Oh yeah, we've got some Sunday mail for you

You wanted mail? We’ve got mail.

Tons of it, dating all the way back to 2008 as a matter of fact.

Read all the way through, though, there’s some good stuff in here.

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Q: A non-Raptor question for a change. Let's talk jerseys. Specifically, the famous #23. Jordan immortalized it and we've seen several NBA players wear it since. Obviously they were fans as kids (weren't we all?) and had the number in high school and maybe even college (I remember on my high school team that only our star leaper/swingman was even allowed to request the '23'; as a reserve big man I found surprisingly little competition for '34' as my homage to Barkley and Hakeem.... but I digress...) My question is two fold: 1) Should the league have retired the number? (I believe the NHL did so with #99 after Gretzky left) 2) Of all the players to wear the 23 since, who absolutely should not have? As LeBron becomes more of an icon and truly special player, it would've been nice to see him wear another number (I now see the 23 inspiring a whole new generation of kids). My vote for worst one to wear it has to go to Marcus Camby. What in his mind makes him think anything about his game is Jordan-esque? Thanks so much as always for your phenomenal work (the in game blogs are a gem).

Jawad R, Unionville

A: I don’t thing retiring the number league-wide would be cool, or necessary. In fact, I think Miami retiring it was a bit over the top.

I think baseball retiring No. 42 leauge-wide was a stroke of genius, and that’s about the only kind of case I could live with, someone who did something so phenomenal and earth-changing that he has to be honoured in some way.

Of the No. 23s? Jeez, I wish I could think of them all but maybe Marcus would be on the list.

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Q: Just wanted to ask if there was a rule that exempted JO from tucking his XXXXL into his shorts, because I can distinctly remember many occasions when refs wouldn't allow a player onto the court until he tucked in his jersey. Thanks!

Thomas C, Markham

A: Players who try to enter the game with their shirts untucked are given delay-of-game warnings; if it happens during the course of play, they are just reminded to tuck them in.

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Q: Flashback to the 2006 draft and say Toronto doesn't win the lottery, but still manages to draft Bargnani (i.e. 2nd or 3rd overall). Does the evaluation of his progress to this point change drastically now that he wasn't selected 1st overall? Would he still have the rep of being somewhat of a bust (so far, at least)?

Bryan L, Toronto

A: Sure, the stigma of being No. 1 has a lot to do with the feelings fans have for Bargnani. It’s wrong, in my opinion, but it’s a fact.

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Q: You answered a question regarding what separates truly great players and champions from other players in pro sports - will. I agree totally. My question is do teams typically use sports psychologists or motivational coaches (like an Anthony Robbins type - I'm being serious) to help their players? And if not, why not? I'm not suggesting that you can turn every player into a Michael Jordan, but given that there is very little that separates these players athletically, why not work with each player to help them improve their ability to vision success on the court? Like Bargnani for example.

Dan L, Winnipeg

A: I presume there’s still some stigma attached to seeking professional help. I also think where you see sports psychologists work best is in individual sports – golf, tennis, Olympic sports – and I’m not sure how they’d do in a true team dynamic where there are so many other variables to deal with.

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Q: A quick one for the mailbag or the blog. Do the other teams in the NBA have a specialty TV channel like RapsTV? I assume in the US there is NBA-TV but are there local affiliates in each market similar to what we have here? Thanks.

Gordon P, St. John’s

A: No, as a 24-7 operation devoted – allegedly – to one team, Raptors TV stands alone.

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Q: San Francisco with Jack Armstrong sounds dangerous.

Ah, back to reality.

So the Raptor faithful want a trade. I'm wondering what value any of the Toronto players have in the NBA pecking order. Bargnani as an example would be worth =? Could you give us a brief rundown of who/comparable talent that any of the tradeable Raptors could be dealt for? (You may include/not include contracts as I realize this would further complicate the issue). Happy New Year Doug

Kevin M, Maple

A: There’s really no telling what anyone’s “worth” but I will tell you that on the trip out west after Christmas, I had two scouts and one GM tell me that Bargnani is highly-coveted by a lot of teams. And that’s why I don’t think he’ll be traded.

A pecking order? If I had to put on a GMs hat from another team, and taking Bosh and Calderon out of the equation, it’d be Bargnani, expiring contracts of Parker and Graham, O’Neal, Kapono and Humphries n that order. Of course, other GMs may not all think that way.

And yes, Jack and the Buena Vista is not only dangerous but a whack of fun.

