And the trip rolls into Denver, where it's cold

Okay, so it’s not the middle of the night when this is going up, we’re sort of back to the regular Eastern time schedule despite being out here in the mountains.

Told you the body clock was screwed up beyond belief. Now, let me gobble some Tylenol, get ready for the day and we’ll be back for the usual game-day chat at 3 p.m. your time. See ya then.

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The Curious Case of Jarrett Jack is certainly causing some angst out there among the chattering masses.

Not sure how many – but it’s a lot – are so down on the guy that I keep waiting for the people who were demanding he start about 10 days ago to pipe up and come to defence.

Oh, wait.

Probably the same people in a few instances, now that I think of it.

Anyway, yes, it’s true. He’s struggling to find his place and not playing particularly well.

It’s a topic I hope to explore in the paper in the morning – have to write an early story ‘cause of the stinky 9 p.m. Eastern start – but Jay brought up an interesting point when we were discussing Jack’s play yesterday.

Yes, his shot is off.

But …

“He did a good job on the small things (Sunday) night. We ran (Goran) Dragic out of the gym. We said, ‘Jarrett, pick him up, get into him’ and they had to play Barbosa as the backup point.”

Indeed, it’s true. What they did to the poor Suns backup point guard bordered on abuse. And Dragic couldn’t get off the bench in the second half and Barbosa having to run the point takes away from what he does best, which is play the off-guard spot, run the floor and spot up for jumpers.

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Guy shows up in Denver, fresh from 70 F in Phoenix and it’s like 28 F, windy and there’s snow on the ground?

Who do I talk to about this?

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All practices are not created equal, it seems.

The Raptors worked out in Phoenix yesterday before flying to Denver and it was a rather low-key affair, as it usually is in the middle of road trip with one day between games and a back-to-back coming.

A scribbler walks in to wait for them to finish and sees the Walking Wounded, Mssrs. Turkoglu and Wright, headed off for treatment and healthy starters Bosh, Calderon and Bargnani off to the weight room.

While they’re lifting and doing some cadio, a rather high-spirited game of four-on-four is unfolding on the practice court involving the guys who don’t play a lot.

Then they switch, the weightlifters hit the gym and the subs hit the weight room but it’s only individual workouts with assistant coaches, nothing too strenuous.

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Wait, let’s see?

A team Steve Nash plays on has spent year after year after year trying to develop a suitable backup point guard, to marginal success?

What are the Suns?

Canada?

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Things to read in Denver when you’re alive.

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Hands up everybody who wanted Toronto to throw the ball into Chris Bosh in the final possession against Phoenix on Sunday who also whined last year about the lack of anyone on the perimeter who’d be able and willing to take a big shot with the game on the line?

There’s just no pleasing everyone, I guess.

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So Stephen Jackson’s a Bobcat.

At a very reasonable price, player-wise, since Raja Bell’s best days are far behind him and Vladimir Radmanovic is destined to be salary-cap fodder in trades for as long as he stays in the NBA.

But, really, what’s it do for Charlotte besides cost them a lot of money (how’s about $28 million for three years after this season strike you)?

Does it make the Bobcats a playoff team? Not this year, at least in my opinion. Are Jackson and Gerald Wallace really a good mix on the court? Aren’t they, in a lot of ways, pretty much the same guy?

I don’t know about this one, to tell you the truth. Charlotte shed long-term salary issues when it dealt Emeka Okafor in the summer; to take on that kind of money and that kind of risk (and I can see a Larry Brown-Stephen Jackson contretemps coming, no matter how nice they’re making today) seems a big, big gamble.

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I believe today is Pops Day around the NBA.

Not sure if the Raptors had put a waiver claim in on The Legend – I was led to believe they probably would – but even if they did, it doesn’t mean you can dust off those replica jerseys that have been sitting in the closet since last April.

Let’s say some team worse off than Toronto, perchance the Nets?, decides it needs Pops on the roster and is willing to take the gamble on the non-fully-guaranteed contract he’s carrying.

Well, Toronto’s out of luck in that case.

I remain entirely unconvinced that creating roster flexibility last week by waiving Quincy and using it up already to bring a guy who’s really Amir Johnson Lite makes a lot of sense.

But that’s what Bryan makes the big bucks for, to make those kinds of decisions.

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How cool was this.

Back to the room because it’s too cold to be out and a refreshing beverage had been had and click on the TV. Football game blows so going through the dial, what do I find? CSI Miami.

Figuring I could use some over-dramatic, over-acting from the red-headed dude, and because the woman who used to be on West Wing’s a favourite, I watch for a minute.

And there’s Pau Gasol!

Car crash victim with a solid speaking role in the first 15 minutes and then he played a dead guy like he was some kind of Spanish Gielgud.

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Allen Iverson’s out in Memphis – we knew that wasn’t going to work out from the day he signed – but now there’s a report out there (click here to see it) that says the Knicks have interest?

I guess since it’s obvious Knicks management has no interest in anything other than next summer and the team’s off to the worst start in franchise history, it makes sense to do something foolish like this.

