A little gridiron levity amid a trip; and no Steph

Seriously, can I not leave you people alone for one road trip? I go away for a couple of games and there’s a coup back home? Not that it’s a bad thing but, still, imagine the hit our image is taking.

Anyway, it does make for some zany times up in Ottawa, I guess. And you know I love the Ottawas.

And sorry I’m a wee bit late this morning, time zones, flights, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Here we go:

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What’s a team do on an off-day in L.A.? How about some work and some play.

I’m told by folks who witnessed it first hand that after a nice little workout at UCLA (Known to some of us as The School J. Kapono Built) a little cross-sports competition broke out.

Seems someone found a football in the gym they were working in and the predictable trash talking about “I can throw this farther than you” broke out.

Prime suspects, I’m told were Jamario Moon, who boasted of his arm strength, and Jermaine O’Neal, who was somewhat skeptical.

Well, this turns to that and the walk to the bus turns into a walk to a football field and, lo and behold, Moon lets loose a toss of about 75 yards, or so I’m told. And he silences the critics.

Second best arm? Joey Graham. Or so I’m told.

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Is it possible that the Knicks, with their mismanagement of the Stephon Marbury situation, are turning that dysfunction-causing team-killer into a sympathetic figure?

If they don’t watch out, they will.

What they should do is give him his money, send him on his merry way (with the wink and nod provision that he not sign with an Eastern Conference team) and move on.

The way they’ve handled this mess from the start is diminishing the reputation of Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni.

And somehow turning Marbury into the victim here.

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Still on Marbury.

I still don’t think he’s anywhere near a good fit in Toronto. He’s not going to be content as a backup, I can’t see the players accepting him as a starter over the well-respected Anthony Parker and Marbury’s like Ron Artest, eventually he’s going to screw up.

It’s just a matter of when.

And it’s not worth it. Not even close.

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Here’s one from the mail with some today relevance:

Q: Stepping away from raptor talk for a minute. How good has Chauncey Billups been for Denver. He might be a candidate for MVP this year! And how bad has AI been for Detroit! I just wanted to here your thoughts on where do you see the Nuggets ending up now in the west. A lot of writers earlier in the year had them not making the playoffs. do you still see this?

Mario A, Toronto

A: There is no question Chauncey’s been outstanding and it’ll be nice to talk to him in a couple of hours about it at shootaround but you’ve got to calm down with the MVP talk.

In their original form, I thought the Nuggets would be life and death to make the playoffs and while they still can’t withstand too many injuries ‘cause the bench is quite thin, I’ve got them now in that 5-10 group. That’s after the Lakers, Spurs, Rockets, and I think Utah will get it turned around when they get healthy.

But they are right there with New Orleans, Phoenix, Dallas and Portland and it’s going to be a wild finish to the season, I think.

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Speaking of trades, there’s a lot of e-mail chatter about the Raptors and Bulls. I’m not sure who threw what out as wild speculation but here’s what you should know. Luol Deng, a favourite of many of you, is a base-year compensation guy and virtually untradeable and certainly not without a third team getting involved and that’s always a dicey situation. We all know, and I’ve written many times, that the Raptors have some interest in Andres Nocioni but I don’t here much talk about that happening any time soon.

I know Bryan’s been in touch with probably every other GM in the league over the last little while seeing what’s out there (and he would have been doing that if the Raptors were 10-5) because that’s his job.

But something imminent? Nah.

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Here’s what’s going on with the Nuggets courtesy of the local fishwrap.

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Wanna help your friends in the States see the Raptors again. Apparently NBA.com runs this vote every Tuesday and Wednesday to let fans pick what game NBA-TV will show the following Tuesday. The Toronto-Cleveland game’s on this week’s ballot. Not sure what that means for folks at home, the game’s not on TSN2 or anything but maybe the people down here want a chance to see the lads.