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Q: I know you’re a fan of Sean Marks, as am I since he comes from my humble country, but do you think he would be a good pick for Toronto to try and sign in the offseason? He's a solid rebounder and has played for championship contenders for a while now (Spurs, Suns and now the Hornets) so he'd have a lot of experience.

Harry J, Auckland, NZ

A: I don’t know, are the allowed to have a Kiwi and an Aussie (Jawai) on the same team? I joke.

Yes, I like Sean a lot, as a guy and as a player and he’s been a good piece on every team he’s played on. But as a backup here? I don’t know. I think they’d want someone younger.

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Q: Thanks for taking the time to post live updates to your blog. I find them the perfect compliment to watching the game with a fine brew. I have a few questions about coaches in the NBA i) Why can't coaches be traded? Does their contract contribute against the teams salary cap? ii) Why are there no solid metrics to judge the performance of coaching? (such as; Out of timeout conversions, on-the-floor lineup +/-, or most comical?) Is Coaching really as cut-and-dry as a winning percentage?

Jeremy D, Kawartha Lakes

A: There’s nothing to say coaches can’t be traded, except that it limits the pool of possibilities if one team is thinking of making a change and, no, the salaries do not count against the cap or the tax.

I would imagine the metrics you talk about are more anecdotal than anything but maybe someone should chart every possession of every game. Won’t be me, though.

And coaching is not as cut-and-dried as winning percentage at all, in my opinion. Was Doc Rivers a bad coach in Orlando and all of a sudden a good on in Boston? Did Larry Brown turn from bad to good when he went from Philly (Finals) and Detroit (championship) to New York and Charlotte?

The “best” coaches have the best talent.

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Q: Doug, let's say at the end of the season Colangelo decides to bring in a new coach, does this mean Triano goes back to lead assistant? Obviously, MLSE can't give Triano the pink slip .. can they? Stranger things have happened in Toronto!

Talha A, Mississauga

A: MLSE can, and will, do whatever its little money-making heart wants but Bryan did say the day he hired Jay that he hoped he’d be in the organization in some way for years to come.

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Q: Doug, we love your blog out west! I've noticed in recent games that Alex English and Mike Evans have moved down the bench. It appears Jay Triano has brought in some of "his guys" to assist him on the bench. Can we read that Alex/Mike are on their way out? Has this contributed to any negative team chemistry at all?

Brent M, Calgary

A: The only guy added to the staff was Micah Nori and he was actually on it as the advance scout and he’s at more games now. Gord Herbert moved from the second row to the bench.

Now, the contracts of Alex and Mike expire at the end of the season and no one knows what the future holds but there’s been no chemistry issues on the staff since the change.

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Q: Hey Doug, quick question regarding JO. It is theoretically possible that JO could opt out of his contract this summer and re-sign for a one year deal of about 10-12 million. This would give Colangelo flexibility this upcoming summer while still allowing a fair amount of money to come off the books for 2010. Is this scenario likely, considering JO states to care more about winning at this point in his career?

Dave I, Welland

A: Yes, it’s theoretically possible, but it’s also theoretically possible that some stranger will stop by my doorstep and give me a $10-12 million contract.

Ask yourself what kind of fool would give away $13 million? Certainly no one I can think of.

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Q: Doug, I have quite a few questions for you so feel free to answer whatever you can/want:

1) If you were a GM in 2 years from now, wouldn’t you try and sign Amare before Chris? People are always saying it’s the James, Wade, Bosh free agent class, but is there consensus as to which of Amare or Chris is the better player? The stats seem similar but Amare always struck me as the faster more athletic guy with some good playoff experience (and they both have had knee problems). Other than being part of a different draft class, why is he not mentioned in the same breath as the others?

2) I know all professional basketball players are in good shape (except maybe Eddy Curry) but in watching the raptors, they seem to always be out of breath (sometimes even in the first 3 mins of the game). Is there any sense that poor conditioning during training camp or between games is the cause or at least contributing to the Raptors squandering leads or at least getting off to fast starts only to fold down the stretch? In BC’s first training camp as GM I remember Sam saying he was going to work on the players conditioning by having them run like never before. Was this year’s training camp the same or did he take it easy on the guys?

3) When very good professional golfers can’t put 4 good rounds together in a tournament, they turn to sports psychologists to help them with mental aspects of the game and how to cope with pressure of playing the final two rounds. Do the Raptors have any sports psychologists on staff? If not, perhaps they need to bring one in to chat with the guys :)

Greg S, Toronto

A: I’ll get to them all quickly.

