If this is Tuesday, it must be hoops

Fore!

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Raptors working on re-opening the doors for Rasho.

Never mind. It’s basketball today. I can’t keep the sports straight these days.

-

Yes, today is Jarrett Jack Day here in the big smoke and we all knew that was coming for about a week.

But I was talking to a couple of Bryan’s Henchmen yesterday trying to get a read on what else is going on and, frankly, it’s about as earth-shattering as the Jack deal.

Negotiations with Delfino and Rasho are continuing but quite aside from the money issue – and there’s always a middle ground on money issues – things like length of contract and number of guaranteed years are factoring into things. Not unexpectedly, either, because we all know that whatever Bryan’s doing, he’s doing with one eye on potential tax troubles a year or two down the road.

Not sure where the snag is and I don’t get the impression the talks are anywhere close to breaking off but it’s a sticking point they have to work through.

Me?

I’d probably draw the line at a three-year deal worth about $15 million total for Delfino but I’m not sure I’d fully guarantee that last year and for Rasho I’d give him two years at the biannual exception.

I will also say this:

If push came to shove and I could only get one, with the roster as it’s presently constructed, I think it’s far more important to get a backup centre than another swingman and I’d get Rasho on board – or someone like him – pretty quickly.

Remember last year? With Will Solomon and Roko Ukic as the only backups to Jose Calderon and how bad that turned out? Well, it’s not exactly the same but starting the season with Reggie Evans and Patrick O’Bryant as your lone backup bigs simply isn’t good enough.

-

Here’s one from the mail bag (remember that?), which is pretty darn near empty, by the way:

Q: Hey Doug, today someone was wondering about the Toronto reporters being scooped by an Indiana scribe about a Jarrett Jack press conference on Tuesday. A few weeks ago, another commenter wondered about the value of scoops, which got me to think about the question, too.

I can understand if you break something that would otherwise stay under wraps, but what is the value in being the first to announce something that's going to be announced anyway, be it a press conference, signing, trade or firing? We're all going to hear about it in time, so what good does it do?

Is it just that some readers might eventually just start using you and your paper as the sole source? Is it bragging rights? Personally, it doesn't matter to me one bit who gets it first. In this age of instantaneous news, as soon as one gets it, the other reports on it seconds later.

Thanks.

Guy M, Vancouver

A: It gets to the competitive nature of the reporters a lot of times. We’ve got four newspapers here that cover this team, a gaggle of radio and TV outlets and if you’re first with something newsworthy (and I don’t count the announcement of a long-expected news conference to be all that newsworthy, to tell you the truth) it makes a guy feel good… That’s the “something that would otherwise stay under wraps” stuff you’re talking about.

The one thing that bugs a little bit is when I have to have a story out there under my name crediting some other news organization (like ESPN or Yahoo or M. Grange TM) with information, although I do think I’m pretty good at doing that. I’ll put it out there, sure; but then I start working the phones to get independent confirmation so it’s “our” story as well.

But, and I’m sure I’ve said this before, an old friend who’s been on a beat for years once told me: 90 per cent of the stories are ties, you win five per cent and you lose five per cent and you can’t get too high when you win or too low when you lose.

You’re right, in this age of instant dissemination of information, as soon as something’s out there, everyone gets it and it’s how you react to it, or advance the original information, that makes the good ones stand out.

-

Ready for some more early mornings?

Maybe not but if you are, the next installment of Canada Basketball Goes Global begins Thursday in the wee hours.

This time it’s the women’s under-19 world championships from Thailand and if I know the folks at Canada Basketball, they’ll be on top of it like they were the men.

My knowledge of international junior women’s basketball – and this Canadian team in particular – is not what it should be but people whose opinions I respect tell me this is a very good team of very talented young women and should be a top-8 team in the world.

So we’ll start following them. Just a bit of a heads-up for you, it’s an 11-hour time difference or something so here’s the best place to find out how they’re doing.

-

Michael Jordan hits a golf ball a very, very long way. And mainly straight. Not sure what he shot yesterday at that Mike Weir Charity Classic out at the Abbey but if I had his swing, my friends’ wallets would be an awful lot lighter.

-

We can now, finally, put to rest for a couple of years all the speculation about Steve Nash and Toronto, right?

As Paul Coro tells us here, he’s got the new gig in Phoenix that should keep him there until practically the end of his career.

The angle Paul took is pretty interesting, no?

The draft where Nash was chosen by Phoenix way back in the day – and I remember it pretty vividly, it was when Vancouver was sure Toronto would screw ‘em up and take Shareef Abdur-Rahim rather than Marcus Camby that night in Jersey – included Iverson and Marbury and you would have gotten some long, long, long, long odds if you’d bet Nash would have had a better, more productive career than either of those two.

