or a failure to anticipate how it would affect their other plans (i.e. no room under the tax to sign free agents, no expendable players left to make a trade, etc.), I think some people have a right to be concerned about the team's future as led by this group.

Or do you still argue the point?

Blogger's note: You can be concerned, elated, disgusted, overjoyed, I don't care and it's entirely up to you.
And the not done, not close to being done comment (and I believe this might not be the first time you've hammered me for it) was made once, on draft day, when they were absolutely trying to do something else. Didn't happen, but it didn't mean they weren't working and, when I wrote it, it looked lke something else may have been done. They had lots to peddle, actually. Players with expiring contracts, players other teams were calling about.
And, finally, you can be as realistic as you like but unless you're talking to general managers or coaches or players or scouts, you cannot be as informed. Opinionated, yes. Informed? Not a chance.

[Mike]

I hope league pass will show more raptor broadcasts, last year there were like 7 games total of raptors basketball broadcasting on league pass. Now that Jack is doing most of the analysis, league pass has to change. i'm sick of fox sports quality. the actual visuals and bias attitudes for the home team drives me insane. i was watching a philly broadcast verse the raptors last year and the color guy said that reggie evans has one of the best left hands in the league...HELLO!

[Blake Kennedy]

Geez, Doug: we've got the worst contract in the NBA sitting on our books in Jermaine O'Neal, and you're cracking on Charlotte for paying Okafor on average about 1/2 as much as we're paying J"Ow"? Come off it, dude. I would take Okafor at $12 million per 99 times out of 100 over JOw at $22 million.

Blogger's note: Call me in two years when O'Neal's off the books and Okafor's a financial albatross.