I would always take Chris Bosh over Amare Stoudemire, a guy whose game is predicated solely on power without shooting range or versatility. That lack of versatility, and the fact he was very much (in the mind of many) a product of Steve Nash is why you don’t hear his name with LeBron, Wade or Bosh.

I don’t think conditioning is an issue. Training camp was a bit less strenuous than usual because of the fewer numbers of bodies but by 33 games into the season, they’re in shape.

No, they don’t have a sports psychologist on staff but if anyone wanted one, they’d have one.

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Q: Now that Sam is gone do you know if his tailor (Ross I believe) is still dressing any of the players or coaches? I don't see Jay with the same level of style but then again he can probably get his size off the rack and doesn't need custom.

James B, Barrie

A: I haven’t seen Ross around the arena since that fateful day in early December. Maybe he set up a shop in Atlanta.

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Q: I know you're a big Bosh supporter, and feel that he can be (and was) a leading contributor on a successful team. But is it not looking more and more like he's a Shareef Abdur-Raheem (with slightly better defense) type guy? ie. Good numbers on a bad team. A guy who would make a nice second fiddle but not really in the top tier of franchise players? Not that I'm suggesting the Raptors trade him, but just wanted to know your opinion.

Jack C, Ajax

A: Huh? Shareef, a nice guy, never played a single playoff game in his entire career, I don’t remember him ever making a big shot to win a game in the fourth quarter and Bosh, despite whatever flaws he may have, is exponentially better.

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Q: What future first round picks have the Raptors lost due to trades? Is the upcoming draft supposed to hold "franchise changers" and/or is it believed to be a deep draft?

Jesse S, Thornhill

A: Right now, they have every first round pick for the rest of history. And this draft is considered, at the moment, quite weak.

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Q: I know this might get lost in the pile of game day emails, but i will give it a try anyways. I was just watching highlights on nbadraft.net and just realized that Brandon Jennings is playing in Rome. Could euroleague become a realistic alternative to college for North American players? The money would be a definite temptation.

Jonah G, Guelph

A: I think it’s absolutely going to be a more viable option in the future, especially if the NBA tries to raise the eligibility age in the next collective bargaining agreement. But I wonder how many EuroLeague teams are going to want teenage Americans? That’s going to be more of an issue in my mind than if American kids want to go there.

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Q: Yo Doug! Let’s get right to it! You’ve probably heard that Nash prefers only 3 teams when he becomes a FA in 2010 and the Raps are one of them. If the Raps do decide to make a run at him, does that mean that he will have to play back-up to Jose, and will he be asking for a max contract? Or is he in a point in his career wherein he won’t mind a "decent" salary? Also, if Bosh does decide to leave, would it be better to have Nash and Amare here in TO?? I think that would just be awesome, don’t you think?

Tobi B, Markham

A: No NBA team in the league is going to pay Steve Nash a maximum value contract at age 36. So, yes, I think he’ll take a pay cut.

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Q: Well, now we know what would happen if the Raps played like they can for a whole 48 minutes, if only it happened more often over the last month. I, like many fans, am waiting for the other shoe to drop. To your knowledge which is most likely: 1. O'Neal to team that needs a push to the upper level (my guess the Heat or Bulls) 2. expiring contracts (around 9.1 or so I think) 3. underperforming pieces (Hump, Kapano) for underperforming pieces/bad fit pieces Also, two ex-Rap questions: a. Is TJ going to be #1 pg on his team only to be unseated by his back up (Bucks kind of, Jose, now Jack) going to be his career path? b. Charlie V. Rumour going to Thunder, good fit? (actually, CV going to Golden State may be an amazing fit)

Bruce M, Winnipeg

A: Now, I have no idea exactly what Bryan’s got going on so this is all guesswork based on conversations with scouts, other GMs and league types but I would think it’s more likely to be a combination of two and three.

I think TJ will always be challenged by good backups, whether he starts or not I can’t say; Charlie V to the Thunder? Don’t know how that works with Durant and Green. It doesn’t make much sense to me.

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Q: Was at the Rockets game last night, obviously the Raps as a whole played well defensively. One thing that really stuck out for me was the lack of guard penetration the Rockets were able to achieve. With Jose injured in the locker room it just seems Will and Roko turned in a strong job defensively. In your opinion rank the Raps 3 PG's defensively.

