Tickets, get your tickets. Cheap!

Today, let’s tackle the big shots for a while. After all, they’ve got some ‘splainin to do.

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Wanna know what happens in my perfect world?

Wait, I take that back.

Wanna know what happens in my perfect world regarding one facet of basketball that I have to write about every day?

Here’s what happens:

The bean counters and tall foreheads over at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment are sitting around deciding when to spring the full season ticket renewal thing on the unsuspecting customers.

They call this guy, let’s say Mr. Grunt, and invite his input.

Them: “Mr. Grunt, oh wise one, what should we do?”

Grunt: “Sit down, folks, and listen closely.

“First, do not – I repeat DO NOT – even contemplate as much as a one penny increase in a single seat in your arena.

“In fact, you need to freeze the prices of every seat in the bottom half of the lower bowl and you have to reduce the price of the top half of the lower bowl by about three per cent.

“You need to reduce the price of seats in most of the upper bowl by five per cent and you cut the cost of seats in the corners by seven per cent.

“These are horrible economic times, people are losing jobs left and right, the amount of disposable income is drying up rapidly and if you want casual fans to augment your season-ticket base, those tickets have to be affordable.

“The Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Bobcats and Detroit Pistons have already announced they’ll reduce or freeze ticket prices so there is precedent in the league today.

“Oh, and one other thing, if season ticket holders want to pay over time, you allow them right now to make seven or eight equal monthly payments – with no interest charges – and if they want to pay it all up front, you give them another two per cent off.”

“You’ve put a substandard product on the court this season, you’ve been party to one of the all-time fan screw jobs in history with this Rogers, TSN2 mess you got yourself into and, trust me, you don’t have a lot of goodwill with the people.”

Them: “Are you out of your frickin’ mind!”

Mr. Grunt: “Power to the people, baby!”

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TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

There's the Raptors, and there's guys like Charles Oakley.

We’re standing around chatting with Chris Bosh yesterday and the conversation turns to Mike Curry, who played here in Bosh’s rookie season.

And some interesting stuff comes from Chris:

“He taught me how to work, he taught me the value of hard work, even when you don’t feel like it. Mike always grabbed me and said ‘we’re going to get extra shots up.’ I didn’t understand why, (I thought) I got enough shots in practice. But he took me anyway and he showed me how to work to be successful.”

And then I wondered: “Who does that for this Toronto team?” Quick answer? No one.

And maybe that’s part of the issue, there is no one on the roster to police teammates, to make ‘em work harder than they normally would.

Maybe when Bryan’s out shopping this summer, that’s got to be near the top of the list.

Trouble is, those old codgers don’t exist much anymore. I guess maybe you could say Garnett does it in Boston but Orlando doesn’t really have one, Cleveland doesn’t really have one, the Lakers don’t really have one. You could probably say San Antonio has three or four ‘cause I think of a lot of them as oldsters.

Remember when Toronto was good? What’d they have? Oak, Dell Curry, Kevin Willis, Muggsy Bogues, Dee Brown. Old dudes who knew what it took.

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A solid question of money:

Q: Hi Doug, with the recession settling in do you think it could be a good time for Stern to let teams buy out bad contracts? Buying out contracts cost teams money, but it would allow a team like the Raptors rid themselves of one or two bad contracts (if they had any, cough Banks, cough Kapono), to put a better product on the floor to keep a declining fan base interested.

Steph R, Glencoe

A: That’s an excellent question.

There is precedent, the had a contract “amnesty” in 2005 – teams could buy out one player – and with the economic woes that exist now, it might be a way to reduce payroll on long-term deals. Depending on when the CBA talks begin in earnest and what the global money situation is like, I would imagine it’d be something they will revisit. And should.

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They’re in love with Antonio McDyess these days in Detroit.

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Oh yeah, there’s this:

There was apparently some whacked out report yesterday about the Knicks making Carlos Delfino some $4 million offer?

Um, here’s the truth:

The Knicks don’t have their mid-level salary exception left and could only offer a pro-rated veteran’s minimum.

Carlos is just getting over a shoulder injury and is still under contract to Khimki.

Why in the world he’d want to sign with a team now – one that’s life and death to sneak into the playoffs – instead of waiting until the summer to find out if he can get a better offer from a better team is beyond me.