Iverson would have to start – isn’t it just great when players call all the shots – because we’ve seen how well he handles playing the backup role he should be playing – and who cares if that stunts the development of Danilo Gallinari because he’ll hardly be the focus of the offence?

After all, isn’t all just about waiting for LeBron?

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Comments

[Shawn L]

You should give credit to Charlotte for trying to make their team better while taking on a big contract. Why save cap space when the chances of luring a top free agent are next to nil? There are only so many players to go around who have won championships and still have something left in the tank, and the fact Don Nelson let him go for nothing, would be to me, the last straw as a Warriors fan. He should be fired without pay, based on the fact he is not acting in good faith.

[Mark L]

Doug, with regards to Stephen Jackson, how come he was able to start playing the same day of the trade?

Blogger's note: Presume they either waived the usual physical exam requirements or they got them done

[Andre]

Morning Doug.

Not sure about your take on the Jackson trade. One of the main problems for the Bobcasts was that they did not have a go-to scorer, or a natural scorer. The defense is there, and with Jackson (that plays both ends of the court) can be VERY dangerous, and fight for that 7 - 8 playoff spot. The bench is weak, but man, it will be a nightmare trying to score and defend those athletic wings, guards, and Tyson chandler.

I think Jack will find his roll, maybe not playing him at the 2 guard may help. As for Pops... Love the guy, hope he does WELL where ever he goes.

[aditya]

with due respect to your comments, i do believe that stephen jackson and gerald wallace are a good mix on the court together.....one can shoot the lights out on any given day, and one can slash the hell out every single day

[AS]

Hey Doug...Why no Joey Graham shout out in the game preview? He's a near lock for a double digit scoring game! (albeit, in garbage time with a negative +/-)

[Jeff]

What shocks me is that Iverson is now saying that in the right conditions he'd be willing to come off the bench. how can he say that when he proved time and time again that he simply won't do that...

[Caleb]

If New York is so desperate for a ego maniac point guard past it's prime, why was Starbury sent packing? Iverson may be a different face, but his problems are quite similar (minus the live web cam of course...)

[chili]

I was surprised at Pau Gasol. The dude can act. Not like Scottie Pippen when he appeared on E.R. a few years back. And since Gasol is in L.A., maybe a movie career is in the horizon after his playing days.

[AP]

Don't forget about Ariza. He was on CSI last night as well.

[tiger]

Good point about Jackson and Brown; is there a betting line on whose head will explode first?

In a not too dissimilar vein, A.I.'s recent happenings may mark the passing of a marquee career, barring a Marbury-esque remission. (And no, I do not wish for that to happen here.) Do you have any personal A.I. anecdotes that you care to relate to us? "Brushes with Dougness", if you will?

Blogger's note: No, none that come quickly to mind; run of the mill stuff

[Peter]

Morning Doug,

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm sure your editors have. On the new website, under "Hot Topics" the Raptors have been consistently edging out the "Leaves" on that list.

That's awfully impressive in this town, and I'm sure most of those hits are courtesy this blog, so congratulations on your success!

[greg]

Doug , what do you think of teams like the Knicks mortgaging their future on ONE player that they do not have. Lebron. By the look of things with Lebron's contract, the knicks cannot match anything cleveland is allowed to offer so the odds are stacked in cleveland's favour. It seems for lack of a better word, Stupid , especially if this player in the end decides not to play for them.

Is this all the media hype,is the Knicks really putting all their eggs in the Lebron basket, or are they just trying to pick up the best they can get in the coming off season? Do they have a draft pick this year as well? Lots of questions, I know, but just curious.

[Lavi]

Doug,
How come you speak to us in Fahrenheit and not Celsius? If you spoke to us in Celsius, you'd be able to talk to us about it, maybe we could do something about the weather then, but until then, we don't really have a clue what the temperature really is. ;)

Blogger's note: I speak in the language of the country I'm in. Here's a tip: 70F is warm, 28F is cold

[Alan]

I wonder where the ever-knowledgeable AGRIDOME is to chime in about how great it would be to bring Iverson to the Raptors. Didn't he suggest that adamantly at the end of last season? Seriously, AGRIDOME IS A JOKE.

I wouldn't worry too much about Jarrett Jack's struggles. He's a pro and he'll work his way out of it. He's still doing the little things to help out and every player will go through ups and downs. As Doug pointed out, everyone's quick to call for a player's head if they mess up. Guys, relax. Remember that the Raps were 2-8 out the gate three years ago before ending their season first in the division. By that standard, we're sitting pretty right now.

I personally like this team. They're beginning to mesh and, while they still make mistakes, they seem to be putting in more effort and cohesion on defense, which is what everyone was hoping for. Keep it up Raps, it's an exciting season so far! And of course Doug, great work on the blog. One question, have you noticed that one of the reasons why the Raps rank low in rebounding is because offensively, Bosh is the only one in the paint while the other four (Bargnani included) camp out at the perimeter? It's been like this for a few seasons but is more obvious this season. Any way Jay can solve this?