Wes C, Burlington

A: The current three? Calderon, Solomon, Ukic. Yes, Jose has his flaws but he’s still the best; Solomon loses his man in traffic to often and Ukic still is grasping the speed and physical nature of the game.

Are they all great? No. Are they okay? Sure. And the Rockets simply don’t play a style that lends itself to PG penetrations so don’t be thinking that just because Rafer and Aaron Brooks didn’t get to the rim that Solomon is some kind of Gary Payton clone.

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Q: Doug, Why wasn’t Jermaine O'Neal on the bench last night?

Jeff G, Barrie

A: He was in the trainers’ room getting treatment on his knee. It’s not unusual for players who need to get such treatment to get it during the game because before and after the training staff are working on guys who are playing, or who have played.

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Q: Hey Doug, just wondering what you think about the Raptors being better without Jermaine O'Neal. I mean, nothing against him or what he is doing but I think that the rest of the team takes him for granted on the defensive end and slack off a bit. I am confident that the Raptors played the best they possibly could against Denver and Houston. What do you think?

Kevin H, Richmond Hill

A: No, not at all, no team is ever, ever better off without one of its best players. Sometimes backups over-achieve for a game or two, or catch opponents unprepared for them but no team can withstand the loss of one of its top players for any extended period of time and ever consider itself better off.

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Q: In the words of Herm Edwards: "WE CAN BUILD ON THIS!". Also, did the win in houston have any effects on Colangelo's trade plans and should it?

Josh S, Thornill

A: No, none whatsoever and, no, it shouldn’t. One game is not enough to make any general manager alter plans.

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Q: Doug with the January 10th deadline coming up, do you seeing any surprises in players released and more importantly, is there anyone likely to be released that Mr. C might pick up?

Terry S, Durham

A: There is no one of any real consequence likely to be released Jan. 10 (the day partially-guaranteed contracts become fully-guaranteed) so I don’t expect any significant movement.

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Q: Seeing McGrady get blasted in the Houston media for being a quitter made me think of another player who shall not be named who earned the same label. Nature? They are cousins. Nurture? Both got their starts in TO. I lean to the former. You? Any other players to earn that tag recently that wouldn't be at that family reunion?

J C, Toronto

A: I think the cousin thing is hugely over-rated. And I think Tracy was terrible on Friday and Vince has been terrible before but I think both are still better than almost anyone on the Raptor roster and a lot of teams would be glad to have either of them.

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Q: Hey Doug, I'm sure you have more important questions to answer, but I'm just curious about one thing: What's the contract situation like for Richard Jefferson and Michael Redd? I think either of these players would be that final piece needed to make Toronto a real threat. Is it worth trading O'Neal for one of them? BTW, I'm not a guy that checks salary info all that often, so I'm not sure salaries match, but to me, I'd rather see the Raps get a good wing now, let Bargs develop as the starting 5, and go from there. Why do the Raps need to sign a big name in 2010? To me I will be surprised if anyone other than LeBron leaves their current team. What do you think? Cheers, and BTW, I'm still loving that the raps beat the rockets as I can stick it to all the Yao and T-Mac (T-Mac is easier for my Chinese students to pronounce) fans here in China.

Josh F, Ningbo, China

A: I don’t think it really matters about the contracts of Redd (two years, $35 million left after this season; Jefferson two years, $29 million left after this season) because the Bucks would have absolutely no interest in O’Neal with Bogut on the roster.

I think 2010 is a season and a half away and I don’t give a rat’s patoot about it until at least a calendar year from now.

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Comments

[Kevin]

For Harry J.

A long time ago Sean Marks worked out for the Raptors as a free agent. I had the opportunity to ref the scrimmage and he was the only name I remember from that group that made it to the NBA (but not with the Raps).

[Boko]

I keep a competitiveness score for each Raptor. FYI, here's how they've stacked up so far this season:

Bosh 293

Calderon 192
O'Neal 176

Moon 136
Bargnani 133
Parker 103

Kapono 45
Soloman 43
Graham 40
Ukic 22
Humphries 19
Voskuhl 8

[Joseph Spokane]

WAKE UP DOUG!!!

Why are Toronto readers of your blog reading in New York and Arizona newspapers this morning that Colangelo is shopping Parker and Bargnani hard and more generally anyone except Bosh and Calderone! And you have no scoop on this whatsoever!!!

Doug, you work a lot but you don't tend to have the breaking stories!!!