I really wish people would do at least a modicum of research before they publish, you know, poop and send people scurrying breathlessly to their keyboards to e-mail me about it.

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And, finally,

Q: Doug, if you could hand pick your starters for each position between the Raptors and the Heat rosters who would be your five? I have Jose, Wade, Marion, Bosh, Bargnani (and I think most people would). So does that mean that the difference between fighting for home court in the playoffs or fighting for last place in the East is really just due to 1 (very good) player. I guess that would explain the Heat's record last year vs this.

Brad M, Port Dover

A: Ah, yes. One extremely good ball-handling, slashing, dynamic scoring wing man is the difference between mediocrity and, maybe not greatness, but goodness. It always will be, it always was and it has been a failing of this roster for years.

Comments

[Takashi]

Doug what do you think of James Harden, is he the real deal?

Blogger's note: No idea. Haven't watched enough college ball, frankly. Or talked to anyone I respect who has

[Ryan]

You're damn right about the goodwill part, as much as I have little to no desire left to watch this team play the remainder of the season, the point is moot thanks to TSN2.

[Tim]

Hey Doug,
Watchin hoops last night while they were talkin to TJ. He pretty much indirectly said he had a problem with Sam and not with his team. It's obvious that TJ wasnt happy but I didnt think there was such a problem with him and Sam to the point where he was looking forward to showing Sam up not Jose earlier this season.
I was also watching Raptors Today and noticed 2 or 3 balls in a glass box. Whats with the box?

[Tim]

Oh, I forgot to mention that the glass box was on the practice court.

[Steve Gosse]

Doug, I was at the doctor the other day, and while reading a SI magazine.. I noticed CharlieV was interviewed for one of those sections where they ask random questions to a bunch of athletes.

to the question.."name something underrated"

CV answered.. "Toronto"

Seems he really liked his time here up north!

[Eden]

Doug,
Though I concur with your assessment of ticket prices, I am not sure MLSE is willing to drop prices. People screw up. MLSE screwed up. People argue that they are "cheap"; all about the mighty dollar. I agree, like any viable business they are about the bottom line, however MLSE in the recent decade has not shown itself to be cheap, but rather frugal. They DO spend when its worth it. They have tried to buy championships with leafs teams. People will argue that the raps aren't allowed over the luxury tax, however there aren't many teams allowed with a mediocre product. You've mentioned it before that you believe B-co would be allowed to make a move if it meant they could drastically improve their team. Maybe even putting them over the luxury tax. In that circumstance, or for a final move putting them on championship contender status, I believe that they would be willing to spend.

MLSE is a business. Like any business, they have mistakes and aren't clockwork. Its not due to lack of spending, but putting the wrong management in place wrt the raps. I think they are cognizant that they have lost goodwill, but the past is the past and MLSE will attempt to rectify the situation w/o changing their strategic vision. The only reason ticket prices will drop is if they feel that they can be more profitable as they will have priced consumers out of the market at current prices, and not due to restoring goodwill and faith from the fans.

[C French]

Morning Doug...you're a tad late as those brain trusts at MLSE decided to spring their season seat renewals almost a month ago (proper timing for them as there was still some hope with this team, not much but some). I'm of the "upper bowl", recession busting contingent and my 2 seats came down a total of $12 whole dollars (not per game, not per seat...but total, it worked out to a HUGE 0.5% savings)!

I have not renewed and will not be renewing until i see a proper return on investment. I would have had more fun taking my money and investing in the banks as at least there is more of a day to day excitement rather than such long lulls.

Thanks for the blog...

[anthony.mackay@gmail.com]

Good Friday Morning to ya Doug!
We all know this team needs a slashing 2or3, but I want to first confirm how much that could potentially help. These type of players usually thrive in either an up tempo offensive which the raps talk about but don't actually have (watch how many times they walk/jog it up in a single quarter next game) OR in a half court offense with very solid post play and rebounding.

At first you might think the raps have this but think about how Bosh and Andrea get most of their points... jump shots. Yes there is the occasional drive and rim rattler by both but neither of these guys has a polished post game, in fact.. which raptor does? Rebounding..? Well lets not even waste our time talking about that.

My Point is yes someone to break down the D would help a great deal but unless our BIGS start showing some more constant post play I'm not sure how much we will improve, a BIG with range is fantastic but you can't forget about the BBQ chicken when you got a mismatch down low.

