Of AP and distant Sam memories and more TV troubles

It’s a crappy, snowy, sleety, slushy, yucky day here in Jersey. (Yes, that’s a tad out of the norm). How’s everyone back home?

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Parker takes charge in so many ways that help the Raptors.

Good? Cool.

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So, how valuable has Anthony Parker become? Is he now virtually untradeable?

I’d say that’s probably true.

Bryan Colangelo was dead set against trading the veteran six weeks ago – he loves is leadership, his role in the locker room, he likes the fact Parker’s contract expires at the end of this season – and AP’s emergence as the team’s backup point guard and starting shooting guard just adds more reasons why they can’t let him go.

If these guys harbour any hopes of making the playoffs – and I think that’s a legitimate hope for the rest of this season – I think you have to put AP on the list with Jose, Bosh and Bargnani of guys they can’t deal.

And that, of course, diminishes the chances of any trade significantly since I don’t think teams are lining up to make serious offers of good players for guys like Jamario, Joey and Jason.

What’s that leave? JO as the only one who could be moved for someone, or a package, that could help.

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I could almost hear Sam talking when we were standing around after practice yesterday.

The chat turned to this week and the importance of the games with New Jersey and Milwaukee and while no one said the words “must win” you know they were on people’s minds.

And in the distant echoes of my mind (there’s lots of space in there for echoes, by the way), I could hear that drawl:

“Must win? What if you don’t win? Is the next game a ‘must, must, must win?’”

Sam did have a point. Yes, games like these are big but, no, the season isn’t over if they don’t win them. It makes things harder, yes; ruin the year? Not so much.

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Checking into the Newark airport Marriott yesterday (it’s one of the staples on the circuit ‘cause there’s not a lot of options around these parts) brought back trade memories that bear repeating here given what’s going on with JO and Marion and the Raptors and Heat.

I checked the handy, dandy media guide and on the evening of Nov. 21, 2003 I checked in (could be the same room) and began tracking down the veracity of a story that broke earlier that day that said Antonio Davis would be traded to the Chicago Bulls.

It sounded like a deal was imminent but a couple of GMs and agents told me it wasn’t going to happen that night. But, as one said, “be patient, if it got as far as getting out, it’s 99 per cent going to happen.”

It took until Dec. 1 for the deal to get finalized but the initial reports were bang on.

Sometimes these things take time to be finalized and as I was told by someone in the upper echelons of Raptorland the other day “be patient.”

That’s advice I’ll pass on.

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A quick question that apparently I must answer:

Q: Hey Doug - you gotta answer this one! When Jose is shooting free throws in practice, does he ever miss? Any idea what his record is for consecutive free throw makes is when he is just in the gym working on his shot? You should ask him next time you get a chance.

Steve J, Toronto

A: I have seen Jose miss a free throw after practice. Not many, mind you, but some have bounced out. And I haven’t specifically asked him about how many in a row he’s made but I’d be shocked if he actually counted.

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This has nothing to do with basketball but I’m doing you a favour.

John Updike died yesterday, a tremendous loss for literature. Go now, or sometime today, and read his story, “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” from the archives of The New Yorker.

It’s generally considered one of the greatest sports stories ever written and you should read it if you haven’t.

I know, I know, it’s not some Raptors-Bobcats gamer from November but it’s pretty darn good.

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What’d Dave write today? Check it out here.

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Oh yeah, this is a TSN2 game tonight, remember? Just sayin’.

And since they are dawdling like no one can believe over there – I wonder when they last had serious discussions on this fiasco – someone might want to bring this up.

If there are playoffs, they’ll be held at the same time as the NHL playoffs, as we all know, and if there’s a conflict between TSN carrying a Stanley Cup game or an NBA playoff game, which one do you think gets relegated to TSN2?

I have no idea if that’ll happen – it’s impossible to see those schedules this far out – but I’m putting in your minds now so you can start hammering both sides a wee bit more.

(Not that that works, of course, because fans and viewers apparently count for nothing to Rogers, TSN or Maple Leaf Sports in this despicable exercise)

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Finally, from the mail:

Q: Dougie-boy. I absolutely love the blog. I read it regularly and you are converting my 16-year-old to read it too, especially with your "chicken" mascot wisecracks. Anyhoo, on to my question. Will Solomon? what happened beyond the obvious(that he is really not a NBA-ready back up point guard)? I have not read anything regarding his being lost to the end of the bench, I am just curious. Believe me I am more then fine him staying there, as Roko has so much more potential and AP is doing yeoman’s work as back up. Just looking for Triano's explanation. Thanks and keep up the great work on this.

Bill M, St. Catharines

A: Finally, someone appreciates the Chicken stuff. And I will say that anything that encourages teens to read more is a good thing (Got that, teens?)

