Kudos to Canada and a whole bunch of talk, very little action

T-minus less than a week ‘til draft day and you can feel the excitement, no?

No?

Oh, okay.

Maybe it’s just me.

Anyway, gotta go through the mailbag for the once-a-weekend offering so if you’ve got questions, I can bluff answers so send ‘em in, it’ll give me something to do tonight after a radio gig goes 5-7.

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Whither Roko?

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

He's working on it...

With all this talk about the Raptors thinking of drafting a point guard (I still steadfastly believe they shouldn’t, unless it’s with a late-teens pick they purchase and even then it seems silly to me), what’s up with Mr. Ukic? Talked to a couple of people around the team this week about him and the sense I get is that they’re not quite ready to give up on him, which is good in my opinion, but that they want some kind of tempo-changer on the roster as well.

(I know, I know, TJ Ford, right? Wrong! A thousand times wrong. That was never going to work, ever. There were issues between TJ and his coaches, TJ and his teammates. Forget it. Put it out of your mind. Let it go).

Anyway, Ukic – whose $1.35 million salary could easily be cap ballast in a trade – is still in their minds, regardless of what happens next Thursday. If his shot’s improved, and he’s been working every day on it, I’m told, he could get some run at the two alongside Calderon. He’s still a heady player, a gym rat, as willing to learn as anyone on the roster and a sponge when it comes to soaking up instruction and information.

It’s ridiculous to give up on a 24-year-old, 6-5 point guard after just one season in the NBA. Hope they don’t.

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I presume all of you haveread this story on the development camp that Canada Basketball’s running for a gaggle of talented teens, right?

The kid I wrote about is one of those teen prodigies the program has had a horrible time identifying and getting and the fact he’s in rather than out working at some shoe company camp is huge.

And when the team headed to the Under-19 worlds begins work this week in Hamilton (first practice Saturday, tournament starts in New Zealand in early July) I’m told the other two hotshot Canucks – Tristan Thompson and Corey Joseph – are expected in, although it may be Sunday.

It’s going to take years and years for Canada to get back to any sort of international prominence on the senior level, I fear (but if they don’t qualify for next year’s worlds it will be a failure of biblical proportions) but there can be no denying that things like this developmental camp, the cadet program that’s in the process of trying to qualify for next year’s worlds right now, and the junior team that could very well make some noise in New Zealand are hugely significant steps in the right direction.

I’m entirely impressed with the direction the organization is taking – and this is after years and years of being one of the worst-run major sports groups I’ve ever seen – and perhaps the general public will actually start to give a rat’s bum about what goes on with Canada on the international stage other than at the Olympics.

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I hear Alvin Williams hasn’t gotten around to actually signing his coaching contract (he will, don’t worry) but after watching stuff in the gym this week, I bet he’s holding out for a playing deal.

(I keed, I keed).

But he and the rest of the staff are getting lots of work in. Not only do they handle the stuff with the draft picks, they’ve been working every day with Patrick O’Bryant and Quincy Douby, who’ve been in town working out.

Yesterday, it was the complete staff: Jay, Alex, Marc, Micah, Alvin and Eric Hughes all standing around working with two guys.

And I figure if those two kids don’t get better with that kind of personal coaching, they’re lost causes.

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Pretty sure most of you know that I think John Hollinger’s a good guy, works hard, writes well and has developed some unique statistical and mathematical methods for determining the value of NBA players.

But if I hear one more word about his “draft rater” and how it slags Demar DeRozan, I may scream.

Look, here’s the scoop: DeRozan is far from a polished player; he’s got significant flaws just like about six of the six guys the Raptors are even considering have flaws. It’s that kind of draft down there at, oh, picks 3 through 60.

Blake Griffin’s got a chance to be pretty good (although I’m not sure how good), I personally think Rubio’s going to be outstanding but after that? After that everyone’s got problems and it’s an absolute crap shoot.

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Oh yeah, did I tell you that we’re coming to Ottawa for sure for training camp next fall?

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Speaking of Your Raptors, they’re hoping to get one more workout session in here Monday or Tuesday but no one has any clear indication of who might come in. Jim Kelly told us this week they were trying to get Tyreke Evans in but can’t imagine there’s a scenario that he’s available at No. 9.

Stay tuned, when we get names, you’ll get names.

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This is why I love (and by “love” I mean “hate”) this time of year: According to the breathless headlines out there, and the resulting e-mails that come flooding in, the following may happen in the next week:

Shaquille O’Neal gets traded

Amare Stoudemire gets traded

Devin Harris may move

The Wizards are definitely trading the No. 4 No. 5  pick

Josh Smith or Marvin Williams or someone in Atlanta is being moved

Al Jefferson’s in play in Minnesota.

