Of dopes and Our Man Pape

Seriously, if not for a dopey doper in Orlando, I have no idea what would be big today. It may have turned out to be an impending visit to the big-time radio show for me tonight or the Mighty Yankees opening the post-season later on this evening.

That’s how slow things are getting around here, although I do commend you for the flooding of the in-box I got with mail submissions yesterday.

With the aforementioned radio gig and ball game tonight, another ball game and a team barbecue and potential hangover-inducing celebration of Yankee greatness tomorrow and the fact Super Son becomes a teenager Sunday, I’m not sure when the mailbag gets up, but it will.

Until then …

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How about that Rashard Lewis, eh?

The details of his positive drug test are here in the Orlando Sentinel tome but the short story is he took some over-the-counter supplement before the playoffs began last season and it contained a banned substance. His testosterone level went up, he tested positive and – bam! – mandatory 10-game suspension without pay to start this season.

Lewis’s explanation – that he didn’t know what was in it – rings true to me, actually, and I think the only thing he’s guilty of is being extraordinarily dumb.

In this day and age, taking some powder you bought at a store where the muscle-heads and bodybuilders also shop is fraught with peril and Lewis’s decision not to show anyone on the Magic staff what he’d bought smacks not of duplicity but of dumbness.

Every NBA team tells every NBA player about the dangers of over-the-counter supplements – along with the dangers of any performance-enhancing drug they think they might like to try – and all Lewis had to do most likely was show the label to the team’s strength coach and he would have been pointed in the right direction.

The one thing is going to do is allow the NBA to crow about how it’s testing program works but I think only the truly naïve would take that at face value. Yes, the testing program is okay – four random ones a year for veterans – but it’s not perfect because it doesn’t including random, out-of-season testing.

If you ask me if there’s a steroid problem in the NBA, I’d say no; if you ask me if some players don’t get into the bottle in the summer, I’d say there have to be a few.

But as an overall issue? I don’t think it’s a significant problem in the game at all.

Lewis made a silly mistake and will pay a rather substantial price – he’ll lose about 12 per cent of his pay for the coming season – and if this case does anything, it’ll make other players sure to show the stuff they take to people who understand what it is before they go ahead and ingest it.

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Now, being a big fan of Tammy Sutton-Brown, and realizing there is a dearth of role models for young female basketball players, this should come as no surprise to any of you but here’s a plug for her camps coming up out this way, in Oakville and Mississauga in the coming weeks.

I honestly think Canadian women’s basketball is back on track to a place high in the world rankings and the more young players who can take advantage of chances like this, the better.

There was a time back in the day – kids, ask your moms and dads if they remember – when Canada was routinely ranked among the top four or five basketball countries in the world in the women’s game and I’ve said for quite some time that the group of young women playing the game at the international level had a chance to do some great things even before the men’s team got back to any place among the top squads in the world.

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I have a feeling a few of you have adopted Senegal as the team to cheer for at the AfroBasket going on in Libya these days, given Our Old Friend Pop is on the team and Boniface N’Dong has developed somewhat of a cult following off his one big game.

Well, the kicked some Central African Republic butt in Game 2, as you can see from this boxscore, and they’ve got a huge first-round game against Cameroon coming up later today.

Me? I’m still trying to find a favourite team, there doesn’t seem to be a hoops version of the Black Stars so I guess it’ll be Pape Pop and Senegal for now.

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On the digression side of things, how about them Real Madrids?

They show up and it’s like the Beatles and somehow 18,000 people or some crazy number like that pay $15 to watch them practice on Thursday night?

We’re talking about practice, right?

I will never quite understand the footballers among us.

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Oh yeah, more on the exhibition schedule, official news of which was delayed yesterday.

Well, a couple more things got out while I was supervising Super Son and some of his urchin colleagues at a pre-birthday birthday golf thingy:

After the Sixers game in London on Oct. 6, we’re all traipsing back to Toronto for a return match on Oct. 7 – those are the lidlifters of the exhibition season – and there’s a date in Hartford, Conn., against Boston is what’s also going to be a two-game series with the Celtics.

Excited yet?

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Comments

[Katman]

Does Lewis's suspended salary count against the cap?

Blogger's note: Yes

[Cath Done]

$15 to watch a practice for a soccer team compared to $50 or more to watch a pre season basketball game? I could say I don't get it with these basketball fans but I am one!