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A question on the process:

Q: Love the blog. I go to about 6-8 games a year. I always try to pick the good teams (Boston, Portland etc) the problem as a die hard fan is that I see losses more than wins. I'm not sure if I am making good picks or just a sucker for punishment. My question is about press row. Howard B was talking pucks (on the FAN) and said he was at the Laker game in press row. Can any media dog go to any sporting event and sit in the primo seats with his or her press pass? This would be a big perk if you ask me? Could you go to the Lakers Celtics or the Stanly cup finals for free if you were so inclined?

Bob C, Hamilton

A: I saw Leaves Chronicler H. Berger myself on Sunday, nice to see him, he’s a good guy.

But it’s not like he was pushing a regular hoops reporter out of his seat, he applied for a credential and was granted one. It’s not like any of us can just show up and grab a seat, there’s a process of making a request and leaving it up to the home media relations maven to make a decision.

So, no, I couldn’t – or wouldn’t – show up at a hockey game or a baseball game or a football game without requesting a credential.

Comments

[Nullo]

just wondering about the 'here' for 'hear' (twice, both in an email you reproduced and in your answer to it). Is that how trends are born?

Seriously, I know that was your not-too-subtle way of humiliating the guy. Nice one! ;-)

Blogger's note: Or simply a stupid mistake on my part. Which is more likely

[Matty-Pix]

Mr. Doug Colangelo:
Stever Kerr is on the line:

Amare or Bosh?

Blogger's note: Bosh.

[Louis]

Any word yet on if JO is feeling fit to play tonight?

Blogger's note: No, it's still pretty early out here and they don't even have shootaround until 1 p.m. East.

[Amr]

Doug,

Would it be possible at your next media session to ask Sam about his thoughts on Marbury? Specifically, what was his experience playing with him? How did he fit in the locker-room etc?

I realize that Sam can't say much about the situation (tampering rules), but I'm interested in his thoughts on the guy, since he played with him...

Thanks,

Amr

[John]

Seriously? 39% of voters want to see the Lakers absolutely destroy the Kings? Why? Who enjoys that?

Doug, does your contract run through 2010? I'm worried about losing you.

[Eric]

I love the excuses surrounding the team. I hope to hear more of them! I loved Matt Devlin the other night in LA, "It doesn't get any easier with the Raptors going to Denver..." - somehow the Nuggets have now become the Lakers!! A team that got swept by the Lakers in the playoffs last spring- after barely qualifying in the first place- the same team that let Marcus Camby go for tax issues and traded away Allen Iverson, well I'll be darned! I guess the Raptors can expect to lose tonight, too, perhaps get blown out like last year's game at Denver when the Nuggets were laughing at them, and have an excuse ready for the post-game interviews. Far be it for us as fans to expect them to be competitive, to actually show real fire and not get pushed around like grade school brats. Nah... let's just expect another loss... go ahead and mail it in, guys! Don't want to put too much pressure on this 50-win team nearing the elite.

[Darko Dubajic]

So I just voted for TO-Cavs game and I see that 1st choice for now is LAL-Sac game. Will somebody please tell all these people that voted for that game, that Rebecca does not live here anymore, Vlade Pedja CWeb Bibby left long time ago. What is the fun watching Dleague team even vs Kobe.
Could you (probably again) tell us what is the diference in dollars for FA's of 2010 if they sign with their existing teams vs some new team say Bron with Knicks, just the contracts endorsments aside.

Blogger's note: Roughly, it works out to a year and about $30 million

[Tyler L]

Hey Doug,
Quick question when you mentioned that Luol Deng is a base year compensation guy what does that mean and why would it be so hard to trade him then?

Blogger's note: For trading purposes, the value of Deng's contract is actually half of what is on the books. It would make it impossible for Toronto to obtain him given their cap obligations.

[Andre]

Hey Doug, What would the Raptors have to give up for shawn Marion? Or do you think that BC is actually waiting for the summer to sign him? And do you think Barbosa is still available?
(One guy i wish the raps got with the O'neal trade was jeff foster. Love that guy)

Blogger's note: I have no idea whatsoever right now what Miami would want.