And seeing how Nash has those two MVPs, is still playing at an incredibly high level on a good team and neither of those other two have a job yet, you cannot tell me he hasn’t had a better career.

-

Speaking of MJ and the golf, my man C Young makes reference to it here in today’s missive from the paper but the little byplay between Jordan, Anthony Kim and Fred Couples was pretty much worth the price of admission to the range at the Abbey. (Of course, the price was free so take that for what it’s worth).

But Kim’s a huge Laker fan and byplay was pretty fascinating.

It was like me and you (if me and you were one of the great young golfers of the era and one of the greats of all time) casually hitting balls and picking the mind of an NBA GM/owner/president/icon as we went about our business.

You get that kind of access a few places – around the batting cage and in the dugout before ball games, sitting on the bench a couple of hours before tip off of an NBA game – and it’s very cool.

As Chris says, Jordan’s big on San Antonio, thinks Portland makes a run at Lamar Odom and thinks the West is stacked. Smart man. Of course, Kim did not mention Kwame Brown, Adam Morrison or Leonard Hamilton.

-

Spent about 90 minutes with the good folks from Canada Basketball last night at this reception thingy that included players and coaches from the cadet, junior and senior national teams in this kind of team-building social exercise that lets the three groups mingle and get to know one another.

Now, we’ll have more on this in the next couple of days – this is long enough as it is right now – but I’ve been on the fringe of the national team program for a large number of years, like 20 or so and I can honestly say I don’t remember a similar event ever. I don’t know what the ultimate outcome will be but getting the groups together and letting them know it’s one program, not three separate teams, cannot be a bad thing at all.

Comments

[Tony]

Hey Doug. Do you know if Raptors Tv can use the NBA streaming archives and show the Raps summer league games in the next few weeks? Heard Derozan was smooth as silk and Douby did a good Jason Terry impersonation throughout the tournament. It be cool to see them.

Blogger's note: There have been games on there already

[sheldon]

Is pop coming back he would be a great addition.

[Chris Graham]

Hi Doug.

Wondering what the situation is with Pops? I think this team still needs to be tougher on rebounding and Pops showed a nose for ball and a willingness to be tough. How costly would it be to resign him? Do we have room to if the sign Jack, Delfino and Rasho?

Thanks, CG.

Blogger's note: If they sign Delfino and Rasho and have already signed Jack there is no room for anyone.

[Jeremy]

Doug, to the point of needing more bodies up front, why is there no discussion about some of the other free agent options out there? Guys like Johan Petro, Mikki Moore, Jamaal Magloire (well ok maybe not), Shelden Williams and Ike Diogu.

It would be nice to see an article contemplating whether Rasho is the right choice, or whether the team could go in another, younger, more athletic direction.

Thanks.

[Oliveira]

who are the guys who could play the 3 spot aside from Hedo?

Blogger's note: Right now? With two roster spots to fill? George could, possibly DeRozan, and, although I wouldn't recommend it fior anything more than a few minutes at a time, Bargnani can.

[Mike]

“Blogger's note: As mentioned, I don't know; nor do I really care”

Fair enough, but some fans do.
You’re a conduit to the team for the fans. You are our access.
gdr didn’t ask you if you care about player numbers, he asked if you knew what number Jack would wear. He may have asked you because you are the one person he can ask that might know. I imagine it’s one of the many reasons we read you; your knowledge and access.

Sorry us readers can be so incredibly annoying at times but when a (possibly young) fan asks a simple question like, “what number is Jarrett Jack gonna wear?” It seems par for the course. I have trouble understanding the need to make him possibly feel silly because he cares about something you deem inconsequential like a jersey number. On a grand scale it seems basketball and entertainment in general are inconsequential. It’s supposed to be fun, that’s why we’re all here. In this case the snark seemed unnecessary.

One last thing, when the Raps sign Pops what number do you think he’ll wear :)

[SMD]

At a time when the Raptors off season moves have created some excitement and given us all something strong to look forward to, Eric sees the negatives. As I see it there's only so much money to spend and I believe BC has worked his plan pretty well.
The pieces mentioned to fill out the roster are proven NBA players with good track records. Rasho would be a welcome addition - A solid citizen and a Strong Big man. Delfino under a different system will surprize many I'm sure.
The base of the team looks solid - and the bench is improved.
So what's the beef Eric. . . or do you just like seeing your name on your computer screen.

Dave: Nash over Iverson handsdown. . . .past, present and future. I'm certain any insider would echo that sentiment. There's no "I"verson in team.

The Love affair with Pops. Yikes. A small big man with a lot of heart and energy. Sadly thats it. . . I appreciated his contribution last year, however if the braintrust at the ACC had as much faith in Pops abilities as some of the fans - his name would be on a contract by now. Highly unlikely we will see that.

