And you thought I'd forgotten about you

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STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Georgia Tech teammates come together again in Toronto.

Thought so.

Well, being refreshed after a week of deck washing and weed pulling, ball games and barbecue hosting, looks like there’ll be some basketball work in the next little while.

Which is good for basketball writers but it might also mean I’ll miss a day or two in my next gig: Golf scribe.

Yep, the weekly foray to the Canadian Open begins today; not sure how we’re going to cover it or what makes it into this space each morning but it should be a hoot. I seem to know there’s a difference between a niblick and V-grooved gap wedge, let’s see what else we can come up with.

But first, the hoops …

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My man Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star got in touch with Jarrett Jack late last night for this story that says the deal’s done and it seems I’ll have a news conference to attend tomorrow.

I don’t think anyone’s the least bit surprised that Indiana isn’t going to match the offer, there are some financial issues at play with the Pacers that made it a virtual impossibility for them to pony up that kind of cash for Jack.

This was a pretty good move by Bryan Colangelo, no question. M. Grange ™ and I were discussing this while pretending to be baseball writers on Sunday night and it’s the kind of relatively quiet signing that could have a major impact on how the team does next season.

Jack’s big, tough, and – according to everyone I’ve talked to in Indy and Vegas last week – more than okay with the role that’s laid out for him here.

He’ll back up Jose, play some two, not complain and work hard.

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What’s left?

Well, according to everyone I talked to last week, Carlos Delfino and Rasho remain very much in play and I have a feeling that both situations – or at least both roster spots – will be taken care of in the next week.

And then what are we going to do? Loaf all of August? Sounds good to me.

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Okay, let’s for the sake of argument say the Raptors and Delfino can’t come to terms on a new contract, or that Toronto changes its mind and thinks having him might be too much duplication in the two-three spot.

What then?

Well, here’s one to put entirely out of your mind:

Just because there are suggestions – legitimate according to sources I’ve talked to – that the money is somewhere north of $4 million per, it doesn’t mean they’ll have the same money to spend on someone else if Delfino falls through.

Can’t happen. Won’t happen. The only reason Toronto can offer that kind of cash to Delfino is because he is their own free agent; and because they’ve tied up almost all, if not all, of the $5.9 million mid-level exception on Jack (and we haven’t found on the absolute particulars on the contract but it’s close to that number) they have no more money to spend.

What they will have is the so-called Biannual Exception (which starts at about $1.9 million) and veteran minimum contracts to offer.

They could, I guess, do some kind of sign-and-trade for Delfino but, trust me, every source I’ve spoken to thinks it’s virtually impossible that any other team wants to throw that kind of money at him.

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You watch those contrived in-house ad ESPY awards last night?

You’d think Michael Phelps could have worn a tie, no?

Maybe he traded it for some munchies back stage or something.

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What I find really interesting is that there seems to be a lot of questions right now on who’ll be in the starting lineup around Halloween when the ’09-10 season gets under way.

Antoine Wright? DeMar DeRozan? Carlos Delfino?

How about we do this: We worry about that once (a) the team has had a chance to, you know, get on the court together; and (b) everyone’s signed that’s going to be signed.

Suffice it to say that Calderon, Turkoglu, Bosh and Bargnani are locks; the other spot will likely depend on who looks best with who on the court, something we’re not going to find out until October.

We know DeRozan is going to play and I presume Wright gets some time, too. (Check the last post, a 10-man regular rotation includes the four dead-bolt starters, Jack, Evans, a backup centre, a backup three and one of Wright or DeRozan).

But who’s on the court to start opening night is not going to become clear for months.

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This just in:

People were impressed with DeRozan last week in Vegas, Douby did all right making decisions with the ball, Ukic was just okay and the Raptors won three of five games.

Now, please forget that summer league ever happened.

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So I’m a Seamhead on Friday night, filling in for our baseball triumvirate who were off doing more important things, I guess.

I go to the dugout before the game and interview Cito Gaston.

We go up for dinner and say hello to Pat Gillick and Gord Ash, who are dining at a table across the room.

And I’m thinking: Yeah, this is Flashback Friday for sure.

Made a guy feel like it was ’93 all over again and I was just a pup starting out in the bigs.

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I believe there were quite a few moments last season when I got letters or comments from fans killing the Raptors for the lack of productivity from their starting wings.

