The fight wasn't a fit and the mess that is the Hawks

AARON LYNETT/TORONTO STAR

It's a little slow around the Raptors right now - except for Jason Kapono, who's attending a different kind of dance competition.

Pretty boring times around the Raptors these days; the breathless wait for the 13^th man on a 13-man roster goes on, Moon and Kapono are gonna be in town and, yes, Andrea Bargnani is actually in a gym in Las Vegas.

So ...

Guess we’ll have to find other stuff warm the cockles of your minds, and give me something to do waiting out rain delays at the golfing course.

Lots of mail for tomorrow so we’ll toss a few in today to stretch this little missive out.

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Was watching that WNBA fracas – again – and it comes to mind that maybe it’s not a bad thing. It certainly wasn’t a “fight”, it was more like a brouhaha, a skirmish, maybe a contretremps or an incident.

But it did get the masses chattering about the league and that can’t be a bad thing.

As regular readers – both of you – will know, I don’t mind WNBA basketball at all and if there are a few converts after that set-to, that’s cool.

I’m not a proponent of fisticuffs on a basketball court before anyone goes off half-cocked and thinks that was a fight, take another look, some pushing and shoving, sure. Fighting? Not so much.

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Oh, oh.

Sixers sign Royal Ivey, taking another one off the list of possible 13^th men. And the Spurs traded Jason Hart so there’s another one gone. Hmm, the ranks are dwindling even further for that coveted spot.

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Hey, Canada’s under-18 women open the world qualifier in Argentina yesterday by drubbing Brazil and probably only needs a couple more wins in the round-robin portion of the six-country tournament to qualify for next year’s world championships.

And since the men have already qualified, getting the women there, too, will be a big boost for the future of the programs. The more games more kids play in grand world stages, the better equipped they’ll eventually be to deal with games with the senior national team.

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Here’s an oldie from the mail:

Q: It seems imminent that Igoudala is going to sign with Philly. Making them one of the early favourites along with Boston and Detroit (who are looking at Tracy McGrady via trade). To pole vault Toronto from that second tier of teams in the east (Toronto, Orlando, Cleveland, Washington), don’t you think BC has to do something like move Bargnani and another player for a SG? or is the plan not to win this year and wait on Bargnani's development after 3 yrs of experience?

Andrew A, Mississauga

A: You’re absolutely right, there is a big secret plan known only to the highest levels of MLSEL, and me, to not win this year. At all.

Seriously, Philly hasn’t signed Iguodala, may lose Louis Williams to Golden State and, while Brand is good, he’s coming off injury and no one knows how he’ll play with Dalembert.

Detroit hasn’t traded for Tracy McGrady, in fact, every report I’ve read in the last few days suggests that was never going to happen.

Boston still has the Big Three and is the overwhelming favourite to repeat, I think.

And, since I presume you’re a regular reader here, you know I’m not going to suggest trading Bargnani is a good idea. Let’s say, for the sake of your argument, they do deal him for a SG. So, you’re stronger at SG and weaker at PF-C. Make a big difference? I don’t think so.

I say let this team actually, you know, play a game or two before thinking about making moves.

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Do the Atlanta Hawks have a clue?

Nope.

Just when you thought maybe they were “getting it” with a pretty good young team that had some playoff experience and seemed ready to grow, they low-ball Josh Childress and watch him walk to Greece and they really haven’t made enough significant overtures to Josh Smith to make me think he’s ready, or willing, to sign some long-term contract.

That kind of mismanagement is going to get them right back where they were about a year ago, a perennial laughingstock with no hope of becoming even a middling Eastern Conference team.

Ownership’s a muddle – two fractious groups can’t find a way to make one or the other go away ; a new GM has, so far, botched the two most important things he had to do this summer; and Mike Woodson, who’s really an uninspiring coach in my opinion, has a new contract extension.

Welcome back, Hawks.

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More mail, which I think clears up most of the weekend stuff from last week and let’s me soldier on to deal with the bunch of letters in there now:

Q: I haven’t seen any footage from Vegas this year, but looking at the box scores, is Jawai's low personal fouls not impressive? With him being 280 lbs I was expecting Bargnani-ish numbers there.

Johah G, Richmond Hill

A: I wouldn’t read anything at all into summer league stats, especially fouls because the officiating, to put it in the kindest possible terms, is spotty at best.

Bargnani-ish numbers? Hope you’re not referring to summer league numbers because he’s never actually played in one.

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Hey, check out Kapono’s big gig on the weekend: Guest judge at the Dance Pak auditions. Tough life. Fitting choice. He’s a pretty good schmoozer. And maybe he knows a thing or two about dancing.

