The dawn of a new era? Or something like that

Morning, everyone. How’s things?

Pretty zany night, no?

Some day I’ll tell you about it. Just suffice it to say that when you’re a barbecue guest at the home of good friends (Hi, Sue, Mike, Eric and Nicole!) and you’re fielding calls and e-mails and writing a story on a Blackberry, it takes a bit longer than you’d hope. Got it in about 10:30, which gave me time to at least end a lovely night relaxing.

But I will also say that I’m quite glad we never jumped on the Hedo-to-Portland’s-done on our own. Far better to put it out there on someone else’s hook until you’re absolutely sure. And there was never, ever a time that I was absolutely sure he was going to Portland, which is why prudence is sometimes the best.

Anyway …

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So, Turk, eh?

What’s it mean?

Let’s look at some pros:

Another good ball-handler and initiator on the court.

A guy you can give the ball to at the end of the game and say, ‘make a play’ while you stretch the floor with Jose (a very good three-point shooter) in the corner.

Let’s just say – as Jeff Blair first pointed out on a radio show last night – that Bosh leaves (and no, I don’t have any idea if he will). Do you feel more comfortable going forward with Calderon, Bargnani and Turkoglu or Calderon, Bargnani and Marion? A no-brainer over here.

You can put Hedo and Bargnani in the pick and roll; you could never do that with Shawn.

Can you make this case: Toronto has the same kind of starting lineup now as the defending Eastern Conference champions? To wit: Calderon as Nelson, only better at many things like, oh, shooting and dishing out assists; Bosh in the Howard role, the guy who rolls to the basket on the high screen and roll, a far more accomplished scorer and while not a defensive intimidator, he’s passable; Bargnani does as much offensively as Lewis (check the stats, they are almost exactly the same); Turkoglu’s Turkoglu and, well, maybe DeMar DeRozan becomes Courtney Lee, which I don’t think is a stretch because now he doesn’t have to do anything offensively except make cuts to the basket, get on the boards and use his athleticism.

Let’s look at some cons:

The bench may not be deep. But Ukic this year will be an improvement over Solomon last year; Reggie Evans remains an excellent pickup and, believe me, Bryan’s trying to get something done to get another two and/or three in town. Right now, that’s a concern. There is also a lot of time between now and October.

Too much money. Turk’s deal is big but they’ve projected the numbers out and it won’t hamper them doing something with Bargnani or Bosh when the time comes.

Poor defence. Yes, another concern. But with a full training camp to install a system and the presence of Mark Iavaroni, it might not be as bad as you think. As one guy who’s in the gym with them a lot said to me yesterday: “If we work on defence every day, they have to get better.”

So, there you have some.

Debate away.

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My opinion: What the hell, go for broke.

The league is built on talent and that’s as talented a starting lineup as they’ve had in years and years. Sure, if someone gets hurt they could be screwed which is exactly the same thing they’re saying in Cleveland and Boston. But if one of the starters goes down, I still think the other four can carry the load at least a little bit.

Look, everything’s a gamble.

This one just makes senses and, to me, was worth it. I like those pros far more than I’m worried about those cons.

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Here's how they explained it in the Portland paper this morning.

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Oh, and there’s this.

Here are some names that a guy in the organization gave me yesterday as possible guys who’ll fall through the cracks and be available on minimum salary deals when the economic pinch is truly felt later this summer:

Matt Barnes, Von Wafer, Gerald Green, Ronnie Price, Joey Graham, Jamario Moon (remember those last two?) and maybe even Shannon Brown, although that’s a stretch.

The point is, in these economic times, there will be bargains to be had and the one thing the Raptors can offer is a chance to play minutes, which is just what a guy on a minimum value deal wants more than anything.

Can they get a significant name? I don’t know, but there’s a chance they’ll get someone who’s more than a warm body at the end of the bench.

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In other matters, my regular morning read of Tanya’s story shows Canada lost but still moves on at the Under-19 worlds.

Not a crippling defeat – they’ll still move on to the second round – but they now probably need three wins in their next four games to move to the quarter-finals.

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What’s up with Shawn?