Hmm.

Now Cleveland’s got AP and has signed Jamario Moon to an offer sheet.

What’s it all about, Alfie?

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I know, I know, I know.

I’m a crotchety old codger who doesn’t quite get things.

But I’m going to say this: The passing of Walter Cronkite on Friday was every bit as significant to the world as any in the last month – and, yes, I’m talking about that crooner out in L.A.

Of course, people won’t be clamouring for tickets to this memorial but people of a certain age – like, say, my age – grew up with Walter giving us all the news. I remember the day Kennedy was shot, and being sent home from kindergarten to watch Cronkite; it was his reporting of bodies returning from Viet Nam that lend a certain credence to the anti-war movement in the United States, a movement that created a societal sea change. He was there talking to us when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon 40 years ago today.

Cronkite’s impact on the world as we know it was hugely significant; you kids should go read more about him today.

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Comments

[Jamie Buckingham]

"it’s the kind of relatively quiet signing that could have a major impact on how the team does next season"....great point, very well said!

[Isaac O.]

Doug,

I hear that Delfino is asking for too much, and might stay in Russia..as far as Rasho, as much as he wants to come back, do you think he will command more than the bi-annual or vet's minimum?

[jars]

wooo Mr. Doug Smith is back!! welcome back sir. Hope you enjoyed your break.

the Cavs are funny, not only AP and Moon but i heard they were really looking into joey too haha trying to take all the last season raptors. Who's next Will Soloman? oh and i bet Hassan Adams is gonna get a hard to look at too by the crazy cavs.

Would rasho be apposed to taking vet min only or would he ask for the whole bi-annual exception? and is he a unrestricted free agent?

Blogger's note: I can't speak for Rasho's financial demands and haven't spoken to anyone who can yet

[sumit]

Hello, I am from Calcutta, India-- regular reader. I have a question. whilst I think Bosh is a rfreshing change in today's age of BLING SUPERSTARS, I do not feel he is Top 5 players in the NBA. Should the Raptors not use him in geeting 2-3 pieces and with draft picks be better of for a title push in 2- 3 yrs time?

[Manale]

I'm a bit too young to have witnessed Cronkite in his prime, but there are actually quite a few good quality youtube clips of Cronkite at various stages in his career.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcA9yJBWnnE&feature=related

[ts]

hey doug

parker and moon coming off the bench is great - as your starters its terrible - that’s why us fans were killing the raps for our lack of wing play last season.

if moon starts for some reason this year you won’t see lebron in the finals.....

thanks

[Mike D]

Hi Doug,

Thanks for delivering the inside scoop in Raptorland. Have to disagree with you about Cronkite though. If he never becomes the CBS anchor, the next guy in line for the job would have had more or less the same career, doing more or less the same things. I appreciate the nostalgia and all - in a Foster Hewitt sort of way - but there's a considerable case to be made for the fact that he significantly lowered the bar for journalism at a time when the new medium was just taking shape.

Love your work on the Raptors though.

[Calderack]

Your mission: Make sure this nickname catches on.

CALDERACK

Calderon has to come first since he's the starter and neither player should have their whole name included in the merged nickname.

[dou]

what did ppl think of patrick o'bryant at summer league? He's a guy we're stuck with - looks like he got a lot of minutes - any hope for him?

Blogger's note: There's hope for everyone

[dou]

oh yeah, we all know summer league is where you tell if ppl can't play, not if they can play - having said that, is it too early to call thabeet a bust?

Blogger's note: Yes

[Alan C]

You're spot on about Cronkite, Doug. And it may have affected me a bit more, since I grew up down there.

[trini man]

doug quick question....can you see any team out there that will trade for marcus banks even if toronto has to take back a bad contract.....and if so who do you think it might be?

Blogger's note: No, I don't; and why would you trade a bad contract for a worse one anyway?

[anthony.mackay]

Welcome back, hope you had time for a few cold pops!

If Jack is ready and willing to play backups minutes at the 1 and 2 then he is a perfect fit on this team.

IF something crazy happens and we don't have a backup center (injury,etc) then Jay could give his BIGS a rest with some creative line ups. When Andrea needs a rest slide Bosh over to the 5 and move the 6'10" point-forward Turk over to the 4 and we might not lose much in terms of rebounding. Especially if you put Evans in during that stretch.

