On money, food and training camp details (again)

For a time when there’s precious little really going on, we seem to be full of mildly interesting stuff today.

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So, where’s Jay?

Chicago, with the rest of the league’s coaches for their annual pre-season get together buntoss.

They talk about points of emphasis in rules this season, player comportment, some financial matters concerning pensions and retirement funds that are way, way, way over my head.

I do not believe there is or was a seminar on how to properly and reverentially treat the daily media. Sadly.

But it would have been interesting to hear the discussion about officials and points of emphasis and refereeing in general.

We’re all expecting a lockout of refs at the start of the season – although my man Sheridan reports here that maybe things will get moving – and how the coaches deal with the replacements will have a lot to do with how games are reffed.

There is no question some of those guys can be quite intimidating and while I’m sure the refs will talk a good game about not being bothered by someone yelling at them, consistently harsh treatment from angry coaches during the course of a game could turn a call or two.

I’m absolutely certain the league will lay down the law with the coaches – and the players – about treating the replacements well; whether they do or not is not something anyone can predict.

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JENNIFER BAIN PHOTO

Yes, you can also get the veggie dog on a bun if you like.

I’m sure you’ve all checked out this story on our site, written by a legitimate writer who knows about food and was at the same hot dog thingy I was at yesterday.

Me? I just like to eat.

So my opinion may not carry as much, um, weight, but what the heck.

I’ve got to tell you, I’m quite okay with the dog that’s covered in pulled pork and the pizza one’s not too bad, either.

Seriously. Cheese and pepperoni on a hot dog. Brilliant, I tell ya. Brilliant.

Not that I had a bite of every one that’s available – I believe my body would have rebelled had I bitten into the veggie one served on, get this, lettuce! – but as I’m standing there chowing down, I’m looking around and for the life of me, I cannot find the concession stand dedicated to Mssrs. Colangelo and/or Gherardini. Guess that’s coming later, right?

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Other things I didn’t see but wish I did:

An Andrea Bargnani pasta bar.

Maybe they could play that ridiculous commercial on some endless loop that makes fans feel like they’re prisoners at Guantanamo being sensory-deprived or something.

The Morris Peterson Snickers sales point.

After all, that was like oxygen to him for a while.

Oak’s Room.

Yes, Charles was some kind of culinary magician; I would have loved to see what he could have cooked up given the chance. Would have had to be a printed menu, though, wouldn’t want him standing out in the concourse peddling his wares verbally.

Big Kitchen’s Big Kitchen

That’s what they used to call John Thomas so why not let him show off his skills. Knowing John, there’d be some good eats.

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Let’s go over this one more time for those who may have missed it.

(And I don’t imagine it’s the last time we’ll do it).

As part of training camp in Ottawa at Carleton, there will be a public scrimmage, on the Saturday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m.

There is no ticket information out there yet; when they decide what they’re going to do, we’ll let you know.

But, other than that? No access.

They don’t open the workouts even to us (except for the last half hour or so), they roll the bus right up to the back door of the gym and unless you happen to spot a Raptor someone strolling the streets, I doubt you’ll see any of them around.

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Times are tough in Miami, Ira reports here, with layoffs and salary cuts and all sorts of economic bad news.

Think Dwyane Wade’s noticing with his impending free agency just around the corner?

The Miami one’s just the latest in a bunch of things that don’t bode well. Teams are cutting scouts, paring staffs, eliminating advance scouts and doing all manner of belt-tightening that we’re all going through in the regular world.

A bad thing? I don’t think so and it’s a topic we’ll get into more deeply in the next few days.

How about here? Well, there have been no massive layoffs but no substantial raises.

Times are tough, but not as tough as some places, it seems.

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Back to the food.

After the dogs and the donuts – yeah, little Tiny Tom-ish delights made in-house – we’re ushered upstairs to the bar area to sample some of the other stuff that’s for sale.

There’s a Cuban sandwich, the prime rib sandwich, the sushi, the stir fry (or so I’m told, far too close to veggies for me), the pulled pork and it’s a veritable cornucopia of good eats.

They’ve got stuff from every team -- the hoops, the pucks, the baby pucks and even stuff they sell down at BMO Field for the soccer.

I didn’t, however, see the Taser Fries on the table. Guess they just forgot ‘em.

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A minor correction to yesterday’s note about Belinelli.

It’s not, I was told, a news conference, per se. He’ll work out, we’ll wander over, visit with him after and that’ll be that. No TV, probably no huge revelations, but, yes, a media availability.

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Most of you know I’m not one to revisit history very often, especially the revisionist kind but a couple of comments caught my eye yesterday. The ones that told me how Jose’s hamstring injury might have been caused by his groin problems.

Now, I’m no doctor but neither are you and I refuse to believe that a minor groin injury suffered on Aug. 22, 2008 somehow had something to do with a hamstring injury suffered on Jan. 2, 2009, after 31 NBA regular season games, I don’t know how many practices, and that’s not even mentioning eight pre-season games.

Sorry, but to link the two is, in my opinion, ludicrous.