[Justaminute]

"Silly mistake"? Doug, Have you become an apologist for the over grown kids with the million dollar bank accounts who probably had someone else pick up the "supplement". Any idea what the name of the "supplement" was? or where he bought it? What makes you believe that Lewis was just "dumb"?
Like all who get caught, the one common denominator is "I didnt know". It's getting so that it is an insult to some of us with a brain slightly larger than a pea and you kinda assisted in it here I believe. Like you wrote, how difficult is it to run ANYTHING you decide to ingest (and comes in a little bottle) by your team doctor.
ps...hope you are beyond the understanding phase where these pickeruppers go beyond the "assist" in the muscle/strength area. They also help with steadiness, stamina and reaction time.

Sorry for the dump but such reports are getting tiresome. What if he went off for 40 pts. in the seventh game and the Magic won the championship?

[Mike S.]

"We’re talking about practice, right?"

Doug, you're conjuring up images of that Allen Iverson press conference.

[DS]

I don't buy it. Lewis has probably been subject to drug tests since college. College athelets and certainly pros are given dozens of lectures about what they can and cannot take. Even if he is an unintelligent individual, you have to think that a professional athlete might know something about the supplements they choose to put in their body. He probably knew the stuff he took contained a banned substance, but figured he could play duymb if he was ever caught.

Also - if he took it before the playoffs, why wasn't he suspended during the playoffs???

[Lavi]

Happy Bar-Mitzvah to Superson!

[jordan]

PRACTICE?

PLAYOFFS?!

[John Popalis]

I mean listen... we're talking about practice.
Not a game. Not a game. Not a GAME... we talking about practice.
Not the game where they go out and die for... we talking about pratice, man. I mean how silly is that Doug??

[Scott]

$15 isn't very much. People pay $300 to the Maple Leafs play...

And as the guy above pointed out people pay full price to watch preseason basketball. I still don't understand why its the same price as regular season games.

[greg max]

$15 for practice?? Do you really mean PRACTICE? I wonder what allen iverson would think ? :)

[Michel G]

Doug. My first thought was that Orlando was going to save some money with the Lewis thing. But it doesn't work that way, does it? Do they pay the league or some fund?

Blogger's note: Fines go to the league and are dispersed through its charitable organizations; not sure about missed pay due to suspensions but I guarantee you that Orlando officials would rather pay the guy his salary and have him on the court than deal with this and having an all-star miss more than 10 per cent of the season

[Dave]

Was that a veiled A.I. reference?

"Practice?!?! I got some s---" Funniest quote when he was introduced to the Pistons. Too bad they could have used more practice last year...

[stephen]

i have to agree with justaminute doug. i think believing that lewis was some innocent, wide-eyed athlete who hadn't yet picked up a basic knowledge of body chemistry is incredibly naive. if he didn't tell a team doctor, he must have known it was suspect. it seems weird that an athlete at the nba level would seek out their 'own' supplements anyway- wouldn't all that stuff be highly regulated and provided 'free' by the team? the story just doesn't add up. at the very least, reducing it to a 'silly mistake' seems seriously reductive.

i respect your view but why not try raising some questions and conducting a discussion here rather than trying to provide the last word?

Blogger's note: One, this isn't a "chat room" but, two, haven't you just discussed this?

[James]

@ Justaminute

Before jumping all over Doug or Rashard you should look into the trigger that caused the test fail.

You can walk into almost any supplement store in the US and buy an over-the-counter supplement and, chances are, it will list DHEA as an ingredient. While legislations has been drafted to classify it as a steroid, it is currentlylegal and it's available for all. Doctors recommend it all the time for patients and this is a far-cry from the things cyclists, Olympians, NFLers & MLBers have been caught taking.

It's a lack of awareness on the athletes part but, when you're paid like these guys are to be clean, a little due diligence is in order. Ask the trainers for advice and run everything by them before you take it!

I think a marquee player like Rashard getting caught will help the awareness level immensely. I can imagine that there will be an increased vigilance across the NBA to increase awareness.

[Nick]

Hello Doug, I was just wondering if the higher ups in the Raptors organization has ever given any thought to arranging a pre season game to be hosted here in Ottawa at Scotia Bank Place? I'm sure it would be the hottest ticket in town and it would be a great way to expand the fan base.
Have a great weekend,
Nick

Blogger's note: I'm sure they've investigated it; I think we've been there twice already

[Noslak]

I agree with Justaminute, Rashard is obviously just playing dumb. He KNEW what he was taking, they ALL do!!!

[JustanotherDougfan]

Hi Doug! Love your blog! Read it everyday. One comment
I agree with what Justaminute is writing. In the world of Pro athletes I think nobody buys its' own "over-the-counter-supplements". He was injured at the end of the season, they were making the playoffs and need him to recover quickly. And it always the same lame explanation: "I didn't know!"

[Woody]

Good day Doug

A few things, it would appar not much is going on however that potential release of Banks made me think BC is up to something.

