Of golfing and oligarchs; a strange mix indeed

LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR

Fore!

Yep, today’s the big old Raptors Foundation golfing event (no, my invitation to play never did arrive) but it’s another signal that things are close – really close – to beginning for real.

And who knows, it might give a grunt a chance to sniff out some items. Wish me luck.

Until then …

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PACIFIC DIVISION

What happened?

Not a whole lot, as nba.com tells us; but there’s still enough.

One in, one out

Okay, so the Lakers win the title and they must love the team they’ve got because they draft Chinemelu Elonu and let Sun Yue walk and how in the world is that going to change ‘em?

Oh, wait.

Right, Artest in, Ariza out.

I don’t know about that one, talent-wise it’s probably an improvement if you like older, slower, defensive-minded players over young, dynamic up-and-comers.

But it’s not about talent, is it? And this is a de facto trade that everyone connected with the NBA is going to be watching closely.

Me? I think it backfires.

Why bother?

Okay, someone needs to explain to me what it’s like to be a fan of the Sacramento Kings, who are small but not particularly fast, young and entirely unproven and who play in the league’s worst arena not called Whatever It Is They Call The Joint In Jersey.

A deal to come?

The Golden State Warriors are, from this vantage point, an absolute mess. Stephen Jackson says he wants out, they keep dangling Monta Ellis in trade speculation, and who knows what Nellie has up his sleeve. At least he’s got Devean George, I guess.

But if you want true train wreck potential, you’ve got to watch the W’s.

Under the radar, Part III

There really isn’t one that sticks out, is there? So let’s go with Channing Frye in Phoenix. He’s a good shooting, athletic big who might blossom in the new-old Suns system.

Less is more?

Not sure the Clippers are at all relevant – they do have the Griffin kid who seems okay but there’s still that Baron Davis-Mike Dunleavy disconnect to worry about – but they did shed Zach Randolph, which should make things a tad better out there.

Less is more, 2.0

In hindsight, it seems there were some, um, issues with Suns in the woebegone Shaq era. That era’s over, of course, and it may mean that the Suns are at least fun again. Whether they’re among the top six teams in the conference remains to be seen. It’s debatable.

What’s it all mean? The Lakers are still the chalk in the division, probably the West and perhaps the league. Other than that, the Pacific – with the Clips and the Kings and the Warriors – is the worst division in the NBA.

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Oooooh.

We may have an oligarch in our midst! Tres cool, no?

Anyway, news that Russian Mikhail Prokorov has a deal to buy into the Nets and their pie-in-the-sky Brooklyn plan was greeted with some trepidation in some parts yesterday, mostly because there were some concerns that he’d spend the Nets to prominence with some of his billions.

Legitimate?

At least not now.

The Nets are not set up to be major players in free agency next year – they certainly can’t go out and sign two max-contract players – and the way the rules are set up, it’s going to take years before they can amass the kind of payroll befitting an oligarch.

And, besides, I’ve never been convinced the Nets would ever play a game in Brooklyn, there are all kinds of unresolved issues and a whacked economy to deal with and therefore I’m not entirely convinced this deal gets done in its precise form, anyway.

Sure, I guess this guy could come in and go all Cuban and Cleveland and MSG on us, building payroll to incomprehensible lessons but just because he’s filthy rich, it doesn’t mean he’s going to sign every expensive player in the league, he can’t.

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You heard about the big trade yesterday, didn’t you?

TSN2 gives up the opener against Cleveland and Dec. 16 to The Score for Jan. 20 at Milwaukee and March 31 against the Clippers.

That’s Vince-to-Jersey-esque, isn’t it?

The Score’s Rod Thorn, TSN2’s Rob Babcock.

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What’d it take?

Ninety minutes? A wee bit more?

To sell out the end-of-camp scrimmage, I mean?

Whatever it was, it was quick, I bet.

So, what will you lucky ticket holders get to see?

You’ll see tired players at the end of a stretch of six practices in four days doing a little shooting, some running and some stretching. You’ll see a layup line that might be the most entertaining part of the afternoon and it’s all very, very, very low key.

Not a bad way to kill an afternoon, I guess, and the fans do seem to have fun. It is up close and personal but if you’re looking for anything serious, look elsewhere.

