No news but that doesn't mean there are no goodies to read

Shut things down last night about midnight and it was raining, get up this morning and it’s raining (and you haven’t lived ‘til you’ve walked a recalcitrant Boston terrier in the morning rain) and I’m thinking:

Oh, the joy of being a golf writer.

I foresee a day of press tent stories and endless cups of coffee until someone tells us they’re going to suspend play because the course is under water. Then we’ll get up and do it all over again tomorrow.

Yes, there’s no gig like it.

But I digress …

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Raptors news? Pshaw!

You gotta be kidding. Quiet day entirely. Bryan was off on NBA business, Jay’s running the USA Select team out in Vegas, Maurizio’s playing congenial host for the Canadian men’s team over in Italy and other Henchmen have scattered for a while.

So if you’re looking for news on Pops (and I know you all are) or Carlos or Rasho or some other guy people fancy, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Luckily, though, there is no right place today because nothing happened and I don’t fee so bad about it.

But still we soldier on with stuff you can’t get anywhere else.

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All right, it’s now officially official:

Summer, or what passes for summer around these parts, has gone on too long and people are simply starved for basketball news. Basketball nonsense might be a better way to put it.

Check out what passed as “big news” yesterday according to handful of e-mails I got from readers.

I have no idea if anyone down there reads this but let me just say: The New York Knicks are so entirely irrelevant to the entire NBA at the moment, it’s hilarious. The team sucks, all these grandiose plans for signing this guy (LeBron) and that guy (Bosh) are falling apart amid a worsening economy and they seem doomed to be irrelevant for a few more years.

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Oh, oh, tough start for Canada at the Under-19 women’s worlds in Thailand, as we can read right here.

It’s the same kind of format as the men’s worlds earlier this month so the loss isn’t devastating. They’ve still got Tunisia today and Japan tomorrow and one win probably allows them to advance, two surely will and their hopes of medal remain intact.

I have no idea what time the next game is but we’ll have something on it here tomorrow.

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Yikes.

E-mails may slow to a trickle once this news from my man Ira gets out there.

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So, Super Son was helping tidy up the messy desk area here at Casa Doug the other night and he got to be in charge of making sense out of the pile of media guides strewn hither and yon.

And I’m thinking, well, he won’t have to do this again most likely.

Not sure if there are any collectors among you, or people who just like to do a little light reading, but the days of big, printed media guides are all but gone, friends around the league report.

In part to save money and in part to save the planet, we’re told almost all the teams are going to strictly on-line publications next year so us beat grunts won’t have 30 books to clutter up the desk.

What we may have is a “memory stick” with all the information just a click away. That also means there’s something else my Luddite self will have to learn.

(Seriously. Where else can you learn this kind of crap?)

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An e-mail lands from my man Phil From Philadelphia late yesterday afternoon wondering who the agent was for – get this! – Jake Voskuhl.

Now, at the risk of sounding like, you know, a normal guy, I will say Jake’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet but I really wonder if his days as a NBAer might be over.

But checking out Phil’s blog shows that Jake’s just one of a list of “who’s that?” the Sixers are thinking about. Talk about a murderer’s row!

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Getting back to international basketball for a quick few paragraphs, Leo’s men’s senior team is off to Italy later today for an exhibition series, their second trip to Europe in preparation for August’s world qualifier in Puerto Rico.

Had a chance to chat with the coach, and a couple of players and other poobahs, the other night at this swank Canada Basketball reception at a lovely eatery downtown (well, it was wings at St. Louis on King and it was right up my alley).

A couple of highlights:

No way Matt Bonner plays this summer but he’s still very interested.

Yes, they would finally like to get Jamal Magloire on the roster and they’re working on it; having him signed in Miami has to help.

Joel Anthony is going to play.

Karl Carl English won’t be in Europe but he will be Puerto Rico after signing with Tau Ceramica in Spain.

They once again are young and going to have to play nearly perfect basketball to qualify.

Said Leo:

“The reality is, we’re still younger and less experienced than our competition but that’s our world, we just have to find a way to not beat ourselves. The talent aspect? There’s nothing we can do about that, we just can’t beat ourselves in situations and that’s what we have to work on.”

I’m trying to work up a story for the newspaper on the team (looks like I might have a few hours to kill in the press tent at Glen Abbey today) but if I can’t, we’ll have more here.

Of course, the big news about this trip is that Canada will play Italy and a few people will be able to give me first-hand info on how Andrea’s looking.

Comments

[Mark]

Doug, do you know if Brendan Haywood is healthy again and are the Wizards entertaining offers for him? It's wishful thinking, but could the Raptors offer up Banks and Ukic and a second rounder or something for him? He'd be a nice back up C, and we'd free up a roster space.

Tell me if I'm crazy, lol.