Blogger's note: Dude, you think every trade rumour you're reading is right? Come on. And you haven't seen anything here or in the Toronto papers about everyone being shopped? Seriously.
And, if you're reading closely, as I presume you are, is CALDERON

Joe Spokane

[Zach]

Doug have you seen Sam Mitchell on NBA TV? If so, what do you think about his comment on, and I'm paraphrasing 'If you have two's and three's, you're going to have a good basketball team'.

Blogger's note: Anyone surprised by that? And I think he did well.

[Jimmy]

Watching the Houston game in person (and every other Raps game on TV), if I had to rank the PG's based on defensive ability it would be: Solomon, Ukic, Calderon.

Doug, you mentioned Solomon losing his man in traffic. What about on the ball defence? Solomon seems to have a good blend of quickness (keeping his feet moving) and positioning. Ukic, has great quickness (always moving his feet) but his defensive positioning needs work. Calderon has good positioning, but c'mon, Doug... his foot-movement needs serious work. I challenge you to watch Jose's feet next time he plays on-the-ball defence. He plants his feet and stands straight up and allows the opposition's PG to dribble right around him. Especially against a good ball handler, you have to keep light feet... if you plant them for too long, you're a goner.

Calderon seems to plant his feet in an effort to funnel the PG to the sidelines... but Jose needs to keep moving his feet and re-establish his positioning once the PG tries to dribble back into the middle. This is where Jose fails. He effectively becomes a 'pylon' (not trying to insult him). In a parking lot, a pylon may stop a car from driving in a certain direction, but the car can always drive around it. If the pylon could move and reposition itself each time the car tried to drive around it... that would be the most effective pylon ever.

[Bryan's Collar]

"Robert Horry hits big SHATS"

Classic Smitch!

[Jonathan]

Just wanted to point out, as many probably already know, that McGrady and Carter are only cousins by marriage and not by blood. That sort of rules out "nature" having anything to do with it.

[WSG]

Jonathon; I didn't know that.

[reza]

Jonathan: wasn't it Carter and Antawn Jamison who are cousins by marriage, but him and McGrady are cousins by blood?

[Alex L]

Thats a tough one with the # 23 being retired. But I think Doug got it write. If ever there was a number that was to be retired due to his career I think Jordan would be your man. But then you think about what Jordan has done off the court. As far as the game goes, he has been a terrible executive. I rarely hear his name mentioned when it comes to charitable work (although Im sure has a foundation or two for tax purposes. Other than that he's a hardcore golfer and gambler. Hardly a legacy beyond his "numbers". So I agree it will take something special to retire a number. If they didnt go it for Wilt, Russell, Magic or Kareem I dont see it happening for any current or future player any time soon.
PS. I know Jordan supposedly "inspired" a generation of kids.....sure he sparked interest in basketball but athletes were still going to grow up and be basketball players there were plenty of idols out there to imitate. What Jordan really inspired was lots of suburban kids insisting they must own his latest shoe. His business legacy is another story but in no way relates to his number as a player being retired.

[Jason]

Quote:
"Let's talk jerseys. Specifically, the famous #23. Jordan immortalized it and we've seen several NBA players wear it since."
Huh???
Whats up with this jersey talk of 23 and who wore that jersey? Is this guy refering to DeAndre Jordan or maybe Eddie, Adonis or Reggie Jordan because Michael Jordan is 45 and always will be.

[Duane C]

Thing about Gretzky's #99 being retired, is that he was by far, the most dominant player in the history of the game. MJ doesn't own all the scoring records, and the ones he does own are in sight of other players.

#99 -only player to score 200 pts in a season, and he did it 4 times.
-has more assists than any other player has points. If Gretz never scored a goal, he would still be the leagues all-time scoring leader.

Just those two facts are amazing. I can't think of another team sport where a statistical leader in such important stats is so far ahead of the next closest player, and to do it in the modern era!

[Justin]

The worst number 23? What about Harold Miner? One of many failed 'baby' Jordan's.

[Justin]

Seems my memory isn't the best. Apparently he wore number 32 - oh well, he still sucked.

[Jonathan]

reza:

I couldn't find the original article I read from way back about how Carter and McGrady were related and not by blood, but here are some links that support it:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3634460
http://nba.wikia.com/wiki/Tracy_McGrady

Then again, I can see why it's so confusing to everyone since there are countless websites (if you google the topic) that go both ways. Doesn't help that a lot of them probably quote off each other. Wikipedia quotes off some article in Macleans' Magazine, so I wonder how accurate that is, as well.