[Roll With Tha Clan]

NBA TV fan night is a not a great idea. even payton and c-webb don't understand it. lakers vs. a bunch of dogs, would be the game of the choice every tuesday. today its the lakers vs. pacers. the week before it was lakers vs. bulls, who wants to see that. payton seemed confused and concluded that the lakers are america's team.

[John]

I have to agree with the last commenter on why is the game leading LAL vs. SAC?? There are lots of better games out there that are going to come down to the wire. Why not vote for those games? I'm beating that LAL is on that list in just about the top spot every week. I think Raptors TV does a good job on picking up games, I wish more of the stations would pick some games up and TSN 2 does help at the moment because I have Rogers.....whom whom. I saw the score and TSN were picking up one or two games in the future which is good.

Oh ya, great job Doug. Your blog is a must read every morning and don't worry about being late this week, I got up late myself and didn't notice. lol But seriously excellent job, the last blog I read like this was the Swirks but you have taken the trophy. Keep up the great work.

[Matt]

Thanks for plugging the NBA TV poll Doug. The only problem is that the good folks at RealGM have been pushing thse hard each Tuesday the Raptors have been involved and it certainly seems rigged. The results never change, or only change once if theres been a lot of voting. Now normally I'd simply say - oh its the Lakers of course people will vote for them - however the fact it doesnt say the number of people voting and simply a stagnant percentage causes concern. Also the fcat that ESPN ran a similar contest and Raptors fans won at about 70%. You know the internet prowess of the Raptors truthers better than anyone and will now see that the NBA has no plans on having Toronto win this vote.

[eni]

man, I'm sick and tired of these Lakers fans. Every week they're gonna top the charts, no matter who they playing. I blame the asian influence (mostly chinese), we get it guys, Kobe is the best player, idolize him whatever, Lakers are sooo good...yada yada..., what you'd end up watching is Sasha, Farmar...Mbenga and the rest of them agaisnt one of the worst teams in the league right now. Would you not rather watch a more competitive/exciting game? I'm not suggestion the raptors - cavs, ...just anything but Lakers - Kings, please!
Although I have a feeling the Fan night crew will switch it to Cavs-Raps, just like they did with the Knicks-Cavs a couple of weeks ago.

[Milette]

Memoirs?

[jimmie]

Hey Doug;

Trade idea: Jamario or Joey to the Detroit Lions for Calvin Johnson. He's a little undersized for SF at 6-5, but he's fast and can leap. And the Lions could use the arm.

;-)

[Tim W.]

Why on earth would anyone in their right mind want Marbury on your team? He and Steve Francis are two perfect examples of Hall of Fame talent with D-League brains. It says enough when, despite them making more than $17 million a year and possessing the skills they have, teams would rather pay them to go away than to let them play. You think the Knicks would be negotiating a buyout with Jason Kidd or Steve Nash if they were on the roster instead of Marbury? Marbury has $20 million worth of expiring contract and teams and still can't get any takers. Anyone who still like him wonder why?

I was one who had heard about a Chicago-Toronto trade rumour. However much I like Nocioni, the last thing the Raptors need is another player who can't create his own shot. I'd rather `rent' Larry Hughes for two years. Too bad Deng is a BYC player. For some reason I was thinking he had signed an extension, so I thought the rumour sounded reasonable.

Speaking of trades, any chance the Raptors could get Travis Outlaw from the Blazers?

[GM]

This Marbury talk has got to die down. Marbury has never made any team he's on better. Sure, he's made himself better, but not the team. How many winning teams has he been on? One? He would be a horrible, horrible addition to the Raptors (or any team, for that matter). Yes, he's physically talented, but he doesn't have the mental skill set to help his teams.

I would hope our image isn't taking a hit at all, although with words like "coup" (albeit in jest), it ain't helping. For anyone who knows anything about the parliamentary system, this situation has always been a possibility. This independent website explains things better than I can: http://canadian-politics.com/CPWiki/tiki-index.php

[John Culligan]

Hey Doug, how good is Bynum on LA? I mean the kid is like 16 and from the few highlights I've seen, seems to be the real deal. As an insider who's seen him play, what's your take, and what's the opinion around the league?

