It's slow and late but what the heck, there's something here

Told you I’d be tardy every now and then over the next little while. I have to say, it’s a heckuva lot nicer to get up at 8 to finish this stuff off than 6 a.m., that’s for sure.

It’s not like we missed anything big, either. Another boring day.

Well, not boring, but not news-filled.

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I’ve had all kinds of questions about when things will in fact get rolling back in the world of Raptors and the best I can give you is sometime near the middle of September.

There is no firm reporting date for players and coaches, they start drifting back into town sometime at the beginning of the month and those “informal” workouts begin. I know they’d like the coaches back in town as soon after Labour Day as they can but with so many players – Ukic, Turkoglu, Bargnani, Belinelli – perhaps involved in the long and drawn out European championships in September, they aren’t going to get close to full roster back until close to the end of the month.

Camp, if my best guess is correct (and it usually is in these scheduling things) should officially start the last Tuesday in Ottawa after a Monday media day here and they should be in the nation’s capital until that following Saturday.

What happens until then? Well, the players and coaches go about their business of the summer, getting a little work in to stay in shape, but taking care of family and outside obligations so that when it’s time to hit the court, they’re ready to hit the court.

I presume Jay will be here a lot earlier than the others to come up with some kind of training camp plan and schedule and he and his coaches will get hunkered down to decide systems and styles and drills they want to immediately make a part of camp.

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Film buffs, take note:

Since we gave people a list of required reading yesterday (well, not actually required as much as suggested), how about some flicks for those quiet nights at the cottage with the DVD player.

This is also entirely subjective but that’s the point of this whole exercise, isn’t it?

Hoosiers

Undisputed and undefeated champion of basketball movies.

Hoop Dreams

I know it’s a documentary and probably shouldn’t count but this is my list so it counts.

Coach Carter

I saw it once, and probably wasn’t paying as close attention as I should but it seemed pretty compelling.

He Got Game

Who knew Ray Allen could really act?

Forget Paris

I know, I know. But you know those movies that you find some time on Channel 4,520 when you’re flipping and you just have to watch it, like Ferris Bueller and Apollo 13? Well, this Billy Crystal as ref one is like that for me.

Oh, yeah, there are all kinds of others, like Rebound, The Story of Earl (The Goat) Manigault, Glory Road, Love And Basketball and the epic Space Jam that could be on a list but that’s a good start, no?

Oh, and a story about one to avoid:

It’s the summer of, I believe, ’94 and it’s hot, stinking, humid, stupid hot, like in the olden days. Super Wife and I, sans Super Son who’s still a glint in Dad’s eye, live in a wee hovel in East York that’s got no air conditioning for some ridiculous reason. Well, we need to escape for an afternoon and since she still really loved me at the time, I drag her to the cool comfort of a movie house to see a sports flick.

Well, it’s a shock she didn’t walk right and head immediately to the lawyers because we had to sit through one of the silliest, worst-acted movies in the history of talkies.

And if any of you ever, ever, decide to watch Blue Chips, you will regret it.

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Cadettes anyone?

They roll over the hosts down in Mexico and now are off to the semifinals in their quest for a berth next year in the inaugural under-17 world championships.

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We’re down to the short strokes in Tripoli and if Pape and the lads want to make the world championships next year,they’ve got some work to do.

(Yes, we’ve spent a lot of time tracking Pape and Boniface but, really, why not?).

Anyhoo, they get Cote D’Ivoire in the quarter-finals and have to win and then have to win one more time to grab up one of the three automatic berths in next year’s worlds in Turkey.

Here’s how those world spots fill out, by the way:

Turkey and the Americans are automatic entrants.

Europe gets six spots, the Americas get four, three go to Africa, three to Asia and two to Oceania.

And then it gets interesting: To fill out the 24-team tournament (and that’s an awful lot of teams, in my opinion), FIBA will award four “wild card” berths in mid-December. There is no strict formula for how they are awarded, geography doesn’t matter; it’s supposed to be competitiveness, history and growing the game, which are all rather subjective criteria.

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All right, looks like a nice day out there and I’m sure there’s junk to be done around this house. I best go do it before the patio calls.

Comments

[Woodrow]

Doug...'The Fish That Save Pittsburgh' starring Dr J, Kareem & Meadowlark Lemon and many cameos from NBA guys from back then. Cheesy '70's movie, but very cool just the same. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079154/

Blogger's note: And Alex English

[Steve]

I guess I'm showing my age, but "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh" staring Dr. J should be on the list.