Blogger's note: Healthy, unavailable and certainly not for a bad contract, a so-so third point guard and a useless pick

[Mark]

What if we offered a first rounder, Ukic and Banks for Haywood? But I guess he's still unavailable... I'm grabbing at straws. I think it would be nice to have Rasho and Delfino back on this team. Although, I don't always like seeing old players return, unless it was Mo-Pete, but it would be two solid moves if they do come back. And just out of curiosity: what kind of $$$ is Rashad McCants asking for these days?

Blogger's note: I have no idea what he's asking but I bet he doesn't get anything much more than the minimum, if he gets anything at all

[Alex L]

Good lineup of the scrubs Philly is considering. Reminds me of that season 5 years back when the Raptors started Loren Woods at centre for pretty much the whole year. Doug do you think that will go down as one of the low points of the franchise history? I mean the guy was softer that warm butter!! God how did I keep watching in those days?

Blogger's note: I watched 17 straight losses in a 16-66 season, I think that's a high in lows

[jim]

I think I read that the MLE remains intact for the season. In other words, as the rookie($885 thouss.) and veteran minimums($1.4 Thous.) diminish in value as time passes during the season, the raps will still have $1.2 mil. to offer someone who is released during the season for 09/10 season. Unless, the Raps look really good going into the playoffs, it probably won't come into play. Doug...am I making sense?

Blogger's note: All contracts signed during a season are pro-rated for that season

[kazbid]

hey doug, what would u think if BC traded ukic for "nothing" to clear up room on the roster and help avoid a luxury tax situation next year

personally i think he could be a good pg and i'd rather keep him and just deal with the tax implications next year

i'd hate to see him go for a bag of balls and he turns out to be even half decent; he's just a consistent jump shot away from being a good player and with his height and ability (and constant desire) to penetrate, he provides a nice contrast to calderon

[DougG]

If Pops name has come up then it may mean he and Rasho are the last two names. Delfino just doesn't seem all that interested. This is understandable, in light of the money he is making, at what I imagine are good tax rates.

[Michel G]

Andrew and everybody who's always bitching about Leo Rautins: Did Leo go and throw garbage in your back yard? Leo's "not an X's and O's guy"; and "definitely not a player coach." How in the hell do you know that? Are you in the dressing room? Unless I'm mistaken, Canada Basketball screwed this program long before "high school" basketball coach Leo Rautins came on the scene. M. Grange recently wrote a nice article on Triano and his summer job with USA Basketball. Some of the people that replied also used the occassion to blame "high school" basketball coach Leo Rautins for everything that's wrong with Canada Basketball. Coaching is not the problem with the program, but I guess Leo's an easy target. Who else are you going to blame.

[doug]

Canada did have a tough loss as they were leading after 3....but a good game, the Japan game will be tough as the Japanese have a solid team...the States were a 29 point fav against Spain (I bet the Spaniards as no Spanish team in recent memory does not field a competitive team) and they were not only competitive but won by 4 points handing the U.S it's first loss in 8 years ...also the under 18 guys FIBA European championships are going on and today Croatia was playing Spain and this kid from Croatia(Prostran) can play he has ability hit for like 34 and multiple boards an assists..solid overall player, there is good talent in that tourney as well....Italy has a kid who can play, as does Turkey, an the kid in Croatia..all under 18 but good skills...remember the old Yogoslavian teams? man they had talent now they are divided but they can still play ball...also it won't happen but Canada needs to emulate the Australian sports model they are competitive in every sport it seems, not competive but dam good..they play France in the woman's tourney tonight that will be a good game as the French can also play hoops...anyways international ball has equalled or surpasssed american ball in a lot of ways as the Europeans teach solid skills, nice ball to watch....plus to the reader who remarked he would rather watch WNBA you should as last night the Sparks-Storm went into 3 overtimes a real barn-burner, try being Candace Parker, giving birth and then out playing she is not near where she was last year but still that's above and beyond the call of duty...they may not play above the rim but man can they shoot, sweet strokes there....

[Lorne]

Doug - how come you haven't mentioned Shaq's upcoming reality series? Gold mine for snark. What are the odds, do you think, of him getting injured?

[john fagan]

doug- if you have nothing to do except watch the rain, could you take time to explain the "Bird rights" thing, including history - how it relates to Larry

Blogger's note: Next rain delay. Honest

[Carlton]

How strict are the rules MLSE is putting on Colangelo to keep under the luxury tax? if they are able to get a player that could push them into the next level, will they allow it?

Blogger's note: It really depends on a lot of factors but I imagine Bryan can be pretty persuasive when he needs to be.

[LeeZ]

Kasbid, you write that Ukic is JUST a consistent jump shot away from being a good player (emphasis mine). Um, uh, Kas (may I call you Kas?), that's like saying Doug is just a Brad Pitt face away from having Hollywood looks (sorry Doug, no offence, man). As I mentioned in an earlier post, Roko's jumper is PROFOUNDLY dysfunctional, with more flaws than I have pairs of underwear (just for the record, I have enough pairs to get me through the week, thank you very much). Trade Roko, and keep Doug (Hollywood may beckon, Doug, but home is where the heart is).