Tracy McGrady’s moving (although why anyone would even think about obtaining a guy coming off microfracture surgery who will, at best, miss the first month of the season is beyond me).

I will venture a guess that, at the most, two of those things happen, maybe only one. And I would also venture a guess that if significant moves occur between now and the draft or on draft night, no one knows about them quite yet.

That’s how things generally work. Stuff pops up out of nowhere (one exception being last year’s TJ-JO deal that we knew about for almost a week before the draft) and a whole bunch of speculation gets washed away and forgotten.

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The Mississauga North peewee house league Complete Mechanical Yankees (how ‘bout that plug for a sponsor?) go to 4-2 on the season with a big triumph last night. We throw two guys out at the plate (one on a perfectly executed cutoff play on a bases-loaded single to left, just like the coaches had been teaching), hit the crap out of the ball and the pitchers threw strikes.

Yes, Mr. Ricciardi, we are available for consultation.

End of digression.

End of transmission.

Comments

[Eric]

I think you might be missing my point. I don't care whether Chris Bosh wants to be here or not or what this franchise has or hasn't done in the past or even how I feel about him. I'm talking solely about seeing the future: he will command $16 ++++++ in 2010, whether you/I like him or not. If he is worth that much money and/or capspace and/or term to you, that's perfectly fine. At least you've considered all the factors. But if he is not worth that much coin to you, you don't wait until later to move him; you move him now. And you make that decision of whether he is or is not worth it NOW, because now affects the future and his trade value will plummet over the next 12 months irrespective of how he plays.

Ive heard too often in the last weeks from writers and others that the team need not address this issue until 2010- that they can wait before they consider what they're going to do. THAT is what I have a problem with! It's fantasy. That's not how you protect an asset in the real world.

Blogger's note: Perhaps you aren't paying attention, which doesn't surprise me since paying attention doesn't fit your tiresome argument: They have made their decision, listen to Bryan for once, would you: They are going to keep him.
Please, please, I beseech you: We know how you feel, it's not how they feel. Go get on another hobby horse.

[LH]

Doug its interesting you bring up the whole Ford situation again. You're right what's done is done. Just have 1 question though which teammates did he have issues with (Calderon? Parker?) Those seem the most obvious guys. Both I could see... But to me the major issue was with his coaches, specifically Sam. While I like Sam as the coach, this was his fault. Sam broke an unwritten rule in sports - "A player never loses his starting job to injury" Once Sam did that, he lost the trust of not only TJ but other guys on the team. They may have not said it but the trust was lost.

As for the draft, all these things ideas being thrown around about what the Raptors do. We need to forget need for a second and draft the best player available. If it happens to be same as need then its a bonus. Now the best player available is subjective and only Brian Colangelo knows who that is for him. Fans just need to remember the last time the team drafted by need they got Haffa. We all know how that turned out.

[Mark L]

Doug,

What's the point of the draft process if agents can be picky about which team his player goes on (i.e. Ricky Rubio). It almost defeats the purpose. These players should void all of those rights just to be able to enter the draft in the first place. If they don't want to play for a certain team then don't come to the NBA.

[GM]

Let me join the group of Ukic supporters. The Raps definitely should not give up on him. He's going to be pretty good. And he can be the tempo-changer they're looking for. If he improves. But of course he's going to improve.

[Andre]

Hey doug, do you know if the raptors got confirmation from the Evans camp for him to come in to work out Monday or Tuesday? thanks. Love the blog.

Blogger's note: Nothing as of now, might not happen, I'm told

[Boko]

I can list off 14 swing players that have better stats than DeRozan. Why would we pick him at #9?! God, please, tell me it won't be so!!

[kazbid]

totally agree on ukic..6'5 PG with only one year in the league..more up-side than down...and like another poster said..that san antonio game was amazing..he's much longer..causes more defensive problems for other PG's and he's more creative with the ball than calderon

i dont understand eric's point..trade bosh now cuz we'll lose him for nothing later? thats not gonna happen..the only situation in which we lose bosh for nothing is if he wants to sign for a lot less to be on a contending team..even then....he could sign for less with the raps and then we could trade him
there's no situation in which its beneficial for bosh to screw over the raps and leave without signing..if he wants a good contract (big or small) he's best off doing a sign and trade through BC

[Stickhandle]

Doug -- how 'bout Bosh for Yao straight up? I think the communities on both ends would support the move with ticket sales.