Anyhoo …

What happened with Will is this: He’s a 1 1-2 guard, not a true point, not a big enough threat to be a steady two and Jay just likes the way the team’s offence runs in the 10, 14 minutes he’s got AP out there directing traffic. It’s not a huge slight against Will (some of us figured from Day 1 that he’d struggle running an NBA offence with regularity), it’s just a simple fact.

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I’m hearing on the news this morning that LeBron was going on and on about Mo Williams’s 43-point game Tuesday night being some kind of “statement” game for Williams and his all-star hopes.

Too bad coaches votes had to be in by 3 p.m., about four hours before tip-off.

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Speaking of TSN2, remember that if you can’t watch, the next best thing (even if you can watch, you should do this anyway) is to check out our in-game blog. And I’m told that the good folks at Coveritlive have worked out, or are working out, a Blackberry friendly version of the thing that could very well be up and running before the 7:30 p.m. start.

See you then.

Comments

[Michael]

Regarding Anthony Parker, I like him as possibly a longer-term solution to the backup point problem, at least so long as Roko Ukic can keep getting 10 minutes or so a game to continue his development. It reminds me of the championship Pistons teams that essentially used three guards for almost every minute of every game, with Dumars switching to the point when Vinnie Johnson came in, and Isiah Thomas playing point with Johnson on the court sometimes, too.

The second Bulls threepeat had a similar rotation, with Jordan, Harper and Kerr (though they admittedly had Pippen and Kukoc to handle the ball, too. And they had Jordan.)

Not that Jose, AP and say Jason Kapono quite measures up to Isiah, Dumars and Johnson (though I bet Jose would make a better GM than Isiah after he retires!)

[Bill Wong]

"Sorry for the rant but I just can't understand how supposedly major corporations could screw things up this badly for so long with no end in sight. It is truly astonoshing."

York University?

[Bball]

Doug, while I certainly like AP and agree that he would be a useful player for this team if they want to strive to make the playoffs this season, for all of the reasons you have expressed (ie. good team guy, plays defense, can play the backup point guard and has an expiring contract), AP's trade value may never be higher. In my opinion, the team absolutely has trade AP since this team has holes that need to be addressed and JO and AP are 2 of the only real bargaining chips that this team has to offer in a trade - since they won't trade Bosh, Calderon and Bargnani. AP is an aging player. If the Raptors can get either a young player with AP's talent or a mid 1st round pick for Parker I think they absolutely have to do that trade. The long term gains to be gained by an AP trade far exceed the short term gain that MIGHT get them into the playoffs with his contributions.

[Mike kovacs]

Doug that Updike story was a treat to read. It painted an excellent picture and was full of words you don't see too often anymore - adjectives and adverbs! I can only imagine in this age of emails and texting that a story like that would get edited down to a rather boring report.

[City Country]

Just got off the phone with Rogers. Feeding out major lies. To me what makes this problem OVER THE TOP is not just that Rogers hasn't picked up TSN2 yet, but that their position/news on the matter is the exact same statement as in November, 'negotiations are ongoing', and not a single tidbit of info otherwise. At least give us a fair, honest update after 3 months instead of a lying, outdated, copypaste answer. To me that's where they are REALLY disrespecting the customer, and what I was really challenging them on.

Oh, and notably their attitude has changed. Last week I called for the first time and got the 20% discount and the guy was all friendly and empathetic. This time, knowing I'd already gotten my token discount and they had nothing else to offer me to divert my attention, they were very rude, defensive, hostile, and ignorant (i.e. "I can't believe anyone cares so much about one channel" and "that may be what you think but I can assure you you don't speak for anyone else").

Sigh.

[Anthony]

No other team in the NBA has their own network outside Toronto. We pay for the privilege and then they have the audacity to parcel out 25 games to TSN, with no consideration as to where it would be shown.

I already pay for Raptors TV, Season Tix and cable premium channels. When is enough enough.

This is a joke and no one is taking responsibility.

[Proud Canadian]

I'm surprised Jalen Rose took the dirty Canadian money when he was here and didn't give it back. He should have just refused to come, like all the all Canada hating idiots like Carter, TMac and Mourning.

Blogger's note: Carter didn't hate Canada, he hated Raptor (mis)management.

[Mike H]

D. Smith live blogging on my crackberry!?!? This is the next best thing since sliced bread! Please provide more details on how this works. I know your technological IQ isn't as great as your basketball IQ, but please ask your I.T. guy or the coveritlive folk to explain.

Can't wait!

Blogger's note: Far as I can tell, just dial up our site and proceed as usual

[C. French]

Doug, question for you regarding fines and suspensions...I just read an update that Gerald Wallace experienced a partial lung collapse as well as a fractured rib based on the collision he had with Mount Bynum! In my mind, Bynum surely has to be punished by this, intentional or not, whether he had position or it was a "clean hit", the outcome is pretty severe as Wallace will expectedly miss some games.

