Of Deke and Pops and Patrick. And a bunch of other stuff

This whole ‘stay up until 1:30 a.m. watching games and then get up at dawn to finish this’ is going to wear an old grunt down. But it was probably worth it because the Laker-Jazz game turned out not to be bad.

VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR

Read on to see why Patrick O'Bryant might be back next year.

But this in-game thing, which is turning into some kind of question and answer session as well as breaking down what’s going on in the games has been kind of fun, no? Attendance is a bit down, but I guess that’s to be expected but tell your friends and family we’ll be around just before 8 tonight to see what’s going on.

And who knows, if I get lucky in the several phone calls that’ll be made today, maybe there’ll be a nugget of Raptor news to digest.

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How much does this bite for us schleps beholden to Rogers? The first TSN2 game of the playoffs is tonight’s Game 2 of Philly-Orlando, which might be a good one.

Seems the evil-doers stringing us along just want to keep doing their evil.

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What I get a hoot out of is people talking about the Raptors needing to make “substantial” change over the summer.

Let’s see here

A new starting two-guard (BC made it clear if Parker comes back, it’s off the bench)

A new starting small forward (I fully expect Marion to go in a sign-and-trade).

A new backup point guard (if that wasn’t clear from Monday’s BC event, I don’t know what is)

A top-10 draft pick who will – unless the pick is absolutely blown – be a swingman who’s in the rotation.

A new, or different, backup swingman, other than the rookie, be it a free-agent or someone who comes in a Marion sign-and-trade.

I would think the days of Pops Mensah-Bonsu as the first big off the bench are over so there’ll be another new backup four or five.

So, let’s see how that falls out:

That’s six new players in a nine-man rotation.

That’d be, what, 66.7 per cent turnover of the guys who play a lot?

And let’s even downgrade that one, to say that AP’s one of those guys off the bench. That’s still five guys entirely new in a nine-man rotation and one playing a different role.

Okay, let’s even say by some miracle of modern financial shenanigans, Marion’s back, too. That’s half your rotation (okay, four out of nine) that’s new.

That’s not “substantial” change?

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About Last Night

(And I recall taking a friend to see a movie by that name eons ago) …

- Did you notice a familiar face sitting behind the Portland bench? Dana Sinclair, the noted sports psychologist Bryan hired to be around the Raptors this season also works for the Blazers and there she was. She’ll be a familiar sight around Toronto in the next couple of months, though. A lot of her work will be use in pre-draft assessments of possible selections.

- How much would the Rockets benefit from having a veteran point guard? Watching Aaron Brooks turn the ball over and let teammates take crazy, crazy shots, all the while not getting Yao involved enough when every Portland big had five fouls was the difference in the game.

- How much does Philly miss Kyle Korver?

- How pissed were the Cavs that they couldn’t give LeBron and the other starters most of that fourth quarter off? The whole thing about the playoffs – for teams with legitimate chances at winning, that is – that is, is to lessen the number of games. Getting time off now saves bodies later and the Cavs needed to work far too hard in a game that should have been over. That said, they still win in four.

- I would really like to know what Jerry Sloan said at halftime last night after the Jazz got lit up for 66 points by the Lakers and looked dead in the water.

Make no mistake, they’re eventually going to be dead in the water but the solid comeback and taking the game to the final minute might just give them enough confidence to win one game back home.

Speaking of the Lakers, the night we were out there this year, I had a long chat with a former player still involved with the team who’s got more than a handful of rings to admire.

His biggest concern back then – and they looked like world-beaters at the time – was the collective mental toughness and inability to bury teams. Looks like he might have been right because they should have won that game going away and taken all hope away from the Jazz.

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Pardon the digression

So, Super Son slays ‘em with a sax solo of In The Mood at the school spring recital (and there’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back) and all I can think is, man, if that doesn’t get him the chicks, I don’t know what will.

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Saddest sight last night?

Dikembe Mutombo writhing in pain on the Rose Garden floor.

Quite aside from the fact he doesn’t think he’s ever committed a personal foul in his life, Mutombo was one of the all-time great players and arguably the most significant philanthropist in all of professional sports history.