Well, he’s going to feel the squeeze worse than anyone. Unless Portland or Oklahoma City throws big bucks at him (they’re the only teams with money left that are likely to spend it), he’s going to have to settle for a mid-level salary.

That kind of sucks for him but it’s a sign of the times.

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Okay, I see about 50 comments in there calling me all kinds of names. Better go hold my breath and post ‘em.

Back later if something happens.

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The calm before the storm? We can only hope so

How quiet was yesterday? Eerily quiet.

No calls returned, e-mails went unanswered, everyone seemed to go underground.

History would suggest that something’s close to getting done and sources simply didn’t have time, or the inclination, to talk to us.

It happens, unfortunately. But not without some effort on our end.

All we can do today is get back at it and see where we end up. And since I’ve got a radio gig to do this evening, I can be pretty sure if something’s going to happen, it’ll happen during the 5-7 time period when I’m talking about something else.

Alas, it is the way of the world.

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The Raptors?

From the very, very few texts I got returned yesterday, it’s clear there is still interest in David Lee, they are still wondering if there’s an easier way to get Hedo than to gut the team and they remain in conversations with Marion.

Marion, it’s becoming quite obvious, is the big domino here.

If he wants their money, I’m pretty sure they’d do him, Delfino, maybe Kleiza and be practically done.

If he doesn’t, they have to work harder at finding a home that yields something in return before they can move on.

One of today’s big trigger points is going to be what Turkoglu does. His visit to Portland apparently ends tomorrow – according to Jason Quick’s story in the Oregonian – and I’m told he’s not going to sit around dawdling before he makes a decision.

That might be the one thing that impacts these guys here more than anything.

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It was something like Toronto Day down in Cleveland, as Brian Windhorst reports in this story full of Raptor names.

Spoke with Brian just before he wrote this (he was checking to see if I’d been in touch with Parker’s agent, who seems to have gone underground) and we were wondering (a) what Parker would want money-wise and (b) if there was a sign-and-trade for Shawn.

On the first, we’re not sure the Cavs would give up the full mid-level but that something like a couple of years and $9 million or $10 million total might be the top end (wonder if that’s been written before) or something at less salary with another year added.

On the Marion end of it, the only thing I can see fitting might be Varejao (increasing the flopping level in Toronto exponentially) but even then, the Raps would be looking at – at best – a guy who might be the first big off the bench.

Not sure if there’s a fit there but it’s one of the few times I’ve heard Shawn’s name mentioned out and about.

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Speaking of Shawn, do you think the Knicks could get him to take a huge money (and I’m talking seven figures here) on a one-year deal on a sign-and-trade for David Lee?

Not sure how other pieces fit but it’s one of the ways I proposed dealing with Marion a week or so ago and I bet it’s gaining traction in discussions with him.

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This doesn’t rank up there with the biggest sports wins of all time but Canada hammering Syria down in Auckland at the world under-19 championships was kind of big.

The way the tournament’s set up, Canada needed just one win in the first round to be assured of moving on and now they’ve got it.

And with that win, it takes any pressure off them today against Spain, where a win will set them up nicely for the second round-robin.

Check out Tanya’s story here and you can almost hear the relief in Greg Francis’s voice that his team played well when it absolutely had to, even if it was against lesser competition.

I spent a lovely night in Hamilton a few weeks (seriously!) back watching this team practice and when I was talking to Greg after about how good his team might be, or might not be, he pointed out quite correctly that you never know how teams are going to perform when they absolutely have to. It’s one of the vagaries of any team sport, you worry about preparation and then see how it all comes together when the bright lights go on.

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Answer me this: Would you trade Ron Artest for Trevor Ariza straight up, which is essentially what seems to be happening in the swap of free agents?

Ariza’s younger, not as good a defender, probably better offensively and has no history of being disruptive.

Artest has been, many times in the past, a bit of problem child but given the circumstances of playing with Kobe Bryant and for Phil Jackson maybe that’s not an issue. Maybe it is.

On pure basketball talent, I’m not sure who’s going to be better for longer.

If I was Houston, I probably would have made that trade in a heartbeat; if I was the Lakers, I would have wanted the Rockets to sweeten the pot somehow.