My question, whether you agree with my opinion above or not, has there ever been an incident where a player's suspension or punishment coincided with the injured parties status...for instance, should Wallace miss 3 weeks, can the league impose a suspension on Bynum for the amount of time the injured player misses. Obviously I can't see it occurring for this situation and would likely be for something much more serious but is there any precedent like this?

Thanks for your time!

PS - do you think they're waiting on pulling the trigger on trading O'Neal (to any team) until after Friday's bobble head night?!?!?! Could they repaint the number to represent Jawai or Graham bobble head night?

Blogger's note: Haven't seen the play but there's no way precedent for the scenario you asked about.

[SY]

BBall,

I totally agree with you, Ap and Moon + 2nd round pick for Outlaw and Fernandez. Seems to work salary wise. Portland gets some veteran they need and we can some good young players. Fernandez & Calderon same team again. We resign Rasho and Parker this coming summer. Sweet!

-SY

[Matt G]

I just called Rogers. The person was polite but she was only able to shed a little more light on the situation than I had previously heard. She said the negotiations were tied to the a scheduled cable fee increase in March and TSN was waiting to see what share of that increase they received for TSN prior to commiting to any arrangements on TSN2. Regardless, it's all bullsh*t. I think MLSE needs to bite the bullet, yank the games of TSN2 or accept a reduced rate from TSN2 and simulcast them on Raptors TV.

[Darko Dubajic]

CITY COUNTRY, thank you for the tip (idea) re;Rogers.
Got me a 20% discount over next 12 months.
We should all get together to watch Raptors when on TSN2 in some bar, and call it tsn2 party sponsored by Rogers.
Saved me over $300, which should last me couple-3 games in the bar.
Ofcourse, Doug should be guest of honour and we can be LIVE part of his live blog.

[Adil]

What's a more irrelevent record: most consecutive FTM by a player or most consecutive games with at least 1 3PTM by a team?

[bballer]

why do people say that steve francis is a bad locker room guy. from reading houston papers the players and the fans loved him. they still ask for him to come back. just b/c francis didn't want to play in vancouver was his choice. get over it.

btw, i noticed that brand may be on the trading block according to espn. don't know how reliable they are. but again, i must admit i was wrong about him fitting in after the injury. don't gm's check out guys b4 signing them to mega contracts? and wasn't the gm aware of the style he wanted his team to play b4 signing a player? some gm's just acts as if this is fantasy league bball. after all that, cheeks was fired b/c he couldn't incorporate brand into the offense? the gm is the one who needs to get fired. maybe billy king wasn't that bad after all since this team is his construction aside from mareese speights. i'm just saying.

enjoy the game and the swamp doug, since we can't. i should cancel my cable and just watch everything online! lol

[brad]

Does anyone know any pubs downtown that show the raps game??

Blogger's note: Harbour Sports Grille, tell 'em I sent you

[GM]

"What's a more irrelevent record: most consecutive FTM by a player or most consecutive games with at least 1 3PTM by a team?"

I'd say the 3-point record. I'm just surprised the next best team is so far behind because I read all the boxscores every night and I can't remember the last time I saw a team go 0-fer from 3-point land.

The free throw record may not be relevant, but it's impressive because it's only one guy. And it makes watching free throws fun.

[gdr]

RE: TSN2
I just called Rogers, they offered me the Super Sports Pak for 3 months free but said "we are still in negotiations over TSN2" How does the Super Sports Pak let me watch the Raps? IT DOESN'T! If I were a Clippers fan I would be able to watch more of their games than the local team, does that seem right?

[CARLoS M.]

"The free throw record may not be relevant, but it's impressive because it's only one guy. And it makes watching free throws fun."

I agree GM. Its fun cheering for a Raptor record for something this year.

[Aaron J.]

Just called Rogers to threaten cancellation of my services and they didn't offer me anything, eventhough I told them I was going to Bell. As of right now, my sevices will be disconnected at the end of February. How did you guys get a 20% discount?

[Andrew]

in December I told the Raptors that I was canceling my season tickets for next year if the TSN2 issue was not fixed. My rep told me that he was in the same boat and assured me it would be fixed soon. It is nearly the all star break and nothing is even being discussed. MLSE should be ashamed but at least this happened in a year the Raps stink. missed games has been a gift this season.

[Darko Dubajic]

AaronJ,
what can I tell you, natural charmer...Joking aside,
told them that I've been client of theirs since MaCLeanHunter days, not happy with this TSN 2 crap, mention Bell and at the end asked them point blank for a "gesture of good will from Rogers to old client". Guy came back (probably had to ask for approval) and said 20 % for the next 12 months.
SY,
if you get EITHER Outlaw or Rudy for AP and Moon, you've done well. Do yourself a favour and do not propose trades like that.
That sounds like one on ESPN today: JO for Pedja, MoPete and Dorell Wright.

[Erc]

Updike story was a gem. Like Yogi once asked about Hemingway, "what paper does he work for?"