One thing about training camp you should know, and one thing I’ll repeat again a couple of times:

There is very little, if any, good access to the players. None of the workouts is open to anyone – we only get in to see them shoot free throws and finish up, if history holds – and while some may stop and sign an autograph near the bus that takes them away, some will scurry to their seats to get out of there.

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I have to admit, I wasn’t at all surprised to see Macy Gray and Ashley Hamilton heading out of DWTS.

She can go try to resurrect a pretty dormant career, maybe he can go ask dad for tanning suggestions.

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Yes, Canada really did edge the Dominican Republic by 66 down in Brazil yesterday, as I’m sure you’ve already read right here.

What’s it mean?

Canada’s pretty good, but not that good; the DR might be that bad.

As a portend for the rest of the week, though? Nothing.

Canada has known since the schedule was released that the season really comes down to today against Puerto Rico. Win and they’ve got a better-than-good chance at qualifying for the worlds; lose and it’s pretty much over.

The more I talk to people who know more about these things than I do (and, yes, a couple people like that exist out there), the more I hear this is a somewhat special team. Good mix of young and old, good chemistry, good size, good players.

I’m betting tonight’s going to go pretty well.

Comments

[Jacob]

Doug, I'm pretty sure you're wrong about the Nets next offseason. If most of the cap sites are correct about them, then everyone not named Harris and Williams has a team option for next year and they will have as much cap space as anybody. If you've got better info on contract status, then please share it. xD

Blogger's note: I don't have my spreadsheets with me that have the salaries of every team in the league. I'll check

[chris]

Doug - keep an eye out for Anthony Randolph. He's going to be really exciting to watch this year....much moreso than Channing Frye.

[JH]

Where is Joey Graham playing this season??

Jon
Toronto

Blogger's note: Nowhere right now

[Matt]

Hey Doug,

I read that someone asked how much money you make, and you reacted to it with a "none of your beeswax" or something, which is fine. Except for you always alude to how crappy your job is or how crappy your compensation is (although I'm sure you say it in jest)..."wayward home for beat grunts" being the most recent, but I know I've seen more like that.

I think those comments are the main reason that guy asked the question, not to be impolite or anything like that. I don't think you need to answer the question, but when you alude to it so much on your blog, people are bound to ask it.

[Johnny]

You think Artest for Ariza backfires? Doug, your hate for Ron Ron just went to another level with that remark. You have always had a vendetta against the guy. Sure he's had some much publicized issues in the past but it's quite evident that he has come full circle in the last few years and has matured into a solid pro. The guy plays with his heart on his sleave and is perhaps the best defensive specialist the league has seen since Dennis Rodman. He proved last year what he is capable of when on a solid playoff team with the Rockets and this year with the zen master and Kobe he will take his game to unseen levels. And when that happens, trust me, now one is going to miss Ariza. Just give the guy a chance Doug and stop hating.

[Paul]

Great article featuring Chris Bosh here:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/star_athlete_signs_contract

I love the onion...great to see them recognizing our local hero as a worthy subject of their satire!

[Peter]

Hey Doug,

I don't think you have a "hate for Ron Ron" and I could care less what you make, and I appreciate your struggling beat grunt comments.... maybe I just get the humour in them. However, I do think that if there was a coach with the experience to handle Artest, it would have to be Phil Jackson. He's managed big ego's and crazy personalities better then any coach I can think of in recent memory, so although I agree that it's a risk, I don't see it imploding as quickly under Phil Jackson's reign as I would under say... a Sam Mitchell type of coach.

[mike]

im playing in the raptors foundation golfing event and i was under the impression it was tomorrow.. odd

Blogger's note: Yeah, a wee issue of miscommunication.

[doug]

the jury is still out on the Ariza-Artest deal obviously as neither has played a game yet in their new situation...I want to see Ariza not with Kobe,Odom or Gasol by his side, different story when you have to produce, no one talks about that part of it, Ariza is what he is a 15, 8 man...we all know Artest, he will have his drama, whatever it goes without saying as he just marches to a different drummer, but Phil has dealt with it before, I forsee no problems between kobe and Artest...i do with Odom, if i were the Lakers I would have let Odom go...the Cavs are going to have the most drama in the league and implode, just due to personalities and most of all a inexperienced coach....Clippers will surprise its a no-brainer, basic math when you add positive variables and take away negative ones its all for the good....

it always amuses me how the press wants players to be more colourful, quotable etc...then when they get their Artests, Ochocinco's,Owens,Rodmans's of the world etc...they are the first to riducule them..give me a player with some personality any personality then players that are just vanilla..