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I’ll tell you this: The Mighty Yankees (of the Mississauga North peewee house league, not the American League East) were in a great one last night with the Tigers ‘til the rains hit and killed us at 2-2 after two.

I hate rainouts.

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You saw the summer league roster for these guys, right?

Two things of note:

No Marcus Banks – and I promise you there are big shots in the organization quite miffed about that – and Smush Parker, a rather intriguing guard. I have no idea how Parker fits but it’ll be quite interesting to hear from people out there who looks better – him or Quincy Douby. Competition’s pretty fun, even if it is for a seat at the end of the bench.

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This went by everyone and comes as absolutely no surprise but the Raptors did not waive Patrick O’Bryant by July 1 so his contract for the year is now guaranteed at $855,189.

Bosh and Calderon take their game to Spain

There is no more proud Spaniard than Jose Calderon, a man in love with his country, its people, its culture.

Speak to him for any length of time and that passion comes through. Watch him in the red and yellow jersey of his national basketball team and watch him be as happy as he can be. Engage him in conversation about his homeland and watch his eyes light up.

It is not far-fetched, then, to be listening to him on a scratchy telephone line from Spain this morning, talking about his camp for kids and a visit by Chris Bosh and to be able to almost hear him smile.

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“It is really special, very special,” the Raptors point guard told thestar.com. “I want to help the kids learn and to show Chris my home, the people. It was a great time for us all.”

Calderon’s third annual camp – III Campus Calderón - Marca Extremadura – attracted more than 300 players ranging from 8-18 years old from across Spain. It also attracted a three-day visit by Bosh which wrapped up earlier this week and Calderon’s time as tour guide came to an end.

“It was very nice of him to come, he is a very good friend and I can show him my area,” said the 27-year-old who hails from Villanueva de la Serena. “I want everyone to know about Spain and where I come from, the people.”

Calderon holds a special place in the minds of young Spanish basketball players. He’s been a fixture on the national team for more than a decade – although he’s taking this summer off to work on his body for the grind of the coming NBA season – and he is wildly popular for his contributions to the game.

Two years ago, when the Raptors played a pre-season game in Madrid – about 900 kilometres from Calderon’s area – he was swamped with fans everywhere he went. The camp is much the same, a chance for the young players to get an up close and personal look at one of their idols.

“I want them to know that basketball the right way is important, about teamwork and everyone working together,” he said. “I tell them the best thing about it is the teamwork.

“For some of the little kids, this is their first time out of the home, we want to make sure they learn the right things.”

Calderon has a variety of business interest back home that he helps tend to during the summer, including a pig farm that produces some of the great ham that Spain is known for. He and his wife, Ana, try to spend as much time as possible back home each summer and this year, with no international basketball obligations, he’ll have more free time in Spain than he’s had in more than 10 years.

The week-long camp (“It’s hard work, I’m going to need a vacation,” he joked) is his major summer obligation. He’s planning little more than working out to make sure his leg and finger – both injured last season with the Raptors – are 100 per cent for training camp.

He’s had no trouble recovering from finger surgery he had just after the NBA season ended and the sore hamstring that limited him so severely most of the season is 100 per cent.

“Now it is to get ready for the season; I want to have a great year,” he said.

Tomorrow in the Star:

Read more about Jose Calderon and his summer spent getting ready for the 2009-10 NBA season.

Does another long day await? And Hedo (hearts) Toronto

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Toronto still hearts Hedo even after he broke hearts and playoff hopes.

All right, let’s take stock here.

Nothing of real substance happened yet we had more than 160 comments, five different versions of the story, a day spent almost entirely on the computer and the telephone (although I did get the Back 40 mowed before the cows came in to graze) and the Raptors still haven’t come to an agreement with anyone.

Yeah, happy Canada Day indeed.

But I guess at some level it was fun, if by fun you mean a lot of work a bit of angst and a whole raft of speculation.

And it’s just begun!

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I have no basis in fact for this except a gut feeling and some sense of history but I’d imagine things are going to go down today or tomorrow. A couple of dominoes have fallen (Villanueva and Gordon), another one may go down soon (Turkoglu) and after that, I think the gloves come off. Hope so, at least; might make for a more relaxing weekend.