I don’t think he was ever considering playing again next season so to suggest the injury ended his career is a stretch but if there was ever a guy who deserved a long and loud ovation as he left a court for the last time, it’s Deke.

That he won’t get it saddens me a bit.

And here's a nice piece on it, and him.

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Here’s why the Raptors, right now, look like they could have Patrick O’Bryant on the roster next year and not Pops Mensah-Bonsu.

(I’m not entirely sure I agree with it, I truly believe Pops has more potential than Patrick, but here goes).

They like the fact O’Bryant’s contract is so cheap -- $855,000 for the one season – and may wonder what kind of offers Pops would get as a restricted free agent they might have to match.

I think they see more potential in O’Bryant’s offensive game and, having seen Pops for a little while I guess you can’t argue with them.

There was a time when I thought they’d buy out O’Bryant (and they could still do it because his contract doesn’t become fully guaranteed until July 1) but that seems not to be Bryan’s thinking right now. But, really, aren’t we getting a bit worked up about two guys who’d be so far down the bench they’d be inconsequential on any team that’s any good?

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Remember me ragging on Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro for blowing all his timeouts and not having any left at the end of either Game 1 or 2?

Well, he was defending himself to the writers yesterday.

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Speaking of O’Bryant, they’ve got a deal with him that means he’ll be taking part in the Vegas summer league this year and he’ll be joined by a few irregulars from this season. Nate’s got to play, Quincy Douby’s going to play and Roko will be back from Croatia to take part in the early-July session.

Toss in the first-round pick, who’s sure to play; maybe Pops (if he’s not playing for some other team) and even a second first-round pick or a section second-round selection and the roster is almost set.

And that’s why, sadly for us grunts, there will be no free agent camp here the weekend after the draft like there’s been the last two summers.

Why sadly, you ask?

Well, two years ago we eventually got a good story on the emergence of that Jamario Moon fellow (who we didn’t write about until he signed in July but who made his mark that weekend) and last year, sniffing around there for the weekend got the break on the impending Jermaine O’Neal trade.

On the upside, it might mean a weekend off.

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Comments

[Steven]

Oh wise beat grunt, what does thee think of the Dampier comments?

Blogger's note: Stupid. Idiotic. Assinine. Am sure he'll be fined and I wouldn't bet agaisnt him getting at least one flagrant foul if he follows through.

[chris]

Doug - who do you envision Marion being sign-and-traded to? What teams might have interest?

Blogger's note: No clue at the moment

[Michel G]

Mr. Geddy Lee from the post above (presuming you are who I think you are). How about you and Rush write a new song for the Raptors player intros next year at the ACC. The one this year really sucked.

[Harut S.]

I wish BC thought of the fans once in a while... we gotta keep Pops.

[Lisa]

Hi Doug,

What are you and the Toronto Star doing to help keep Chris Bosh in Toronto?

Thanks,

Lisa

Blogger's note: Um, nothing?

[Grant]

Do you have any idea if Ben Gordon is on the Raptors' radar?

Blogger's note: Nope, no idea

[Takashi]

Doug, any chance the Raptors get Trevor ariza this offseason?

Blogger's note: Come on, you know I don't play these reindeer games. I have no idea right now.

[doug]

wow there's just a lot of Pops lovers out there...but we need to keep him in perspective if anyone was watching the Blazers-Lakers game last night, or even the Jazz-Lakers where would he fit in in that game???, on the bench is the answer...people we are trying to get better, improve, be competitive and to do so sorry if it means losing a fan "fav"...we are getting worked about a guy that would play 6 minutes in a game if that...please that's like worrying about saving the dining room silver ware as the titanic was sinking...priorities...

[TD Tomkens]

DraftExpress.com has Stephen Curry going to the Raps at spot number 9. If the mock draft plays out accordingly, would Curry be a good fit here?

[James Ballswin (Realizar)]

Everything starts with what BC does with Bosh. Personally, I think it's 60/40 he isn't traded. That being said, if BC chooses not to trade Bosh, I think he overpay to keep Marion.