Blogger's note: Quite aside from the fact I don't deal in fantasy trades, the Raptors averaged almost 19,000 fans a night for a team that was terrible, how many more tickets can they sell? The last time they were good, they sold out 40 of 41 home games, ticket sales are not an issue

[Erc]

Re: Roko. Does anyone care if he can actually play PG in the NBA or does his height and potential make that a moot point?
Liked the kid when he first came. Wasn't afraid to 'go to the rack' as Jack says. Would have liked Adolph Eichman if he drove instead of jump shooting.
But hey -- the longer the kid stayed the worse he got at running a team. A lot of the time other players were just standing around while Roko 'created' and MJ he's not -- not even sure if he's Hump.
Maybe he'll mature and be very good but he has a long, long, LONG way to go.

[Henry]

"Perhaps you aren't paying attention, which doesn't surprise me since paying attention doesn't fit your tiresome argument: They have made their decision, listen to Bryan for once, would you: They are going to keep him."
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If they don't manage to keep him, and we end up with nothing again, do you think that will be, or ought to be, the end of BC's tenure here?

Blogger's note: No, not necessarily

[ryan]

doug, are you saying bosh isn't getting moved this summer?

Blogger's note: Every single time Bryan Colangelo has been asked about it, his first response is that they consider Bosh the cornerstone of the franchise, that they want to build around him, that even if he decides to walk after next year they are confident -- because of the salary implications -- that they could do some significant sign-and-trade.
I personally don't think you should trade a young four-time all-star who could be entering the prime of his career
So, yes, at this moment -- unless some shockingly good steal of a deal presents itself and I don't see that happening for a guy bound and determined to play out his contract -- I do not see a trade this summer.
Never have, actually

[Tim W.]

Henry: "Just because Toronto has never been able to keep it's all stars in the past, has a losing record, is planning to bring back most of last year's losing team, has an ownership that won't spend a dime beyond what it needs to, is in a country that speaks multiple languages, uses a weird European measuring system and is cold in the winter, doesn't mean Toronto will end up with nothing for it's all star this time. Besides, one of these days Bosh might come out and say he wants to be here long term."

Never been able to keep it's stars? The team has had four, what one might consider, stars. Damon Stoudemire was traded away after his mentor was forced out be previous ownership. Tracy McGrady left via free agency partly because he didn't want to play in the shadow of Vince and partly because he felt, and rightly so, he wasn't being given enough chance to become a star on the Raptors. Again previous management and coaches. Vince Carter re-signed when many American media-types said he'd head to the US and stayed with the team for 6 years before realizing that the now previous management could not build a winner. Bosh is obviously still with the team.

Since Damon never made an All-Star team, I don't know whether you could consider him a star. And McGrady wasn't a star while he was with the Raptors. The Raptors have lost ONE important player via free agency. McGrady. Their two real stars, Vince and Bosh, both re-signed or extended with the Raptors.

Besides Portland and New York, name another NBA city that spends more freely than Toronto despite not being a contender. I've heard lots of whining from fans that say that ownership is cheap, but besides not re-signing Delfino, I haven't heard one concrete example of how they are so cheap. They have the 11th highest payroll in the entire league and the third highest of non-playoff teams. I'm sick of fans complaining that ownership won't send beyond the luxury tax when so few other teams will. Orlando has only decided to do it only this summer, after making the Finals. And that's just to re-sign Hedo. I'm guessing they won't be spending anymore money, including their MLE. Are they cheap? Denver GAVE AWAY Marcus Camby last summer to get under the luxury tax threshold. The Lakers may lose either Odom or Ariza because they may not want to pay for both. Milwaukee may lose all their free agents because of financial concerns. Several teams, including Washington and Phoenix, are rumoured to be trying to dump salary to save money.

Last summer, ownership agreed to take on a $20 million dollar contract because they were told it would improve the team. They would immediately agree to a max contract extension for Bosh if he agreed to one. How exactly is MLSE so cheap?

[Tim W.]

Eric,

I've already posted this, but here it goes again. Pau Gasol, Rashard Lewis, Shawn Marion, Ray Allen, Andrei Kirilenko And Amare Stoudemire all currently make close to what Bosh will make, and all have played on very successful teams, all but Utah being contenders if not Champions, despite their contracts. Oh, and not one of them were the best player on their team or MVP calibre players. And Bosh certainly isn't going to be the only non-Lebron level player who will be making that kind of money in 2010.

So what exactly is your point?

[Thane]

LH: Ford didn't lose his job because of injury - he lost it because Calderon is a better player. Period.

[mary]

i'm with you, doug. bosh is worth way more to the raptors than what they'd get back for him.

[Henry]

"How exactly is MLSE so cheap?"
.
As you stated yourself they have the 11th largest payroll, even though Toronto is the 4th largest market in Canada and the US. Even the relatively small city of Portland spends more than they do. Thanks for proving my point.

Blogger's note: And the relatively large markets of Chicago, Houston and Miami spent less. You make one point, you have to consider others.