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Say this for Bryan: We heard six names yesterday: Marion, Turkoglu, Lee, Kleiza, Ariza (although I’m only reading that, I have never heard it from a personal source) and Villanueva.

That’s a pretty disparate group and when I was told before the negotiating period opened that Bryan would be “active” it sure seems to be turning out to be true.

I have no idea which of that group he’ll end up getting (and if there are six names out there, I guarantee you there are a handful of others that haven’t leaked out yet) but it does tell me that he knows how big this summer is in the need to improve the roster and he’s taking all kinds of shots to do it.

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I heard from almost every corner of the continent yesterday that Turkoglu’s first choice for a new place to play is Toronto. Whether that can happen or not is doubtful because the Raptors really don’t want to gut the roster to get the money to make it so but if there’s a different, more creative way to make it happen, I guarantee they’re working on it.

It’s going to be the storyline almost the entire league is watching and it’ll have more than a few twists and turns.

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Yes, I see all the Trevor Ariza chatter out there in internet-land. The Lakers are going to let him walk, it’s probably Portland or Toronto that makes him a generous offer, the Cavaliers have already had members of the coaching staff chat with him, there are other teams interested, too.

I’ll reiterate a point made here a handful of times yesterday: Ariza would probably be a good fit – although people in the Toronto organization were wondering during the Finals how good he is without that Bryant fellow next to him – and if he wants to take a mid-level exception contract from a 33-win team rather than join one of the legitimate contenders who have expressed interest, I’m sure the Raps would be fine with that.

But, as we’ve seen, it’s a long, long way from internet chatter about expressions of interest to getting a name on a contract next week.

If Bryan can pull it off, it’s got to speak hugely to his powers of persuasion and the perception of this team out there.

And, perhaps, it says something about Ariza. Either that he’s after money and not the greatest competitive situation or that he’s willing to work hard and build up a franchise. Which one that is, I don’t know.

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While we’re digressing, how about this:

Welcome to Canada, LaBumbard clan!

While the rest of the basketball world was waiting for something interesting to happen, Media Relations Maven Jim LaBumbard, his wife and two kids were officially being sworn in as card-carrying Canucks yesterday.

No cracks about our obviously lax citizenship requirements, okay? The country’s better off with those four people part of it. And I’m particularly sure Fiesty Young Brandon has the attributes one Mr. Burke admires and could, one day, be a Leave.

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Okay, digression gone.

I have no idea what they’re doing in Detroit, either.

But as my man Chris McCoskey, who has been ahead of this story the whole way, points out here, having Gordon come off the bench seems to be the answer everyone’s happy with.

Of course, when you link to the rest of his section to find out that Doug Collins has withdrawn his name from consideration for that coaching job, it makes me wonder if maybe Doug didn’t feel quite as comfortable with Gordon, Hamilton and Stuckey as maybe Joe Dumars did.

Now, the job seems to be Avery Johnson’s and I’m wondering how that rather strong-willed coach is going to mesh with the rather laid-back Charlie and the shooting-obsessed Gordon.

Fun times in Detroit, indeed.

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Canada had a bit of a struggle to open the world Under-19 basketball championships down in New Zealand over night, as a newly-minted sports reporter chronicles here.

It’s not a horribly bad thing, there are still two games in the first round of the event, and I’ve got to think one win’s good enough to advance. And I’m also betting that Syria’s not quite in Canada’s league at the moment.

I think this team’s going to bear watching as this tournament progresses, I just wish they weren’t playing most games in the middle of the dang night.

Anyway, check the links, check the boxscores and keep checking back here.

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Yeah, I really need to throw this out there:

I don’t get the apparent fascination with Allen Iverson among some of the gaggle of people who read and write here regularly.

At this moment, the absolute last thing this team needs is a relatively selfish, relatively old, ball-dominating combo guard who refuses to admit he might be better off coming off the bench and whose tenure everywhere he’s gone has ended rather poorly.

Seriously, where does he play here? Does he start ahead of Jose? No chance. Does he take minutes away from DeRozan? Not a hope in hell.

We need to put all this nonsense to rest.

