Trekking out to the golf course, again

Another day, another division, another drive out to the golf course.

-

CENTRAL DIVISION

What happened

A lot, actually. Check out nba.com’s list of transactions, it shows the general managers were a tad busy shuffling people hither and yon.

We knew ye when

Yes, that opener here against Cleveland’s going to be big ‘cause of that LeBron fellow but don’t forget AP and Jamario, too. I think AP was a solid pickup for that team, he’ll make a shot every now and then and keep defences honest. Jamario? He’ll probably have his moments; he’ll also probably drive Mike Brown crazy at times, as he did to a couple of guys here.

Everyone busy except …

The Chicago Bulls were the feel good story of the post-season when they had that epic first-round series with Boston.

Guess it was enough for them.

Aside from losing Ben Gordon, and hoping Luol Deng returns to health, they really did nothing.

I still don’t think they’re big enough and they still don’t have a low-post scoring threat. If there’s a team taking a step back, this might be it.

For some radical change

Ladies and germs, we give you the Detroit Pistons.

Charlie V and Ben Gordon are going to help the offence, no question. They won’t lead the league in assists or anything but they can score.

But a big remake like this – no one really knows how either of those two are going to mesh with Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and the rest of the holdovers – is fraught with peril.

If it doesn’t work, it could go really south and I bet there are at least a few Pistons fans who wish this team was in the hands of someone other than a first-year head coach.

This could be the most intriguing team to watch in this division.

We knew ye when, 2.0

Do games with Milwaukee take on added juice with old friends Roko Ukic and Carlos Delfino there?

I didn’t think so.

Chemistry 101

Think LeBron and Shaq co-exist peacefully in Cleveland?

Like Shaq and Kobe did? Or Shaq and Wade? Or Shaq and Nash?

Maybe for a while but that’s got a chance to go off the rails, doesn’t it?

Yes, Shaq had some okay numbers on a very confused Phoenix team last year and, yes, he’s very big.

Oh, and he’s saying all the right things these days about just being in town to help LeBron win a title and yadda, yadda, yadda.

Guess maybe the best thing about it is Shaq’s time in Cleveland may be short and it’s always taken a bit of time for him to, um, exert himself with other stars he’s played with.

Under the radar

Really doesn’t seem to be one in this division, does there? I’ll put Cleveland signing Leon Powe out there. Powe’s months and months away from being able to play but if he’s okay when he gets back, he might be the kind of late-season addition good teams need.

What will happen?

There’s no doubt Cleveland’s the class of the division. What I’m wondering is how many others are in the playoffs come April.

One? Two? Certainly not three.

Chicago? Are they really any better?

Detroit? Too many new ingredients?

Indy? They seem just kind of ‘blah’ to me.

Milwaukee? Same kind of thing, okay but boring.

So, which will it be?

-

Oops.

A wee bit of miscommunication somewhere, I guess. At least that’s kind of what I was saying while I was hanging around Angus Glen pretty much by myself yesterday morning.

Turns out the golfing festival is today.

Dang. Oh well, it was a nice day for a drive.

Should have known as soon as I arrived that something was amiss. No gigantic Chicken in the parking lot.

-

You read this, right?

A bit closer than a 66-point win but that’s okay, it was the game the Canadian women had to win and they did.

Things are breaking down exactly as I expected them to.

Canada, barring a miracle upset of Brazil tonight (you don’t beat Brazil in Brazil, sorry) will get Cuba in tomorrow’s semis with a berth in the worlds on the line.

Not sure if I had this in any earlier piece, but it’s a very telling Teresa Gabriele quote about Canada-Cuba.

“They’re definitely beatable … we know that we can beat them and we can play with them. It’s probably one of the first years that I’ve felt that Cuba is beatable. They’ve kind of always been out of reach for us but we feel we can beat that team.”

Except once, that is, which brings us to today’s Trip Down Memory Lane, Women’s Basketball Version.

(I take great pride in recalling a thing or two about Canadian women’s basketball and bringing it to you; it’s an important part of the national sporting landscape that’s been relatively screwed over in the past.

End o’ digression).

Anyway, it’s like 1995, McMaster University, what was then called the Tournament of the Americas, qualification for the Atlanta Olympics.

(Another digression: Ever watch Corner Gas? Well, when I write or say “Atlanta Olympics” it’s my own personal Woolerton.)

Canada plays Cuba, big game, big lead for the Cubans, as I recall, and a hugely stirring Canadian comeback and a win that gives them first place in the tournament.

What I remember is the place being crazy loud with young girls and moms and dads and it being a very emotional event. It was maybe then that I realized just how much the women of the team could be role models to the young girls who wanted to play the sport.

And that’s important

-

Could we get some mail, please and thank you.

-

So I see all kinds of relative journeymen are getting camp invites and one-year deals these days. Dan Dickau to Boston for camp, Rashad McCants to Houston, James White gets traded to Denver, and I’m sure there are other inconsequential transactions I’ve forgotten. Or don’t really care about.

And then there’s Joey.

Still nary a whisper about an invite to a training camp, let alone a contract for the ex-Raptor.

I find that odd.

Now, I don’t know that he’ll ever be a regular contributor to a good team, Whatever Deity You Worship knows he got his chances here and never fully took advantage of them.