Blogger's note: This team is not going to be among the top offensive rebounding teams in the league because of its personnel and style; that's simply a fact. And they'd rather have guys getting back in transition than hitting the offensive glass

[BrianV]

I'm not so sure about Pau Gasol taking up acting, after his playing days are done.

How many roles can their be for a 7-footer?

Once you remove the monster/psycho-killer roles, I think his field of work will be somewhat limited.

Add to that the average height of a Hollywood male actor is about 5'2".

I hope he doesn't have his sites set on becoming the next Sir Laurence Olivier.

Being a NBA basketball player is an ok gig, one might reckon.

[doug]

Iverson is far more talented then Marbury...the guy Iverson has just talked himself out of the league though, the Sprewell syndrome, although Knicks may take aone year flyer on him....this raps team from number 1 through 8-9-10 is one of the best teams the raps have had ever in terms of quality....Jack will be fine I feel they misused him to quick with that Jose, Hedo trifecta..they need to let him find his game, we just have to put up with ill-advised shots etc. until he does as the guy has proven he can shoot in the past,let's hope it is not another Vernon Wells a year long slump as we need Jack as our second guard..or BC come January, February may have to go shopping.....

[Jordan]

I think alot is made at player reactions when the camera gets put on them while they are sitting on the bench. What is your take on this? Do you have a problem with players laughing and joking when they are losing (or have lost)?

Blogger's note: No, I don't, really. I know the optics are bad but that's about it. They care

[Andrew]

Hi Doug, don't you think that the Jackson trade makes the Cats' similar to when they had Jason Richardson? Obviously, they have no Okafor, but the rest of the lineup is pretty similar. Unless I'm crazy, Captain Jack and J-Rich play a similar style, with Jack having a slight edge with scoring. 2 cents.

[MFox]

Top of the Morning to you Doug,

I have no Problem with Turk taking the final shot in Sundays game. I do have a problem with the non talked about weak foul Calderon gave Nash in final seconds.
I don't know IMO you let him either go unabated to the net or you foul him hard and make sure there is now way in hell his shot should go in. Instead 3 point play, Raptors HAVE to play to win on the final possession and not look for a good set or go to OT.

[Mike D]

Doug, do you think Jay is going to act quickly to limit the minutes of the big four tonight if and when the Nuggets open up a double-digit lead? It seems that, barring the back-to-back fatigue factor, tomorrow's game is the (somewhat) more winnable.

Blogger's note: They think every game is winnable and will play it like that. So, no.

[Steve]

Hilarious (and catchy!) Iverson rap about Practice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8I

[Aaron D]

With a roster spot open in To and Iverson ready to hit waivers get ready for the rumors. As for the team so far this season I think they are doing a great job spreading the offence. Bosh is the clear #1 scorer but after that there are so many options it makes it hard on opposing defenses to close out on any of our guys, and with the defense coming together over the past few games this team should be hitting its stride before xmas. Great job Doug, and my only question is what do you think is on Jay Triano's wish list this year?

Blogger's note: Reggie Evans

[GM]

I'm not worried in the least about Jack. He was a solid backup in both Portland and Indiana. There's no chance he's suddenly become worse. I just hope that his sullen look on the bench is due to his frustrations as he struggles rather than any disappointment that he's playing behind Calderon or in Toronto.

Really, you just speak the language of the locals? That's why you're using Fahrenheit? Not that you don't know the conversion? Will you also you the local colloquialisms in your writing? Will you use American spelling? Anyway, for the kids who weren't taught Imperial measurements (i.e. anyone outside of the U.S.) 70 equals about 21C, and 28 is about -2.

My hand is up re: your question as to who wanted the ball thrown to Bosh on the last possession against Phoenix. But don't misunderstand. I don't want it thrown to him to watch him force a shot. I want the best shot. If it's there, take it. If he draws a double, pass to the open player. Just like the possession near the end when Turk hit the trey. Bosh had it, Turks man cheated off him, Bosh got Turk the ball for a wide open shot. Perfect. But not "give the ball to X and get the hell outta there".

[Kenrick]

Hello Doug,

I can't believe there are people who still believe Bosh should take the final shot. We've had that situation for the past years and clearly to Bosh's credit he's not clutch time shooter. Given the fact that the referees seldom blow the whistle when the game is on the line and fouls are commited, I rather opt for an open shot. Yes even King James doesn't get fouls during the last play of the game.

The only difference I would have liked to see in that play was DeRozan on the floor instead of Calderon. DeRozan has a natural instinct to offensively rebound the ball from the wing, which he has brilliantly display with his dunks. Instead when I watch the replay over and over again, Jose Calderon was caught star gazing at the shot and Steve Nash was free to roam to the basket and pick up the offensive rebound.

Other than that, I was perfectly happy with the shot. I was really hoping it would go in like Dwyane Wade's 3-pointer the night before after fumbling basketball. But we can't have all of them can we?

[Ben]

Hi Doug,
Every true Raptors fan obviously loves the intense Chris Bosh we've been seeing this year. But, is he aware how much he looks like a mutant when he does his intense celebration?