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Okay, I’m out of pocket a bit this morning to have this creaky old broken down body worked on and then there’s a very special interview scheduled for around noon (you’ll want to be reading the results of it, trust me) so if the comments are a bit delayed, fear not..

And if news breaks while I’m being pretzeled by the gentle chiropractor in charge of restoring some mobility to parts of me, I’ll get to it as soon as I can.

Now, go enjoy the morning.

No Charlie V return to Toronto

You wanted something to happen and it did

I just heard from a league source that Charlie Villanueva, who the Raptors were trying to repatriate, has decided to sign with the Detroit Pistons, as has Ben Gordon.

According to The Detroit News, Charlie's getting five years and about $35 million -- more money than Toronto could have offered the former Milwaukee Buck.

Gordon hit the motherlode and will get five years and more than $50 million is what we're hearing.

That would seem to suggest Toronto will now turn its attention back to Denver's Linas Kleiza, who they contacted early in the free agent process last night.

Charlie might have been a good fit here but Toronto couldn't match the money and the Raptors had no chance -- and not much interest -- in Gordon.

Anyway, back to watching the Argos, working the phones and seeing what I can come up with for the paper.

Charlie V and Linas K got the calls overnight

An old familiar name popped up overnight as the Raptors tried to dip into the NBA free agency waters.

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May happy returns?

What I'm hearing from some league sources is the team made overtures to one-time Raptor Charlie Villanueva as well as Denver’s Linas Kleiza in the first few hours teams were able to negotiate with free agents.

The response? Some interest from both but it’s still a long way from having either under contract, or even getting them to agree to terms.

Armed with only the mid-level salary exception – the team is not close to cutting ties with all its free agents to get far under the salary cap – general manager Bryan Colangelo could offer part of it to one, all of it to one but it’s virtually impossible he’d get both with the estimated $5.5 million exception.

Charlie V, a fan favourite dealt by Colangelo to Milwaukee in one of the GMs first move, was all but cut loose by the Bucks this week when he wasn’t given a qualifying offer.

He made about $3.5 million last season and will probably command the entire mid-level exception. And there are other teams out there chasing him, too. League sources say Cleveland certainly has interest – the Cavs have the same money available as Toronto does – and Detroit could make a bid.

Kleiza, who league sources says has quite an interest in Toronto, would be much cheaper. He made about $1.8 million in Denver last season and could be had for a part of the mid-level exception.

I think Villanueva’s probably a better fit but a more difficult acquisition, given the circumstances. If he comes and Shawn Marion comes back, who starts at the three? Would Charlie come off the bench? He’d be a relatively expensive backup, wouldn’t he?

But there’s always the Marion situation to think about and I’m hearing around the league most of Colangelo’s time overnight was spent monitoring any possible interest in the 31-year-old Matrix.

Not sure there was a whole lot but there was some and Colangelo has to weigh what he’d get back in a sign-and-trade, if that’s what it came to. Of course, his first goal is to get Marion under contract, but at a reasonable number and that's where the negotiating's gonna take place.

Oh yeah, it’s not going to take very long for Toronto to welcome Carlos Delfino back to the fold. Word around the league is that it’s close, very close.

Okay, back to cutting the grass.

A quiet night in Raptorland; hope the day turns out to be eventful

Well, I wish I had some huge news for you but, as expected, there was hardly a flurry of activity over night.

Especially in Toronto.

A few phone calls, more exploratory than anything, greeted the start of the free agency negotiation period and they’re keeping a tight lid on even who they might be interested in down at that Bay Street Ivory Tower.

About the only nugget I got yesterday was this, from someone who’s tuned in:

“Bryan’s really trying to be creative”

I take that to mean if he’s not getting the right vibes for Marion and his people about the money or length of a new deal, he’s out trying to find some good fit for all concerned.

And I know Hedo Turkoglu seems destined to go to Portland but I also know the Raptors are giving it their best to see what they can do, either using Marion as a chip or in some other “creative” way.

Other than that, though, I don’t hear a lot of rumblings, which means we’ll all be surprised when something goes down, I just hope we get surprised by reading about it here first.

I have no doubt that things might move a bit more slowly this year than in previous years, money’s tight and I bet teams are waiting to see what kind of bargains are out there.