Cheers

[jay haus]

gotta agree with gp. 'i dont know' is a perfectly legit answer. 'i dont care' is not really neccessary. if you dont think the question adds any value, dont post it. you are starting to sound like one of the spoiled, self-important superstars you cover. otherwise, love the blog.

[LC]

Iverson = 1 finals appearance
Nash = 0 finals appearance

You tell me which is better... also Iverson had a better first 10 years

Blogger's note: Just their first 10 years? Nash played in 86 playoff games, Iverson in 61. Yes, Iverson got to the Finals once, from the East.

[craig]

any rumblings about joey one or joey 2?

Blogger's note: Not in this city at this point, that's for sure

[Michael Torres]

Doug, the addition of Jarrett Jack to the Raptors will help Jose Calderon the most. Caldy plays all out, every single possession, but he tends to get tired quickly. With Jack in the fold, Jose won't have to play as many minutes and this will help him in the 4th quarter and in the 2nd game of a back to back. In fact, Calderon had "bad" numbers in the 2nd game of a back to back last season, according to one of the stats pages I looked up (Calderon's player profile at cnnsi.com).

[Andrew]

Hey Doug!
YOUR BACK... I almost gave up on basketball for the offseason and began reading Richard Griffin's blog (I KEED...but the Jay's management is something else, ain't it?)

2 Questions for you on this beautiful Tuesday:

1) Can Hedo defend 4s? (I realize nobody can gaurd the Boshs, but will he be taken advantage of?) If he can, we would have a pretty interesting small ball unit.

2) Do you see the Holladay situation for the Jays a lot like Bosh's situation with the Raps? THANK JEEBUS we have compentent upper management behind our Raps though, right? :)

Blogger's note: Some fours, maybe. The bad ones, that is. And Bosh was Halladay long before Halladay was Halladay; trade speculation started about last February and will continue unabated until next February. Lucky us :)

[Tim W.]

Eric: "Of course, on a day when all our attention should be paid to Jarrett Jack, Dougie spends his time waxing poetic on his friend Rasho!"

Huh? Every bit of our attention should be towards Jack? Why? Haven't we given him a lot of our attention over the last week? Is there a rule you have to pay all your attention to free agents on the day of their press conference?

"Nobody can make this team tough and rugged and playoff caliber with 16 mpg. Players like Rasho and Delfino have already proven that they can't."

Amazingly, a team needn't be tough and rugged in order to be playoff calibre. Just talented. And the Raptors have plenty of talent, now.

Dave Haslett: "There's no way Nash has had a better career than Iverson. Nash is coming off an outstanding resurgence and is the best Canadian player ever, but Iverson is right behind Tim Duncan, Shaq and Kobe as defining the post MJ era."

Iverson was a terrific scorer, but he's always been more of a highlight reel, much the same way Dominique Wilkins career was. Nash had way more team success than Iverson, and not simply because he was surrounded by better players. Iverson has been as much a headache a cure for teams throughout his career. Since Nash became a starter in the league, he's missed the playoffs once, and that was just last season. Nobody looked better playing beside Iverson, but the same is not true for Nash, who's made a lot of players look good. When looking at careers, I don't think you can just look at stats (if that's the case than Marbury might be a Hall of Fame player). The last two teams Iverson was traded away from IMPROVED after he left. That speaks volumes to me.

Jack: "And in my opinion, you're putting a lot of faith in Devean George. Turkoglu may suffer from fatigue, if he doesn't have a decent back-up here."

George played heavy minutes on a Championship team. While he may not be at that level anymore, the last time O'Bryant played heavy minutes during the NBA season was in the NDBL, and he certainly didn't light that league on fire. Besides, DeRozan also can back up the 3, as can Antoine Wright. I'd certainly take any one of those three over O'Bryant any day.

Lastly, that 1996 Draft was amazing. And arguably the two best players from that draft were not even in the top ten. The 14th, 15th and 16th picks had MUCH better careers than the 7th, 8th and 9th picks.

[doug]

I don't know where this idea comes from that a team has to be tough and physical to succeed....the Lakers just won a NBA title and they are not the most physical of teams, there "big man" is Andrew Bynum and then a cast of others...so this whole we need a "Oakley" or tough mentality is full of hogwash...

also Nash is by far a more accomplished ball-player then Iverson, in so many ways...and to the poster that said Iverson has been to one NBA finals and Nash none are you actually serious? is that what you base your argument on, criteria of a players worth?....so then by that reasoning a guy like Robert Horry must be one of the greatest players in NBA history..

and I also agree we have become use to your snarkiness, which a lot of posters deserve at times (me included) but that answer to the Jack number was somewhat out of line...I hope he wasn't a young kid, or even if he was, don't let one rude response stop you from writing or asking...look at Eric he just keeps going and going...