Blogger's note: I've seen him once this year. Good looking player, strong, could have better hands but knows what he's doing on the post. Best thing? Surrounded by that cast of characters, he doesn't have to do much.

[Milette]

When are you going to write them?

Blogger's note: Ah, we're years away from that possibililty.

[papa]

hey doug, just read devlin's blog and he says JO is going to suit up tonight and try to help out. have you seen him at all? is he just talking trash and going to make things worse by going out there early?

I kind of feel bad for him that no one trusts him, but he is the guy that said he played through his injuries these past few years, and shouldn't have.

Blogger's note: Talked to him at shootaround, he says (as my story mentions) that he might not be 100 per cent but is going to give it a go. He knows he came back too early the first time so I'm pretty sure he's being extra cautious right now

[Serge Papineau]

A question about the base-year compensation thing. When you say that the Raptors' cap obligations make it near impossible to trade for a guy like Deng are you referring to the "obligations" imposed by MLSE or those imposed by the NBA's CBA?

Let's say player A is a BYC player and makes 10 million a year. Can a team that is right at the cap threshold trade player B who makes 5 million a year for him straight up as long as they're willing to pay the tax on the extra 5 million they're taking back?

Blogger's note: It's a CBA issue, not an MLSE issue. And no, they couldn't make that trade without having room to absorb the entire $10 million.

[Tan]

Hey Doug,

I just looked at our December schedule and it look's quite scary. We have another 7 or 8 game road trip coming and some tough games against some winning teams. Will you in one of the next few posts paint us some scenarios going into the new year. Also, I've read a report in the Metro today that Colangelo has been speaking with Riley. Must be at a serious level of discussion!

[Michael]

Hey Doug, How come no one asked Bosh to gain some weight? After the lakers game and last year playoffs with magic that Bosh had to face big center why he didn't try to bulk up? Bargnani didn't play good last year and he gained some weight. It seems he didn't lose a step and it helped his game. How much Bargnani gain? Do you think it's because Bosh will lose his speed if he gains weight? Also any news about BC get a solid wing player?

Blogger's note: Bosh is just fine. And no, no news on any moves, if there is, I'll let you know

[Mike D]

Doug,
Given that it sounds as if JO will be back tonight, what do you think of giving Joey a start at the three ?

I'm not jumping on any Joey bandwagon; but I wonder if the added confidence of being added to the starting line-up would help him, as the last stretch of good games he played was when he filled in for Garbo. Maybe he's the type of personality that thrives when he's given more confidence ?

And having AB off the bench could help balance out Chris' and JO's minutes a bit more. I think 36 for Chris and 30 each for AB and JO sounds fair and doesn't abuse either of them, although perhaps AB would get a few more of JO's until he is fully healed. Thoughts ?

Blogger's note: There's no way. Bargnani's been just fine as a starter and doesn't deserve to lose his spot to Joey.

[Mike D]

Hi Doug,
Just clarifying my question about Joey in the starting line-up in case I wasn't clear. It's by no means a knock against Bargs, his D at the three has surprised me more than anything.

It's more a thought towards trying to balance out the line-up. Bargs playing strictly the 4 and 5 gives better balance there and perhaps the team can play some games where CB does not have to play 42-44 minutes. Bargs being the first off the bench looks a heck of a lot better than Hump, Kapono, Joey or Moon. And Bargs could be more of a focal point on offense if he's replacing CB and JO. Joey seemed like the logical suggestion since Moon has not shown he deserves it back. Just food for thought of trying to maximize Bargs impact.

Do you think there's any chance Adams gets some run at any point in the near future ? Other than garbage time, just to see if there's anything there that he can offer off the bench.

Blogger's note: I see your point about Joey but the way Bargnani's been going, and the way Joey and Kapono have been going, I think they stay with what they've got.l Adams? I think he's the last small off the bench for now. And I don't see that changing. He really doesn't have anything they aren't already getting