[Serge P]

Regarding Steph R's question, can't teams already buy out players? What's the difference between Toronto offering to pay Jason Kapono the rest of his contract now so that he walks away and the contract "amnesty" clause of 2005?

Blogger's note: The amnesty would lessen, or eliminate, tax or cap issues; if they just buy out and player they remain on the hook in every regard

[Michael]

Hi. This is for those who wants some info about James Harden. This guy is the 1st in ranking amount SG in this draft. He's a lefty. There're people compare him to MG from Spurs.

He's not those super fast athlete with big hops. I watched some of his game and he reminds me of Roy who can create shot for himself or others. Even though, his plays doesn't look like super star highlight but you can see that things seems so easy for him that he doesn't need to make tough play or shot. He's a leader in the court too.

I think he's exactly the type of player we're missing for so long but you properly see him in the #3-5 spot in the draft. But there're still some chances for raps to get him because other teams may want a big man or PG instead.

[brennan]

great point doug, we don't have any of those locker room police veterans anymore. they say, great teams police themselves, which allows coaches, to coach. i truly do miss oakley, who was never afraid to call out toronto's beloved son and superstar, vc.
BC has assembled a blend cast of nice guys, inexperience, and malaise.
we have no grit, because, well, that's who we are....

[brennan]

i like james harden. his baskets come only in 2 forms: pull ups from 3 and drives in the paint. in terms of skill, he brings something that we lack. he might be undersized, but he reminds me of a similar kid who went to marquette 6 years ago...

[Neil]

Hey Doug, here was my email to my MLSE rep regarding season seat renewal (I have yet to receive a response):

Hi ______,

No offense intended to you my friend, but I'm going to wait until the summer to decide whether I want to be a season seat holder next season. For reasons that have little to do with wins and losses, this season just hasn't been a good customer experience for me:

- The "Exclusive Season Seat Holder Events" mentioned below as a benefit of season seats? There haven't been any this season.
- The right to buy additional tickets below face value was taken away without any warning in January.
- Most of all, MLSE's indifference to the TSN2/Rogers fiasco has been a season-long outrage to most of the people that actually support the team.

It's one thing for the team to have a lousy season - that will happen sometimes in a long-term team/fan relationship. But when an organization puts out a terrible team and also shows such disregard for the team's supporters, that's an organization I'm going to think twice about giving thousands more dollars to. I like the idea of being a loyal fan, and I've always enjoyed dealing with you personally.... I will take another look at this issue after the draft. I'm confident there will be season seats available at that time.

[Nick]

I think they should trade up the pick by giving up Jose and getting a decent 2 guard. Then use that higher pick to draft Jeff Teague who is probably the best pg in the draft. Ofcourse, things will be a lot more interesting if Bryan pulls another magic and gets another #1 pick, then we can use Jose for greater cause.

[Steve]

I have been a season ticket holder since Day 1 (1995). I received my season ticket renewal by email a couple of weeks ago with a video from Bryan explaining what he thinks happened this year and where the team is going. The deadline for confirming the renewal of season tickets is April 1 with payments starting right away (you can make 5 instalments). Yes April 1 for a season that doesn't start until October. I'm tired of continuing to pay for this substandard product so I asked my account manager if I could wait until the summer to see what Bryan has done to make me feel I'm getting value for my tickets. I was told that if I don't renew by the end of April I will get a lawyer's letter threatening revocation of my license and I will lose my seats to others who want to upgrade. Wow, do they ever appreciate my support of 14 years of mostly lousy basketball.

[Paul]

My group was waffling big time about keeping our season tickets - it was only by addition of a number of other recruits (we all decreased our game count) that we still have our package. the only potential good news is that we'll get a seat upgrade if the masses do bail...

[Craig A]

We've already been hit up to renew our season seats. Upper bowl. Price is the same as last season.

Also regarding the old guys who know what it takes to win. Maybe that was something Darrick Martin brought to the team. Their downward slide began last season almost the same time D-Mart was waived!

[Matt]

Looking forward to the draft. Brandon Roy was taken sixth overall in what is (and was) considered to be a weak draft (then traded for the seventh pick aka Randy Foye and loose change). Now Colangelo was probably wrong about who the best player in the draft would be, although I seem to recall that it would be about five years before Bargnani justified his first overall selection but he was probably banking on Roy and Aldridge having knee problems. He was right about Roy being the best pick early in his career, and who can project the remainder of anyone's career with 100% confidence. Well, here's hoping the best pick in this years draft falls into the raps hands. If nothing else, hopefully the best slashing wing player in the mold of Roy, or at least, Iguodala is in a Raps uniform next year.