But it is a wee bit surprising that no team’s even interested in having in camp as fodder on some make-good deal.

Odd.

Comments

[Joachim]

Doug,
I'm thinking maybe Joey is reluctant to do the try-out thing or that he feels he's above it?

[Marc A]

Hey Doug,

Are the Raps going to be wearing the throwback dino jerseys for any games this year??

Blogger's note: No, not that I've ever heard

[Dan W]

I think Dickau changed his mind and will now be in the Phoenix camp for pre season.
What is your view of Anthony parker as far as defense? It seems last year he stared to show a decline in that area, yet now that he is playing with Lebron I have read that he is a defensive specialist. I don't think he is a bad defender, just not as good as he was in his first and maybe second year with the Raptors.

Blogger's note: He was getting old, and yes, a little less effective

[Ryan W]

Thought I would mention something here about the Red/White game in Ottawa. Seems that the tickets that were purchased for reserve seating (I got front row even) will not be honoured. Instead, an email went out from the Carelton staff stating that instead of us having our reserved seats, we would instead be given general admission tickets for the opposite side of the stadium. I know that a lot of us that bought the reserved seating did so specifically because it was reserved. Instead, we get to wait in a line for our tickets, and now have to show up in the early morning to be allowed entry 3 hours early to try and get any sort of half decent seat.

When many of us emailed and voiced our complaints, they were not at all heeded. Very unfortunate, and quite unclassy. We even had to beg for an opportunity for a refund, since they weren't originally going to offer one. Thought I would let someone with the (sort of) ear of the Raptors brass to know that there are many, many disappointed ticket buyers for the game. I know that it won't accomplich much, but I had to vent. Thanks for the opportunity. The whole situation could have been handled a LOT better than it was.

[Peter]

Hey doug, love the blog, read it every day.

I think, in the Raps first game against Cleveland, that the Shaq/Bargnani match-up is the most important for the game.

The Raps should take a page out of Orlando's playoff book from last year, and let Lebron get his while shutting down everything else. The question is whether they can shut Shaq down.

Shaq may play like he has something to prove, but I think Bargnani will as well. If people think Bargs can't guard Shaq, well it's gotta be equally as true the other way around. No way Shaq can come out to the three point line and defend Bargs.

Now I'm not saying that Bargs can close Shaq down, no one can, he's too big. But it seems like the way to go.

Looking forward to the season starting!

[binson]

Pure speculation but perhaps Mr J. Graham is seeking larger fortunes in Europe?

[Peter]

Hey Doug, also a quick question:

If the referees are locked out, and it seems they will be, is the D-league the only place the NBA would look to for replacement refs, or would they also go to other places like the WNBA or FIBA?

Thanks Doug.

Blogger's note: WNBA, yes; FIBA, no

[John]

The notion that people only bought tickets to the red and white game because they got to be front row is silly. It's a tiny gym and people would have bought those tickets regardless.

Granted there was a mistake with the Carleton website which allowed people to select seats when the event was suposed to be general admission only. It was clearly explained by the Carleton staff (via e-mail) that this is due to a previous commitment made to the Raptors and not something that Carleton University could change after the fact. Carleton appologized for the inconvenience and offered people who had purchased tickets free tickets to a Carleton Raven's basketball game or the oportunity for a refund in exchange for their troubles.

In spite of this my inbox was flooded by whiny Raptors fans who chose to reply-all to the email sent by Carleton University in order to voice their displeasure.

The glitch in the ticket purchasing website certainly made my day on Wednesday much more tedious, but not due to any fault of Carleton University. It was due to the unsolicited stream of e-mails flooding my inbox from Raptors fans complaining from their soap boxes. Doug I honestly can't imagine how you deal with that every day. I love the Raptors, but the less I have to deal with the online rantings of their fans, the better.

[doug]

thats a good point you raise in regards to it taking awhile for Shaq to wear out his welcome, but two of those times there was Riley and Jackson both seasoned coaches. Last year with the Suns Porter was there and it never took long for things to detoriate. With the Cavs I'd be concerned as a fan with Brown, not only how he handles the Shaq, James dynamic...but also the Big Z one, as here is a guy use to getting major minutes and in crunch time, any player no matter what they say has to be bothered to see those minutes gone. Plus the Delonte West situation, and just juggling all those minutes between more then a few capable starters. Then on top of that the season long talk of James will he stay or will he go...I just feel Ferry has set up Brown for a fall if by Xmas things are not as people expect, i can see a change there and for Brown's sake i don't think it's fair. Although i do question his in-game offensive strategy, this perpetual James clear-out strategy in the last 5 minutes has to change, and that is where we will see, whether he has control of the team or not.

[doug]

plus i like your "review" on the Bulls...I just feel Paxson as a ex-guard is just forming a team from that perspective...they are wasting a hell of a lot of talent there...they need a low-post presence, any presence besides the Rose's,Deng's, Hinrich's, Salmon's etc....if they had traded for Boozer they would have had a hellava team, although Boozer is not the Boozer of 3-4 years ago he still would have fit the bill....it's a shame what's going on there, one player short of being a top 3 team, maybe Eastern Conference champ...Paxson, or the owners?...won't roll the dice...

[don t]

According to the Denver Post Joey Graham found a new home on the Nuggets as their 13th man.