Same when Bosh needs a break, move Turk up to the 4 again... I haven't really seen him play much 4 during his career but is versatility is similar to Odem so I'm sure he could handle it in a pinch.

We comin for that #1 spot (or at least 4th in the east) Go RAPS!

[todd vaughan]

so moon will have the chance to be yelled out by all 3 of the prize free agent class of 2010...youd think he might eventually try going to the bucket

[Vick Subra]

Hope ya enjoyed ur break doug n be prepared to be barraged by questions.. I shall start the ball rolling =)

Diggin into your esteemed sources, can you tell us anything about a certain chap by the name of Mancinelli?

Blogger's note: Nothing. Saw there was some report out there; I wouldn't put much credence in it right now.

[Alex]

Assuming Rasho and Delfino sign, is it foolish to expect the Raptors to finally win a playoff series next year?

[Ryan]

Alex, the Raptors have won a playoff series.

Though they are overdue to win another one...

[Joe J]

Any chance we could snag Kleiza for the BAE instead of Rasho? Sounds like BC was courting him early on before the Jack signing.

Blogger's note: I suppose it's possible but they need a backup five more than they need Linas Kleiza

[doug]

I feel sory for the younger posters and whatnot that never had the opportunity to watch, listen to Cronkite..he was a classy, professional individual that represented all that was right about the media, news business.....no matter what your political stripes you were happy to invite Cronkite into your house each evening, sit down and listen to the news of the day....it was credible, honest, sincere, and most importantly a humanistic approach....today network news has evolved into a parody of itself,who I no longer feel compelled to invite into my house each evening, as why should I....anyways thanks Walter, for reporting Kennedy's asasination, the landing on the moon, your views and reporting on Vietnam, for being truly unbiased and fair...

[Jeff Steele]

Hope you enjoyed your time off, glad to have you back.

Wright, DeRozan and Delfino could all potentially start at SG, but Jarret Jack might be worth consideration for that spot too. If you glance at his averages for the end of last season when he was starting at SG alongside TJ, you can see a promising trend (taken from this link http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3948/splits;_ylt=ArO8XwuTc9tAEJfUO6A6xPArPaB4):

Feb 35:23 mpg 49.3 fg% 15.9 ppg 3.4 apg
Mar 37:47 mpg 48.2 fg% 17.6 ppg 4.4 apg
Apr 37:53 mpg 45.6 fg% 15.4 ppg 6.3 apg

If Jay can get this kind of production out of Jack for an entire season than it is safe to say his 5 million dollar salary will be put to good use. The only challenge will be finding 36 minutes a game for him to play...

I think his value could be maximized more as our starting shooting guard as opposed to our backup point guard. He was known as one of the better defenders on the Pacers plus he is tall for a guard so I don’t see why it would hurt to have him defend opposing shooting guards.

Is it possible he could be on the court with the first and second unit to get him those extra minutes, or would that be asking too much?

[Paul]

Doug,
There are pressing issues before us. Forget the made up world of Hoops. These are issues affecting everyday life:

What's your take on screwing with our beverage containers? Plastic? How will that hold up under an afternoon sun? Did you get a chance to try one last week? Was you deck designed to take these issues into account (low sun exposure)?

Anything Colangelo can do about this?

Hope you had a good week, aluminum, glass or plastic!

Blogger's note: Glass

[Dallas]

Hi Doug,

Welcome back. I know I missed your blog. I have a question, I've asked it before, but I think I did so with a snaky tone, which I will try to keep out this time. But did the Raps front office become more tight lipped this off season? Like when you say you read in Mike Wells piece that there will be a press conference in Toronto, it makes me wonder why Mike Wells isn't reporting that writers in Toronto have written that there will be a Presser tomorrow.

It just seems like through the draft process, the FO didn't want to give much, except when they wanted to create some misdirection regarding who they were targeting with the 9th pick.

I guess what I'm asking is, in your opinion, would you say they are more or less cooperative with local media this year, than in years past? Was it in response to a disappointing year, last year?

Also have you heard any other names that they are looking at to complete the roster besides the usual suspects, of Rasho and Delfino?

Thanks, and welcome back.

Blogger's note: Jack called back a guy he knew; I presume if I'd worked harder Sunday instead of hanging with my family the non-earth shattering news about a news conference could have been reported.