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You know, I don’t mind covering golf ‘cause they don’t play at night and there’s never any deadline pressure but this whole ‘sit out the thunder and lightning delay in a tent’ stuff is a wee bit troubling.

Right behind the media tent out at the Abbey there’s this crane, I believe for TV satellite use, that stretches about 100 feet in the air.

I’m not a meteorologist, and I don’t have too much specific knowledge about such things, but I’m guessing a 100-foot steel crane in a lightning storm is not something I should be sitting next to.

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Oh yeah, that Canada-US game Friday (take the States, give the 45) is live on one of The World Wide Leader networks at 8 (if you find yourself in some local watering hole that has access to stuff like that) and then it’s going to be shown tape-delayed on The Score at 10 p.m.

It’ll be the last chance to see this national team, and I presume a handful of players on it, in action.

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Not sure if we'll have a full mail bag tomorrow or maybe a regular blog and then do the mail for Saturday. Guess it depends what I get up to sitting out rain delays at the Abbey.

Comments

[Jon]

And replying to Ryan's comment:

"I have to wonder if Boston really should be considered the favourite just because they won. Considering how much intensity and effort went into that entire season for them, there's no way they can match that again. They won't fall off, and probably will retain number 1, but I don't think the gap between Boston and the rest of the East is as far as everyone is currently saying.

I'm not saying Toronto will take the number 1 spot, but teams know that it's a wide open race this year. Anyone can take the crown of the East."

As of now, Detroit's another year older, Celtics are another year older, Cavs haven't done anything and Lebron's nearing his peak. Magic haven't done anything either (By doing something, I mean switching a few players). Magic haven't done anything and Wizards are better without Gil-Zero. Well really, when it's all said and done, I don't think anyone's going to beat the Celtics in the East this season and it's another year of the Eastern Conference getting worse. I think both the Pacers and Bulls will be able to obtain a playoff spot this season.

[Dennis]

Ok, I think he gets the hint on the goof-up, chaps.

Though I'm pretty sure Hoffa racked up the fouls while he was here. When in doubt, refer to Hoffa for on-court misfortune.

[jk]

Hart went from the Jazz to the Clippers, you lazy hack....

Blogger's note: Whew!!! Here I thought we'd never be blessed with your intelligent, sophisticated contribution to legitimate discussion here! I had feared in the deepest part of my being that you'd gone somewhere where you could sit back, spread your unique brand of name-calling cheer -- quite anonymously and without any fear that anyone would, you know, call you on it.
Thank goodness that didn't happen.'

[R.J.]

No Royal Ivey ....no Jason Hart ...welcome back Juan Dixon

[Geeve]

It is Utah that traded Hart. You must still be reminiscing of his Spurs days a few years ago. I guess the Clips saw something in him before the Raps did, or the Raps were unwilling to part with Joey to get Hart back and making them sign a wing instead of a combo-guard. Oh well, he's an FA after next season and I'm sure if we have some room under the tax we can go after him for 2008-2009 (if he doesn't have a good season now and ask for mid-level money HA!)

[Eric]

Delfino leaving removes some clutter at the wing positions. No one got a chance to settle in much last year, except maybe Moon, who appeared at little TOO settled at times.
To me, though, I'd much rather have kept Delfino than Kapono. Maybe the playoff gunner will keep it going, but for most of the year Kapono was a non-force offensively and a key reason why their perimeter defense was so bad.
Delfino WAS erratic, but was good enough defensively to close out games, could take it too the rack and wasn't that much behind Kapono shooting threes.
He's gone because Kapono had a contract and he didn't. Sometimes the best signing is one you don't make. Kapono's signing was meant to strengthen the team, but because we couldn't afford to keep both of them, Delfino had to go.
I'd much rather start the season with Delfino. He seemed light years ahead of Juan Dixon as a point guard, if that's who the new (?) combo guard turns out to be and I'd rather have him at SF than Jason.
Hope he shoots the lights out and makes a liar out of me, but I can't see him starting and guarding SF or SG's with any degree of success. The interior defense BETTER be better.

[Snowman]

I totally know Bargnani played in the Summer League his first year, Im 100% percent sure on that.

[yertu damkule]

aren't they really looking to sign the '12th' man, since we all know that, eventually, joey's going to end up as the 13th?

[Nicholas Collard]

No mistake escapes the Wiki generation!

Whoa ... Michael Jordan is now a Clipper! (I keeeeeeed)

[Serge Papineau]

Would the Raptors really bring back Dixon after they parted "less than amicably" last season? I seem to recall BC stating that he didn't want players who didn't want to be in Toronto. I never liked Dixon, he's undersized, can't defend and jacks up a ton of bad shots early in the clock. I hope they go another route.