[Henry]

"Blogger's note: And the relatively large markets of Chicago, Houston and Miami spent less. You make one point, you have to consider others."

Both Houston and Miami are substantially smaller than Toronto. Chicago is larger and if I were a Chicago fan I'd be calling the ownership there cheap as well.

Blogger's note: Whatever. But I will point out the metropolitan population of Houston is 5.7 million, of Miami it's 5.5 million, of Toronto it's 5.5 million. So, not to split hairs or anything but I think you can see my point.

[LH]

Ford was the starter got injured came back wasn't the starter when he returned. In essence he lost his job because of injury. If they both were healthy and Sam replace Calderon, your statement would be fair. Fans got what they wanted - Mitchell is gone, Ford is long gone.. Here's hoping the Raptors don't suffer the same fate as Milwaukee who traded the point guard they committed to instead of Ford just 2 years later and haven't made the playoffs since.

[Henry]

"Blogger's note: Whatever. But I will point out the metropolitan population of Houston is 5.7 million, of Miami it's 5.5 million, of Toronto it's 5.5 million. So, not to split hairs or anything but I think you can see my point."

The figures you used are for the surrounding areas around Miami and Houston. If you do the same with Toronto the number is 7.5 to 8 million, so I think you can see my point.

Blogger's note: As I said, whatever. You're wrong. This is over.

[Dave McMillan]

I'm no fan of MLSE and how they run their businesses but to be fair, they have the Canadian $ to deal with [revenues in Can.$ vs. a lot of expenses in US $]. As well,in general they have to spend more on salary to attract players here than many US cities [especially versus cities in the warmer south].

[Tim W.]

Henry: "As you stated yourself they have the 11th largest payroll, even though Toronto is the 4th largest market in Canada and the US. Even the relatively small city of Portland spends more than they do. Thanks for proving my point."

Portland is the exception, as I already stated. They have an owner who is one of the richest men in the world. And still, they did everything they could to stop other teams from signing Darius Miles so they wouldn't have to pay his salary.

You mention Portland spending more money, but don't actually bring up any points of HOW MLSE has shown they were cheap.

And you talk as if spending money is going to make a team better. CHicago would not improve if they spent more money. Personally, I think they were smart for not spending $10 a season on Ben Gordon because he's a one dimensional player who is not worth even close to that amount and would be coming off the bench for a better team. When you start throwing money at players, you end up hurting your flexibility, and thus your ability to improve your team. If Chicago ended up giving Gordon the contract he wanted, it would have made him very difficult to move should they wish to in the future. They overpaid Hinrich, and now have had trouble finding a taker for him. Instead of being able to turn Hinirch into a position they need more, they are spending $10 million on a backup PG when they already have one of the best PG's in the NBA. CHicago is not a contender, and shouldn't be spending money like one. If they become contenders, you'll see their payroll rise.

You keep harping on this point that ownership is cheap, but never mention HOW they are and don't seem to understand that spending money isn't necessarily going to make a team better.

[Henry]

"You keep harping on this point that ownership is cheap, but never mention HOW they are and don't seem to understand that spending money isn't necessarily going to make a team better."
.
I have mentioned how they are cheap. They have the 4th largest market and they spend like a much smaller market. One way spending money helps is it convinces players you are willing to do everything it takes to put a winner on the floor. That is how you keep your star players and attract others. I always see players demanding that ownership do more, and I don't Smith throwing a tantrum over them. We've tried cheap and that hasn't worked.

Blogger's note: For all that is good in the world, can you please get it through your head that North American market size has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. And, aside from Carlos Delfino, find me ONE PLAYER who left or didn't come solely because of money.

[CB]

Doug, I know you hate the site, but thought you would like to know you were mentioned on hoopsworld :D

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12984

Blogger's note: I don't hate the site, I hated the irresponsibilty it displayed in the ridiculous Andrea Bargani-to-Dallas crap earlier this year.

[michael]

hey doug,

If BC decides to sign and trade marion, what do you think the best trade will be? but if i was BC i would give marion a 9 million contract and trade him and hump or banks for caron butler!

what do you think? what do you think raps should trade marion for?
thanks!

Blogger's note: Without talking to 29 other GMs, I couldn't venture a guess. Sorry

[Thane]

LH: Yes, Ford's injury gave Calderon a chance to show how good he was, but had he not shown that talent, Ford would have gone right back to being the starter.

It was a question of talent, not one of durability. Had Ford been a better player than Calderon, he would not have lost his place in the starter's role. It's a bit odd then to say that he lost it due to injury.

Remember, co-relation (losing of his starter's role happening around the same time as his injury) need not imply causation (just because they happened at the same time, doesn't mean that one caused the other). Basic logic 101.