Thanks Doug! :)

[Michel G]

Dear Serge P: I didn't state any facts, and as I stated in the comment, I was not passing any judgments. I certainly wasn't suggesting that Lebron James is a classless thug. A bit of over analyzing there. He gave the fans exactly what they wanted and what the NBA wants its stars to do. They are what sells the league. Thanks for the stats though, I didn't realize that Gretzky had scored an empty net goal.

[doug]

light news story of the day..

Majestic Athletic spelled things out quite clearly Tuesday: "It was the uniform company's fault that Washington Nationals Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman wore jerseys reading "Natinals" during a game last week.They donned the shirts that were missing an "o" for the first three innings"

how did it come to pass that these Jerseys hit the field to begin with, from non-inspections at the companies production lines, to the equipment guy that hangs up the uniforms for the players, to the players putting them on...plus they wore them for 3 innings before anyone noticed, another example of our spelling skills getting progressively worse...

[jimmie]

Seems to me that the elephant in the room this offseason is no longer "will CB stay" but rather "where will Marion go".

I actually like the idea of sign-and-trade for Marion, but like a lot of other folks, I wonder about potential trading partners. If Colangelo goes the sign/trade route, it will be, as you said, because Marion's demanding more $$ than Toronto is willing to pay (I would guess no more than $10M/3yrs, and even that's $2m/yr more than I personally would want to pony up), and/or asking for a longer-term commitment.

Who would/can afford to pay upwards of $10M for more than 3 years for Shawn Marion? And what would those teams be willing to offer in return that would actually fill a need in TO?

From my perspective, there are 3 keepers here at the moment -- Bosh, Calderon, and Bargnani -- and then there's (relative) filler that falls into a few categories:

Nice to keep if the price is right: Parker, Delfino
Ugly contracts to be traded at the first opportunity: Kapono, Banks
Young, cheap guys who don’t cost much and may eventually have some value: Roko, Jawai, O’Bryant

All of these players, in my opinion, must be considered tradeable assets, since the only 3 who might have even a rotational (9th man or better) role on a 45+ win team are AP, Carlos, and Kapono. If that’s where we’re headed, these guys are not going to get us there.

That all seems to indicate a dire need to bring back Marion. The #9 draft pick, whoever it is, is not going to be a legit starter at SF or SG in year 1. If all works out perfectly, he might end up as a decent 7th/8th man. Same goes for the potential 2nd pick. So unless the sign/trade brings back a legit starting 2 or 3 who can defend/create, I think we’ll be in the same boat as this year, with an overly weak bench and a mashup at SG/SF, struggling for one of the last playoff spots. Not the progress I expect Bosh will be looking for.

That said, the “wide-openness” of this off-season will at least be interesting to watch. BC is right about one thing: this team DOES have a lot of flexibility this summer; now to see how they use it…

[brass monk]

Doug, if BC really decides to choose Patrick over Pops - I think the trust between him and us hardcore Raptor fans is officially gone.

I still have faith in the guy for now - but honestly - if he can't see all the intangibles that Pops' energy brings to this horribly passive Raps line-up, and he'd rather have someone else because they have the "potential" to average 7 ppg over Pops' 5...well then...yeeesh.

What's he trying to do? Assemble the greatest Raptor team "on paper" again?? I really hope he's learned a thing or two about that.

[Vince Lam]

Speaking of Jermaine O'Neal. The way he's been playing in the playoffs and considering the fact that he's owed over 20 mil next season in this economic climate, the trade with Miami might have been Colangelo's best so far as a Raptors GM.

[Tim W.]

Doug, while Detroit did well in their sign and trade, that's only because Orlando did not see much potential in Ben Wallace. I liked Wallace and thought Orlando would regret giving him up, but I don't think anyone envisioned him becoming not just a starter on a contender, but an All-Star. And the reason you remembered a trade that ten years ago is because getting something significant back in a sign and trade is so rare. The only one I can think of is the Joe Johnson one, and one of the owners went to court to try and stop it because he felt Atlanta was giving up too much.