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Pretty sure you all saw this about the pre-season and TV, either when I alluded to it the other day or when the team announced it yesterday.

But five pre-season games on TV? That’s big, and I believe, unprecedented.

Trouble is, as I’ll remind you a few times between now and then, it’s pre-season and there’s precious little to learn.

Comments

[Phil]

Doug, it is not in fact ludicrous to think there may be a link between the two.

If player hurts a leg muscle, he will move the body part differently opening up new areas of the body to injury. This is why when a player/person hurts one knee, you often see them injure the other knee in a relatively short time frame.

[Peter]

Good Morning Doug,

I wanted to agree with the commenters about Jose's injury yesterday. But you're right. If the dates are August 22nd and January 2nd, then you have a much stronger case then they do. For some reason, I though the dates were a lot closer together.

Thanks as always.

[NC]

Hey Doug ... how long has this new food experience been in the works at the ACC? It's a great idea. They should try to reach out to some of TO's various ethnic groups too (food wise).

[Peter]

I just read the story by your food editor, Jennifer Bain. The sidebar tells us that there is an item on the menu in the concession named for Brian Burke that includes the item "Kobe Dog"? Is this for real? And why would it be in a hockey themed concession?

[Lawrence]

the knee bone is connected to the hip bone
re-consider your opinion of ludicrous; your posture.

[Tabber]

Gee, I sneezed yesterday, so I guess according to the "experts", I can expect to get a cold in 4 months time. 4 freaking months, "experts", is a long long time for assuming a connection. Some of you just seem to want to argue everything Doug writes. You must be real gems to be around, and in fact I think I know a couple of you - you're real pains in the derriere and would be missed like a haemorrhoid if you disappear. Be confrontational, be combative, and be gone.

[Tim W.]

One thing I have learned from many years of being injured is that seemingly compltetly separate injuries can in fact be connected. With the dates being so far apart, I'd say it's unlikely, but to call it ludicrious is going way overboard.

[joe]

if your groin is hurting, it'll affect the way you walk/run. even if it's just a little, your mind subconsciously doesn't want to hurt it again. that will give potential problems to other parts of the leg because you're not moving them as you would normally.

[Sams Fan]

I thought Jose never started the season 100% healthy last year, which led to the injury becomming more severe, hence that struggling start to the season and by the time it was Jan, he HAD to shut it down because it wasnt getting any better.

R u saying he was fully healthy at the start of the season? Cuz thats not what i remember the media saying back then. Im sorry i am in no way trying to point fingers, but that is what the media said and the reason why Jose was struggling at the start of the season.

[petro]

Doug... you put your phalange and metatarsal bones in your mouth.

The groin and hammy can be linked... easily. If one injury is not fully healed and properly rested, over time, it can and most likely will influence another type of injury.

Just like plantar fasciitis and knee injuries are linked... specifically medial and lateral meniscus ligament damage?

Ask Bosh about that one!

[Steve]

Is the Pee Wee dog anything like the fantastic hot dogs in Montreal on folded over toasted bread or are we talking a little schneiders weiner and a wonder bun

Blogger's note: More the latter

[Brian Gerstein]

Precious little to learn from pre-season? Are you serious? This is not the NBA Summer league, which still can provide some insights, especially for rookies.

With only three holdovers from last year, there are a number of areas that will be looked at, as the playbook will be revamped to incorporate the new roster. With Turkoglu likely being the #1 option in crunch time (I certainly hope so), a number of plays will be run late in close pre-season games to simulate this. By the end of pre-season, the last few games will have the starters playing a lot more to simulate the regular season, and a lot can be learnt in those games.

My suggestion - Ask Jay what he thinks of your comments about precious little to learn during pre-season. I will eat crow if he agrees with you.

[Erc]

Dr.Doug, I have dry tear ducts and acute belly pains after reading the great injury debate. Would this be laughter-induced side effects or just ludicrous?

[pooks]

Ok I'm a vegetarian, and no way would I go for a veggie dog in lettuce, topped with green onion. Yeesh!

Oh and Peter, there is actually a type of beef known as Kobe beef...nothing to do with the baller.

Doug, would you be willing to take a guess at what those points of emphasis might be (or in your opinion, should be?) Can you also confirm if there have been any rule changes?

Thanks, as always great blog.

Blogger's note: No rule changes and haven't had a chance to ask about points of emphasis

[Matt]

Hey Doug,

Love your blog and am I regular visiter (though first time poster)

Though I am loathe to say it cause it could ad weight to the knee jerk reactionaries out there but...
I'm a RMT student with an eye towards sport massage, and it is well within the realm of possibility that an groin injury could lead to a hamstring injury. A problem anywhere in the kinetic chain can lead to new injury. However without knowing specifics ie which muscles were involved (there are 3 "hamstring" muscles and even more in the "groin") and the degree of the injury, it's all just speculation.