[Mark L]

Doug, have you seen Bosh practice lately? He's supposed to have gained something like 15lbs of muscle? (it's not very apparant in that picture you posted) is his game very different from last season?

Blogger's note: Haven't seen him, can't make a comment.

[jimmie]

Question for Johnny re: Artest -- Will he fit in the triangle offense?

Based on that rationale, I have to agree somewhat with Doug. It's not about maturity (although he's still a crazy mofo) as much as it's about system fit. I don't see him working well in the LA system. That said, I don't think it's going to be a complete failure, either -- he's a talented player who will add value regardless. I'm just not as big a fan of the move as some people are. Ariza was a young, up-and-coming wing with a lot of the same skillset as Artest and none of the question marks. His fit in the triangle was obvious last year, and he showed big improvements in every aspect of his game. For the same price as Ron-Ron, I would have kept the 24-year-old who played his role on a championship team to a 'T' over the 30-year-old who doesn't know the system and may be inclined to expect more shots than he is likely to get.

[kazbid]

I think people are a bit mis-guided about Ariza; he's not up and coming..he's been in the league for years and his development was just slowed down by being used as trade bait and being oft injured
he's always been good defensively and ok offensively with limited moves

imo..artest is an upgrade to ariza in every way except for the fact that his mental approach can often lead to him being a black hole on offense and a liability in the locker room
but if the zen master is truly the king of ego..then i think he can manage artest
he handled rodman..and he was just as volatile

[Kyle]

Hey Doug, got my season seats in the mail today. A few are on Toronto Husky Tickets. Does this mean Husky jerseys? and what about the Red, Black, and Whites? Are the Raps dropping one of their usual jerseys?

Blogger's note: Reported a while ago they were going to trot out Huskies jerseys, at least once. Not sure how many times or when and it won't necessarily coincide with whatever the tickets have on them.

[Erc]

Have to agree with Doug. Artest may not improve the Lakers for all the reasons he gave plus, as defending champions, there's a lot more downside than upside.
Now what WAS funny, was when he was telling people that Artest would not help last year's Raptors -- cancer on the team and all that stuff. A wing like Artest would have been no help whatsoever to our local heroes. Now THAT was funny.

Blogger's note: Wow! A misrepresentation of something I wrote to give you a chance to take a shot. Colour me stunned!
Yawn.

[Darren Bleau]

Hey Doug- Written in about the Raptors a few times prior. This time, it's about a fundraising opportunity called Pins to Win.

the website is:

www.fordclassic.ca/pinstowin

The program helps fund Minor League Hockey Teams and donates proceeds towards the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF).

I know your your not a huge fan of plugging things or even anything to do with pucks but it would be great if you could post this on your blog/comments section.

Its a great program with great intentions. Appreciate any help you can provide,

Darren Bleau

[WA]

That trade was done because the Score is on all non-digital subscription packages Rogers has to offer. If they didn't trade the big opener against Cleveland to the Score then Bell would look really bad for hoisting that game up on TSN2 so that Rogers customers in the mainstream won't get to see it unless they have digital cable and the channel subscription (or sports pack).

The last thing Bell wants to do now is lose another battle with Rogers in the public eye.

[Jeff Steele]

Check out this little article on the Nash convocation ceremony from last Friday:

http://communications.uvic.ca/uvicinfo/announcement.php?id=354

Steve made a really inspirational speech to all the youngsters out there. Here's a quote from the speech:

“Follow your passions. Find them and follow them. Set goals for yourself. Try to realize your dreams. That’s a sure fire way to find happiness and find peace in your life.”

Make sure to click the link at the bottom showing him in a goofy robe.

[Rob]

Hey Doug,
I have a question regarding cap and this kinda relates to the Nets situation and their new owner. Is there an actual cap that no team is permitted to spend on contracts for their players or is there just the luxury tax that we always hear about. For example, if the nets' new majority owner wishes to go buck wild on free agent signings and/or trades next year and spend and spend is he permitted to? As long as he pays the dollar for dollar L-tax? From what I've read its just a drop in the bucket for him as he's worth somewhere around $9.5B and he loves the b-ball(CSKA)and loves winning. Thanks Doug, great blog!