[DV]

Can we ban the next five that suggest Iverson or Pops in a Raptors uniform? Should clean up the comments page, make for a quicker/better read...

[Jack]

Tim W: The team does not have a shortage of big men. Why would they need a Rasho when there is no strong back-up for Turkoglu? George is past his prime. DeRozan is unproven. And besides, O'Bryant will not play major minutes. Just to give Bargnani or Bosh some rest.
The point I'm trying to make is they don't need Rasho. There is a more pressing need for a swing man than a back up center. And besides, we all know that the team needs a slasher type of a player. DeRozan hasn't proven that he's one. So why would you spend your remaining budget on a slow footed back up center?

[Jamie]

love the snark Doug, don't let the haters get you down.

[Sid G]

I am a daily reader of this blog and this is my first time commenting. Sad to say it's not basketball related but to agree with the response to the whole “Blogger's note: As mentioned, I don't know; nor do I really care.” I was taken back that you actually posted that. Could have just been some kid planning and saving to buy Jack's jersey. Not cool Doug... not cool at all ... Maybe take another vacation and come back without those types of comments? Great Blog by the way!

[Christian]

Assuming the Raps sign both Delfino and Rasho which means the 15-man roster is filled. I know your hoping that thats it, but do you think BC have some more trades in his plate?

Or any rumors you hear from what you call "casual conversations"...?

Thanks and great blog as always!

Blogger's note: There'll be a bit on that in the morning

[CC]

doug! is the raps still in contract with TSN next season? if so i better switch my cable company.

Blogger's note: Yep

[Tim W.]

L.C.: "Iverson = 1 finals appearance
Nash = 0 finals appearance

You tell me which is better... also Iverson had a better first 10 years"

And Philly got trounced by the Lakers in the FInals, highlighting the disparity of talent between the East and West that year.

As for the first ten years, Iverson had one MVP Award to Nash's two. And Nash struggled with injuries his first four years and didn't consistently start until his fifth, and even then, I'd say most people would take Nash over Iverson over their first ten years. Why? Nash was never a headache for coaches and teammates, he consistently had an impact on the team's success, and he made players around him better. Philly improved when Iverson left, as did Denver. And instead of agreeing to come off the bench in Detroit, Iverson sulks and claims injury. iverson has a huge heart, loads of talent and is fearless, but he's got a poor attitude, is renowned for only playing and working hard in games (he's not known for working out in the offseason), and has never had the brains to realize what he needs to do for team success.

Fans love watching Iverson play because he's fearless and exciting, but that doesn't mean he's going to help your team win. Do none of Iverson's backers wonder why only 3 teams have any interest in him whatsoever, and two of those teams are the CLippers and Grizzlies, both laughing stocks of the NBA who have both traded FOR Zach Randolph. And Pat Riley is renowned for believing he can get the best out of guys like Iverson. Cleveland wanted no part of him, nor the Lakers, nor San Antonio, nor Orlando nor any of the other good teams out there. You ever wonder why that is? You ever think the guys in charge there know what they are doing, which is why they're in charge of contenders?

Iverson really only had a couple of good years, and those were the years when Larry Brown was in charge of him. It was the only time his teams had any real success, and it was the only time when he seemed to `get it'. Sure, he gaudy stats, but if gaudy stats is what you want, then take a team comprised of Iverson, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph, Tracy McGrady and Corey Maggette. Each of those guys had enough talent to be Hall of Famers, but none of them had the brains to be.

[Chipotle]

Dave you are crazy. First of all Duncan, Shaq and Kobe won 4 championships each. Iverson's won none. The only reason he's a "defining player" in the post-MJ era is because he represents the new generation/hip-hop whatever of the NBA. Iverson could score with the best of them but is a selfish player. His best year came when he was surrounded by role players (Snow, Tyrone Hill, Mutumbo) and no other scorers. Denver got better like 10 games when they traded him for Billups, and recently Iverson single handedly destroyed Detroit's season and refused to come of the bench like a little baby. Nash is a 2 time MVP, ultimate professional and there is no doubt he makes a team and his teammates better (unlike Iverson).

[Unregistered]

How is this a better team than previous years. Scoring hasn't been a problem for Raps at any time this decade. It's defence and rebounding that's been killing this team year after year. And, the team this year actually fares worse (on paper at least) than any in previous years on those fronts.

Also, would any team be interested in Ukic? Is he tradeable for a backup 2 or 3?

[Calderack]

CALDERACK

Yea or Nay?

[Lewis Branton]

3 years $15 mil on Delfino?!?! You are out of your mind if you think Delfino is worth $5mil a season. Not even close, i was thinking for like 2.5 a year TOPS. This will just be a bad move for the Raps if they hand Delfino that much a season, just a waste of money if your payin that high for a player of his calber.