What I presume is going to happen – because it’s happened in the past here – is that we’ll get a call from someone who knows what’s going on telling us to call this or that agent and we’ll find out the Raptors have come to some agreement with some free agent.

What that’ll be is the big question.

And, sadly, I don’t have a list of names at the moment.

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I did run this by someone who’s in touch with the goings on in Toronto: With the dearth of small forwards on the roster, I figured a three would be a prime target, either through Marion’s departure or a mid-level signing.

The response I got:

“Don’t rule anything out.”

So, could they move one of their bigs (Hi, Hump!) in some package for another big? Or would they be looking this route to get a backup for Jose?

One name I keep hearing, and have heard for months, is Marco Bellinelli in Golden State.

He’s got a really cheap contract, $1.5 million this coming season, $2.3 million the year after, and he’s been in Bryan’s mind for a while.

They can’t just sign him, this would be outside the free agency period, but if there’s a bigger deal to be made with the Warriors, he’d be in it for sure. And seeing how the Phoenix-Golden State Amare Stoudemire deal seems as good as dead, I bet Toronto’s made another call to Nellie and Larry Riley.

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Oh yeah, all you fans of Giorgos Printezis – and by that I mean all you who think he’d be a great fit here without, you know, having seen him play in person or more than once or twice – have another year to wait to see if he’s got any game at all.

I don’t know if he does or not but I do know there are those in the Raptors camp who don’t think he’s quite good enough right now to even make a team, let alone make a contribution.

Reports out of Greece say the small forward has signed a three-year deal with Malaga of the Spanish League (and we all know the greatest export Malaga ever made, right?) and that kind of seals Printezis’s fate for at least one more season, perhaps longer when we find out what the buyout might be.

The Raptors? I’ve got a feeling they’re quite all right with this.

Printezis is raw, he had an okay season in Greece last year – hardly the kind that would make you believe he’s a can’t-miss NBA prospect – and another year of seasoning can’t hurt.

There is no doubt that he and his agent used the supposed “offer” from the Raptors as some kind of leverage to get a European deal because, and I have this on pretty high authority, Toronto really didn’t want to bring him over this season.

And now they won’t.

And I bet as his season progresses, he becomes even better in the eyes of fans over here.

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Big goings on in New Zealand starting tomorrow. And it might mean some late nights or early mornings over here.

The world Under-19 championships begin – Canada’s in a first-round group with Australia, Spain and Syria – and the team Canada Basketball sent over isn’t too shabby at all.

Names you’ll come to know: Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph, who figure to be the team’s leading scorers, and Kelly Olynyk, who was the MVP: of a tournament the team won in France last month.

Because of the goofy time change – and I renew my suggestion that the whole world operate on the time zone in which I live – this is where you’ll find out best who won and why.

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You know, I have a lot of respect for Doc Rivers and I presume this was done over his head but for the Celtics to not make a qualifying offer to Leon Powe just sucks. Huge.

Powe, as you recall, blew out his knee in the playoffs last year, after being so valuable to Boston when KG was out.

Powe made a paltry $797,581 last season and to qualify him would have cost just over $1 million, which truly is chump change. It would have sent a message that the team he’d given his all to cared a little bit about the health of one of their key players.

I know pro sports can be a ruthless business and teams can spend money any way they like but not giving Powe one season worth of piece of mind was a classless, boorish move by an organization that should be better than that.

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Well, Mike Curry sure didn’t last long in Detroit, did he?

A one and done year for the guy who was supposedly one of the good young coaches in the league?

Didn’t see that coming and few did. The timing? Odd, given that they could have whacked him right after the season but I wonder if the availability of a replacement might not have had something to do with when Curry got fired.

I’m hearing all over the place that the job is Doug Collins’s to turn down and it’s quite possible it took Collins until this week to decide whether or not he really wanted to coach again.

Now, I know Curry didn’t really distinguish himself in his first year, he had issues with Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton and the Pistons were a mess at times but at what point do we start casting glances at Joe Dumars.

He made the disastrous Iverson for Billups trade, he’s the guy who put so much stock in Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson, he’s the guy who constructed what’s really only a so-so roster at the moment.

Mike Curry was the fall guy.