He has an owner that says he can spend 69.9 mill, he has 5.2 left to get there but only one roster spot. Is he looking for a trading partner? Perhaps a Charlotte looking to trim cash as are probably eight or ten other over the luxury tax teams. It is a buyers market right now and BC is eyeing long term roster solidity.

Also this may sound stupid and any team can win on any given night but don't you think that perhaps there should be a point spotting for teams dramatically over the luxury tax. Make the team start down 10 points to start the game, because they should dramatically have a more talented team.

It appears the season will gbe the haves and the have nots in the east. Of course barring injuries, 3 teams will end up having around 60 wins and 3 teams will have around 20 wins that is a pretty large separation.

Also what do you think will happen when the big free agents resign for their respective teams in 2010? The only one that may appear to leave is DWade as Miami is not so good and will not get too much better in the near future.
Cheers

Blogger's note: The money's a fake amount; he has minimum value contracts to offer because he has no exceptions left besides Delfino's Bird RIghts.
As for 2010, I don't know, maybe there'll be some indication in 2010

[doug]

people neeed to read facts before they react, get on their high horse and pass judgement on others actions...Lewis admitted taking it, was a over-the-counter supplement that is readily available...here is a quote "Dr. Gary Wadler, Chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List and Methods Sub-Committee, told the Orlando Sentinel that DHEA is "very widely used in supplemental and complementary kind of medicines and it's in food stores." Wadler added that DHEA is also "not very effective" as a performance enhancer."...so it is not a wonder drug, it has minimal impact, if anyone has been to a body building/weightlifting supplement store in the States not GNC or none of those the selection of over the counter supplements is mind-boggling and in a lot of cases the ingredients and amounts listed on the package are not accurate...

do NBA'ers take performance enhancers yes, as they do in football, hockey and baseball and every other sport in the world....so for people to get on their soap bozes and say this and that is just as tiring as this whole drug culture that permeates sport. It's a case by case basis in my opinion, Lewis in this one was naive in that he should have had it checked out..were his intentions malicious no because if they were he could have taken a far more powerful one. Thes epeople are athletes, they endure long seasons, injuries, etc. they take things all the time to try and replenish, restore, revitalize themselves it has nothing to do with anything more then that...although there are the conspiracy theorists, the doubters etc...which is fine but please look at the facts DHEA is what it is

"DHEA supplements are sometimes used as muscle-building or performance-enhancing drugs by athletes. However, a randomized placebo-controlled trial found that DHEA supplementation had no (statistically significant) effect on lean body mass, strength, or testosterone levels. so don't confuse DHEA with the more powerful supplemnts. so Just read facts before anyone climbs on their soapbox, educate yourself then react...

[Raptoronto]

Sorry, no chance Rashard didn't know what he was taking...HE claims it was an over the counter supplement, c'mon really. DHEA is the perfect steroid for basketball players (leans you out and improves endurance while stregthening muscle) and he happens to stumbled over it while not even consulting or mentioning it to the team trainer, his advisors, his coach, his own personal trainer, his own personal doctor etc, etc. Rashard's not a half-wit, makes $18m a year...he wouldn't be taking a half-*ss unproven GNC powder mix.

...and he tested postive twice, claiming it didn't flush out of his system by the second test (the league is very vague about the timelines) which is likely why the league was compelled to suspend him. The DHEA in supplements comes in very small quantities, hmmm.

The NBA and Rashards PR team did a masterful job on this one...U.S. Congress, nothing to see here, move along.

[Leon]

i love the "practice" reference in there.

[Jamie]

hi doug, do you know when/where I'd be able to find preseason tickets?

Blogger's note: No, I don't; imagine they'll let fans know when they release the schedule

[anthony.mackay]

Hey Doug,
Do you know if creatine is ok in the NBA? I assume most guys in the league use it considering how much bigger and stronger they are now compared to 20 years ago... and its not considered a steroid.

Go Raps!

Blogger's note: I believe it's on the list

[David]

Speaking of summer, Doug, I noted the presence in print of Chris Young a few days ago. Is this permanent? Or is it time to go get a rescue party to look for your colleague, that all round basketball guru and paternity suit expert Dave Feschuck? How come he gets all this time off but the beat grunt has to blog all summer? Or did Star management vote him off the island?

Blogger's note: They don't tell me much, presume it was a one-off thing

[GM]

I have no idea if steroids are a problem in the NBA, but whenever I see LeBron James (one of my favourite players) and Dwight Howard, I can't help but assume they're on the juice. Not just from their sculpted bodies, but from their faces. And with less time to work out during the season, wouldn't players slim down a bit as the year goes by?