Sorry Doug,
I did not mean to bust your chops over this, I did not mean for it to be interpreted that way. I hope you had a great vacation, it was well deserved. The question was whether there's been any change in how open the Raps front office has been lately with the Toronto media. I'm sorry if I've been so hard on you in the past that you interpret every comment I make to be a jab at your job performance. I assure you that if I did not enjoy your corner of the internet you would never hear from me.

BTW, imo the earth shattering news was not the Presser but that Indy wasn't matching, and no doubt Jack would return calls to those he's more familiar. The question was whether there's been any change in how open the Raps front office has been lately with the Toronto media. Like is BC and his staff anymore or less open with you guys than the were in years past?

Blogger's note: Given what happened and how we learned of it when, I think they were about the same. Most summers ,there's not nearly this kind of activity or even hints of activity.

[Lorie]

Thanks for remarking on the passing of Walter Conkrite. Being an old crone, (the girl version of curmudgeon, I believe) I remember very well the day Kennedy was assassinated, and have always felt that Walter Cronkite's simple act of removing his eyeglasses and taking that personal moment to absorb the day's tragedy spoke volumes more to our collective grief than much of the subsequent eulogizing. (And, if any of today's version of news readers tried that same move I would suspect it was scripted.) His standard of excellence never wavered. (Kids, seriously, check him out on YouTube!)

[Rob.V]

Doug, never mind all this smoochy smoochy, we love you , welcome back crap.

Dude fYI for future – NO VACATION ALLOWED!!!

The week off gave me waaay too much time to ponder some of the recent transactions so I thought I’d share if anyone’s interested.

The Bargnani signing is a stroke of genius – if Chris Bosh leaves, Bargnani could potentially be the “franchise”… AND at only 10 million per season. Brilliant!!. Think about it. If the kid’s numbers are 20-7/8 with a block or two at the end of next season, what would he have commanded on the open market then – possibly 13-15 million?

Re: Sheed going to Boston - Seriously, if KG, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce showed up at your doorstep and asked YOU to come and play with them would you say no? Maybe, but then you’d have to immediately check yourself into the COMPLETELY INSANE asylum. That’s almost unfair recruiting!!

There’s no I in team… but there’s definitely one in I…verson. Buyer, beware!! Looks like the Clippers?. Hmm, any wonder why they are the WORLDS absolute WORST franchise.

From the worst to the possibly the best - Has anyone noticed what San Antonio has done this off season??? Then again, no one ever talks about them. The Spurs are probably the “un-sexiest” franchise in the history of pro sports. Why this team continues to slide under the radar is absolutely MIND BOGGLING!! Good for them though, they’re now back in contention.

Is there any better owner than Mark Cuban? Love em, or hate him, the “Teflon” Don of the Mavericks is an owner that wants to win, and win now… and he doesn’t let his pocket book get in the way. P.S - I wish Colangelo had his trust account at his disposal.

Looks like the Blazers reign as the NBA’s “inconspicuous” darlings is over. Other teams apparently are starting to pay attention. Turkolu’s hand shot out of the grave like that older creepy scene from that Carrie movie just as they were shovelling the last bit of dirt on the Raptors chances of acquiring him… and Utah matches on Millsap... not a very good off season for Portland so far.

Why doesn’t ANYONE want Zach Randolph? The only place left this guy could be traded after this stop would be some D league team in Bora Bora. I’ve never seen a guy with borderline HOF numbers be spurned by so many teams. Who says attitude doesn’t count?

Jarett Jack is a good (no GREAT) underrated signing for the Raps.

I’m not convinced Orlando hasn’t taken a step back in the East with the subtractions of Hedo, Alston ,and Courtney Lee.

Boston with a healthy KG (even without Rasheed Wallace) was still at the top of the heap in the East in my mind. With Wallace and some additional depth off the bench this will be a scary, SCARY team next season. 70+ wins? Not that it matters however - you heard it here at the D.Smith blog first.

Is it just me, or do others feel that this current Laker squad was one and done when it comes to championships. I actually like Ron Artest as a player however there are just some guys that are NEVER destined to win anything (see Iverson, Allen) and I’m afraid that Ron Artest falls into that same category. Good defender though!

[Brad Allan]

hey doug how about a marcus banks for morris peterson deal? same number of years left and NOH looking to shed money. mo could play the same role as delfino will thanks