[Carl J]

"And then I wondered: “Who does that for this Toronto team?” Quick answer? No one. "

And that's one of the reasons why Bosh is an All Star, and not a Superstar. As good as Bosh has been, on and off (yes, he tore it up at the beginning of the season, but since then has looked more like the old Barny, on again, off again).

You say that the Cavs and Lakers don't have one? You don't think that LeBron and Kobe make "make ‘em work harder than they normally would"? Those two bust their backends pretty much every night. They lead by example and the team follows. Even in Miami they have Wade, who leads by example everynight.

Bosh for the most part doesn't. How many great (or I'll settle for good) "battles" do you remember Bosh being in this season vs other bigs? I'm not talking just about high scoring games, I'm talking about him banging around in the post, fighting for the bucket or rebound or loose balls. For the most part, when things aren't going well, he moves further away from the bucket (what was with that 3 in the last game?).

The Raptor's need one of those guys, because their leader isn't one of those guys yet.

[Chili]

Hey Doug,
Back to that restricted/unrestricted free agent thingie.
If say a restricted free agent got an offer from another team and his old team matched the offer, can the other team up the ante and give him a new offer? Or as soon as the offer is matched by the old team, it's closed?
Thanks.

Blogger's note: If an offer is matched, it's over

[Conas Allen]

Doug,
Do you find that GMs are making too many trade decisions based an stats alone? I am finding alot of moves made in the last 10 years or so look like they are being made by Fantasy League players.

Remember the back-to-back Pistons (or even the Pistons of 3 years ago)? You need solid role players that don't put up huge numbers but know their role. Who would have thought Bill Laimbeer would have 2 rings in the years when the post game ruled? Sometimes you just have to look at how players games fit together.You were spot on in your blog today, and I think we have the talent, but their games don't mesh. (possibly do to the absence of your "glue guy")

Now I know role players are still around, but they are an after thought when you have no cap space, and have an exception or some such salary non-sense left hanging around. Teams will throw money at a McGrady or Iverson even with their on-going injuries, but the average, hard working, consistent player is very rarely sought after unless they have "championship experince," and the team is already a contender.

The Raptors need a Rick Mahorn!!!

[LeeZ]

Bosh and Triano point out that the Raps' D during practice is great, and that no one can get a shot off. And yet during the actual games, even my Grandma Mollie could light them up for 50 -- and that's despite the fact that she died some 15 years ago. But there's no great mystery as to the gap between practice and actual games: in practice, they play against themsleves, and last time I checked, the Raps don't have any slashing wing players who drive and dish and generally create havoc, leaving men wide open for uncontested shots. Maybe they could borrow some studly, lightening-quick small forward just for their practices. Doug, your name springs to mind. Up for the job?

[Dave in BG]

Doug: Setting aside reality for a moment, if the Raps could get a "extremely good ball-handling, slashing, dynamic scoring wing man " for next year without changing anyone else on the roster, how good could the team be? Which is another way of asking, how far off is the current roster from being a good, competitive team?

Blogger's note: I don't think very far at all, but it remains to be seen how much of the current roster is back next year

[Darren]

Doug, I totally agree with you on the fact you need a "good ball-handling, slashing, dynamic scoring wing man" in order to be a good, and depending on your supporting cast, great team. Besides the Heat, take a look at the Lakers before the Gasol trade - it was Kobe and a bunch of nobodies, but they were playoff contenders because of Kobe. We haven't had that in Raptorland since "He Who Shall Remain Nameless" left. Colangelo needs to find one of these wingmen in a hurry (if he wants to keep Bosh and have people come to the games at ACC).

[Rob.V]

Doug I must offer you this today - Ding, Ding, Ding Ding!!!!

Looks like a great model however in fairness to MLSE though, I beleive you can pay in installments today if you wish.

If I recall correctly (not 100% on this) I think the incentive they are offering if you were to pay in full is a chance to win a "meet and greet" with Colangelo.

No offense to BC (seems like a good dude) however to that I say, a GARGANTUAN!!... Big whoop!!!.