If only for the fact that it shows us how Dr. J was not only a pioneer of the modern NBA on the court with his style of play but also off the court. He was the prototype player/celebrity branding vehicle that David Stern and Nike later used to market Michael Jordan, the NBA and Nike.

Blogger's note: Never mind Dr. J, how about Alex English?

[Lorie]

Another film for consideration, and while showing only a few brief moments of basketball (so likely not on anyone else's list of fave basketball films), it is my first, best memory of seeing the game - and, well, you gotta start somewhere! The flick is "The Absent-Minded Professor" (Disney's 1961 black and white (yikes!) version). Totally agree that "Blue Chips" was pretty awful, but I cut a huge amount of critical slack to any film that featured the late, wonderful charactor actor J.T.Walsh.

[Travis]

White man can't jump should have made the list... definitely not NBA ball but absolutely a cool story.

i also see that no one has mentioned Basketball Diaries... sure it was more about drug addiction than basketball... still a very eye-opening movie.

[todd vaughan]

doug watch basketball diaries...awesome movie about drugs and basketball with leonardo dicaprio and marky mark wahlberg

[Gary M. Mugford]

Doug,

Halfway between the good stuff and the crap lies the very likable "The Air Up There." Kevin Bacon's a St. Joe's assistant coach out to score a key African recruit to solidify his chance to become the next Hawks' head coach. Lots of grins and some surprising basketball. AND the best soundtrack of any basketball movie. Ever.

[ken]

Triva time question

Q. Richardson has been on 4 NBA teams since june 25th and rumoured to be traded again. Any idea who has been traded the most in an NBA season?

Or where Q. may be going next?

Blogger's note: Not sure, sorry; and not sure

[Tom The Bomb]

Doug,
Two Words;Finding Forrester

Ok It's not a true basketball movie but it is a subplot

[Matt]

Okay but what about the somewhat more important news that both Canadian aau outfits, adidas and Nike, finished second (the Nike was down to a missed buzzer beater) in the big Nike and adidas tourneys. Even when splitting upthe top guys both teams were more than competetive

Blogger's note: Good for them, I guess. On the list of things I care about, summer invitational high school basketball tournaments are deep, deep, deep down on the list.

[doug]

well you learn something everyday...Dr.J is my all time fav player, he just stands alone for me but I have to confess I never saw The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh...came out in 79 I see, so I was 20 ...busy doing other things I guess, but it also has Jonathon Winters one of my all time favs as well...so I am going to watch it tonight after golfing, isn't the internet a beautiful thing...so thanx for all the posters talking about it, I hope the Doc has his classic fro...

[rob]

SPACE JAM!!!!!!!!!!

[Jack]

Celtic Pride.
If you're talking about the worst basketball movie. Damon Wayans can't play basketball and he was supposed to be the star player in the movie?

[Richard]

Dog

Can you help me understand the vacation concept? For you vacation means you still work, but rather than starting at 6 am you can start at 8 am. I think your bosses must be in the same camp as the fans who think players must live and breathe basketball 24/7.

Kidding aside, it is clear that this is more that just a job for you. Your passion for the game, the team and the eclectic fan base is what keeps us tuned in.

Thanks and thanks to your family and friends for sharing your vacation time with us.

[KX]

Do Raptors still have a qualifying offer for Pops btw? Think Hollinger just said on his chat that they do

Blogger's note: If they do -- and I believe they do -- it's a one-year deal at the minimum with absolutely no guaranteed money so it's really nothing.

[Paul]

Do you know if there will be an Intrasquad game at the Ottawa training camp like they did last year?

Blogger's note: I presume so, but it's not official yet

[jevander]

What about White Men Can't Jump???

It is an excellent movie.

Woody Harrelson is fantastic.

[aditya]

just answer this please: with 0.7 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter and raptors have the ball, on the floor are pops, kapono, ukic, graham, marion....who should inbound the ball from beyond halfcourt?...if you had to pick 1 and 2.....simple question

Blogger's note: Silly game and not a simple question at all. Who's ahead? By how much? Who's being guarded by who? Who's got the hot hand? What do they need, a two or a three? Where's the ball?
Marion or Ukic

[coachd]

How about "O"? A modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. The two main characters, Othello and Iago are high school basketball players. Good film and a little Shakepeare to boot. Can't beat that.

[Viktor]

How can you not include Space Jam?! I kid of course.

[aditya]

what the hell is david kahn doing? he has no shooting guards on his team...he has like 8-10 power forward/centers....