[Ren]

Ok. Enough already. Maybe Turk is hurt, maybe he is not. Maybe there can be a link between the injuries, maybe there can't be. So what. That's basketball. It is a sport. Players get hurt, and then they recover. For all of you who are making a great deal of this, remember, it happens. So Turk comes in and is not at 100%. With the roster changes they have made, and the new defensive structure they are bound to implement, does it really make a difference? If you are suggesting that the impact a Turk injury would have on this year's team is just as important as one that Jose had on last year's team, you are sadly mistaken. Leave it alone. Turk has a contract and is allowed to play for his country. The Raptors let him. They will work out the problem, if there is one. Discuss how great the food will be at the ACC instead! Or talk about the great venue that has been changed in Toronto to help the downtown feel more a part of the scene! Now, that is news!

[Lou]

Brian, the way I read it, Doug was saying that there is little to learn for us viewers, not coaches, as the previous sentence was referring to the 5 pre-season games being on TV. There is little to learn for us because we already know 4 of the 5 starters and the bulk of the games will be played by the players fighting for that SG starting spot/to get into the rotation. It's not like he was saying Derozan would be sitting on the bench picking his nose while Marcus Banks dribbled out each shot clock. Stop hammering for the sake of hammering, people.

[John]

"Just like plantar fasciitis and knee injuries are linked... specifically medial and lateral meniscus ligament damage?"

I think you've confused yourself with all of your anatomical terms; let me know where I can find my medial or lateral miniscus ligaments as I've certainly never heard of such ligaments.

More on topic. While I for the most part find myself agreeing with Doug's views and shaking my head at some of the crazies who comment on this blog with respect to lingering injuries and national team participation I tend to dissagree.

It's not so much that these little bumps and scrapes picked up in the off season lead directly to in-season injuries, it's just that as had been mentioned in this space previsously, the NBA season is one heck of a grind. They play a lot of games, and they play hard. Over the course of seasons and careers their bodies eventually break down. Even if players don't suffer a significant injury, the wear and tear of all those games will lead to a fair bit of aches and pains. Playing during the summer simply adds to that grind. Rather than rehabbing fully and building strength and fitness to make it through the next season they are playing for their country.

Don't get me wrong, they should be allowed to play for their country. But to suggest that it doesn't affect their professional careers, even if they don't get injured is naive. I can attest after playing sports both for my university team during the school year and for a club team in the summer, that my off-season preparation for my club team, and my in-season perfomance, improved dramatically once I had graduated university and stopped playing for the school team. There were simpy more days available for rehab and preparation for the next season.

[matt]

its kobe beef, not kobe bryant

[Noslak]

Hey Doug,

The media stated and Jose stated himself that he was never 100% until the end of the season, which coincided with the turnaround in the Raptors fortunes.

So when people here say that the groin injury could lead the the hamstring injury sometime later, I believe that it is 100% possible.

Is it necessarily the case? No one knows, maybe not even Jose. But to call the connection ludicrous, that is well...ludicrous.

[Josh]

Regarding Jose, he initially hurt the hamstring in Philly on Nov. 12 (and missed the following two games, against Miami and Orlando), not in January (when he tweaked it again and sat down for an extended rest). I know it's still a gap of almost 3 months, and I'm not suggesting there's any link either, but them's the facts...

[Josh]

Whoops, sorry, that was in Toronto, against Philly, not in Philly. My bad.

[Jordon]

Hey again Doug,
I was one of the readers yesterday that commented about Jose's injury last year.  Forgive me if memory doesn't serve me correctly, but Jose did not seem "right" from early on in the season, other than perhaps the first handful of games.  I may be completely off-base, but it's very possible that he never fully recovered from the groin injury, which in turn contributed to the hamstring problem.  For you to dismiss that possibility is a little surprising.
Regardless, it would not surprise me in the least if Hedo is not 100% at the start of the season, which is 82 games long, plus exhibition and playoffs (hopefully!), with little time to recuperate.  Don't be in the least bit surprised if he ends up spending time on injured reserve as a direct result of his current "sore" knee.  This in turn may end up having a significant impact on the team's aspirations.

[WSG]

1) Jose was obviously not in top form at the start last season, a result of the groin injury he sustained while playing for Spain during the summer.

2) The hamstring injury that later happened was of course, very likely related to that previous hamstring injury, for all the reasons that some here have sensibly pointed out. (I mean, c’mon.)

3) Question: If a player is injured while playing for his country, is the team that the player’s signed with (Raptors) on the hook for paying the agreed amount while the player is injured? If so … that’s seriously messed up.

Signed, Not-a-Fan-of-Off-Season-Patriotism-That-Ends-Up-Costing-the-Paying-Team-(and-fans).

Blogger's note: Yes. Has been forever for all countries, will be forever for all countries.

[Peter]

Hey Doug,

Love the blog, but it strikes me that sometimes, as is the case now in the off-season, when the actual basketball news is pretty thin, that people seem to make too big a deal out of what would essentially be a throw away story any other time of the year.

Let's maybe wait and see how Hedo plays once, oh I don't know, the season starts.

I'm all for debate and engaged fans, but let's not make something out of nothing.