Yes, there's a possibility it could happen, and I certainly hope it does, but I don't think you can assume it will. I think the most the Raptors could hope for is a rotation player, but I don't see getting a starting calibre SF back. No matter what the economic situation.

As for the loaded frontcourt, I would be very disappointed if the Raptors took O'Bryant over Pops. Yes, O'Bryant is young and has offensive potential, but I think teams too often overlook skills that Pops brings. As Pat Riley once said, hustle IS a skill. Pops has passion, heart, aggressiveness, hustle and a nose for the ball. Dennis Rodman built a Championship career on not much more than that. Of course, Rodman also had a high basketball IQ, but not at first. I think with a season of playing time, Pops could be much more than an end of the bench player.

Personally, I don't see why the Raptors couldn't carry a front court of Bosh, Bargnani, Humphries, Pops, O'Bryant and Nate. That leaves 7 more positions on a 13 man roster. Enough for 3 starters, 3 backups and an extra position. You've got Calderon, Roko, Delfino, Parker, hopefully Marion, the rookie, and still room for one more player, either another guard or SF. Easily enough depth at all the positions. Yes, they could add Nesterovic, but is what he would bring so important? I mean, this isn't Charles Oakley or even Antonio Davis. If the Raptors could add a tough (mind and body), smart and skilled veteran big man, like Joe Smith, Antonio McDyess or even Juwan Howard (with his reputation with young players), I could see cutting one of the young big men loose, but I personally don't think Nesterovic is worth, even if he likes Toronto.

[GM]

Benny Goodman? Not even close, Doug! It's Glenn Miller.

Blogger's note: Of course it is; my big mistake of writing without checking

[Tim W.]

Yes, I forgot about Kapono and Banks. Yet another reason I didn't like getting Banks in the trade. Not only is he taking up $4 million, he's taking up a roster spot. Hopefully the Raptors will carry more than the minimum 13 player roster next season. I doubt it, though. Most teams don't.

[Rob]

Didn't for a second think that Marion would hold out to start the season, more just that he'd be on the back half of the players signed not the front half and that he might see some money pass by while he waits.

[Matt from Oakville]

Kind of agree with Colangelo about possibly hanging onto O'Bryant and you're take on either players' importance to a winning team. Even though I was an avid supporter of Pops initially, I think the honeymoon is over and saving a bit of salary at the expense of NOT buying out O'Bryant is worthwhile.

O'Bryant just looks like the more refined player. I think Pops is a project type of player that needs a lot of investment and mentoring (as well as a lot of PT to play through mistakes) --- something this team can't really afford, given the logjam we already have at forward. For his sake and ours I rather have Pops receive the opportunity to log more minutes elsewhere to develop, because he just won't get them here.

[Rob]

I love the energy Pops brings but people need to realize that he has definite flaws in his game. That and the fact that not every single roster decision is totally based purely on one player being slightly better than another. If both Pops and O'Bryant were unsigned free agents and BC could sign them both for the exact same money I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign Pops. But we may never know because things are never that simple.

[Lisa]

Why don't you and the Star see it as a responsibility to do something to keep Bosh in Toronto? I mean, for one, if Bosh goes, the traffic on this part of the site is going to go down. You don't actually think you can make up for that with your talent, do you?

"Your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy." - Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

Blogger's note: With all due respect, you need to go learn something -- anything -- about the role of newspapers and websites in our society before you start taking any kind of cheap shots. But thanks very much for reading and writing.

[Michel G]

My goodness, people take things personally on this blog. The following links to the Society of Professional Journalists web site that explains the code of ethics journalists strive to abide to:

http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

[Gurdeep]

Liza,

I really hope you are joking\being sarcastic. Otherwise you may be plain crazy.

I am pretty sure Obama wasn't talking about Doug forking over some of his paycheck to keep Bosh here. Although......

[Lisa]

Excuse me Mr. Smith, but if you could please more fully explain your position to us fans and the role of your noble profession in society as a sports writer, instead of arrogantly dismissing our concerns out of hand due to our lack of knowledge thereof.

Blogger's note: This subject is closed. Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read and write