Blogger's note: Short answer: No. Unless a team has "room" under the cap number, which is a set percentage of Basketball Related Income, they cannot sign free agents to a contract for other than up to the so-called "mid-level" exception.

[doug]

why do people get this impression that Artest is problematic in the dressing room???...he is not, nor was Rodman or is Rasheed if they were you would know just by how welcome players make them...Jackson when asked once about Rodman and his "lifestyle" said i could care less what Dennis does off the court, as long as he shows up to play and he does, he went on to say he never had to ever motivate Dennis to play. Jordan and Pippen have both stated they loved Rodman as a teammate. Teammates have never spoken badly of Artest and if Garnett seeks out Rasheed and all this time in Detroit nothing came up then you know all is well..... don't confuse public personnna with what goes on in the locker room, their two diverse worlds...now on the flip side you can read between the lines to see what his Pistons mates thought of Iverson or Zach Randolph's status to his peers ...as actions speak louder then words to show us the truth there....

[Lawrs]

Define Backfiring Doug...
If the Lakers win 1 more title is the Artest-Ariza swap still a backfire? Because they could win one without either players anyways.

Blogger's note: Really quick answer, which all I'm ever going to do here: There will be disruptions and distractions through the season that will cause chemistry issues that will ultimately cost them a chance to play for a title, perhaps by costing them two or three regular season games that could mean the difference between having home court and not in the conference finals.

[Darrol]

I find that this Wikipedia Article answers a lot of my questions about the NBA Salary Cap and its exceptions. Basically the there is a Cap and a tax threshold. To put it simply, at least how I understand it (I could be wrong), there is a cap and luxury tax. You can use exceptions listed in the CBA to surpass the cap, like the mid level or bi-annual exception. If the exceptions cause you to surpass the threshold that is when the luxury tax kicks in. Like I said, this is how I understand it. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Blogger's note: That pretty much captures it, yeah. There are other ways to exceed the cap (like long-term salary obligations obtained in trades) but your synopsis is right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Salary_Cap

[doug]

it's good to see Artest-Arazia can cause so much consternation and dialogue, we will hear about it all year...fairly or unfairly it is the reality...Odom will cause more troubles out there in the locker room then Artest and its surprising that Artest draws all this attention...when the one fellow that has proven he can't get along with his fellow superstar teammates sort of gets the teflon treatment by the press , fans etc...that man is Shaq, first Kobe, then Wade, then Nash all futire HOF'ers,,if anyone thinks him and James will be best buds, just watch, especially with James in the last year of his deal, Cavs will want to keep him obviously, and Shaq will be stirring the pot....so Arteast and the Lakers drama?...will be nothing to the cavs...Dan Lavatore on PTI is no Wilbon and the show suffers dearly for it, he is not to bright...

[Aditya]

wow...khloe kardashain marrying lamar odom...(you know why she broke up with rashad mc cants ....cuz mc cants doesn't have a contract (non guaranteed i believe) and lamar odom just signed a big fat 5 yr 34 mil contract).......

[Aditya]

why do people get this impression that Artest is problematic in the dressing room???...he is not, nor was Rodman or is Rasheed if they were you would know just by how welcome players make them...Jackson when asked once about Rodman and his "lifestyle" said i could care less what Dennis does off the court, as long as he shows up to play and he does, he went on to say he never had to ever motivate Dennis to play. Jordan and Pippen have both stated they loved Rodman as a teammate. Teammates have never spoken badly of Artest and if Garnett seeks out Rasheed and all this time in Detroit nothing came up then you know all is well..... don't confuse public personnna with what goes on in the locker room, their two diverse worlds...now on the flip side you can read between the lines to see what his Pistons mates thought of Iverson or Zach Randolph's status to his peers ...as actions speak louder then words to show us the truth there....

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couldn't agree with this anymore....

[Erc]

We're talking shades of stunned more than misrepresentations. You let your dislike for this player color your generally sound perception.
I'm gonna drop this issue. Too long a shelf life. What you do with Artest is up to you. May not be Mr. Personality but wish we had one like him last year. This year too, come to think of it.
Nobody's perfect, but somebody in LA knows something about putting a basketball team together and they let a good young player walk to sign this guy. If he can help them ...... . Over and out.