The Goods On The Game, Heat at Celtics

Hey folks.

Let's see how these non-Raptors things go over, shall we?

I seem to recall them being okay a year ago, hope it's the same.

Comments

[Aditya]

Doug:

I'm sure there are five dozen other deals that would have looked good had Toronto done them, too. Like Pau for nothing.
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Are you serious? Marc Gasol can play

[Joel]

I honestly think what you're doing with "Insiders tell me they want to move Jack more than Jose" is self-serving and makes me embarrassed to be a reader of yours. You've had all year to pick your favourites and try to drum up support for them, and now we're sitting on the outside of the playoffs looking in. I don't care if Jose, Rasho, AP, Garbajosa, etc. are your best friends. Leave that at the door and stop trying to influence public opinion by citing anonymous sources to 'strengthen' your arguments.

For example, I've heard you justify Turkoglu's tough year many times by saying he was used differently ("Point forward") in Orlando- and then somehow you feel Calderon "facilitates the offense better" alongside Turkoglu than Jarrett Jack whose game, as I'm sure you know, is actually relatively similar to Jameer Nelson's.

Likewise, you say re-signing Bosh is priority #1...... but then suggest the team is looking to move his best friend, the same player who they conceivably signed in the first place to please Chris (call Jack the "Josh Powell strategy" that actually worked). How does that make any sense to anyone but you? Fans just throw up their arms trying to follow your logic.

Maybe it's because you continue to contradict yourself at the expense of all your readers- and you do it only because your agenda has nothing to do with basketball. I'm ashamed to read that anymore, and I'm embarrassed for all of us.

Reverting to Jose/Jarrett, do us a favour and stop citing 'sources' if you don't have the cajones to cough up their names. I don't know where you learned so much about tabloid journalism but as a Raptor fan, I pray that you stop using that tool to serve your own agenda, especially in advance of such an important summer for us. Playing the fans like your marionettes is not your job. I'm not saying it'll make a difference to Mr. Colangelo, as I'm sure you'll want to point out, I'm just saying that it's not your job to do that. You're in a privileged position so start acting your age. I don't care about your love-in with some of these players or your pride- just report on the team and stop making things up and/or obsessing over one side of the story.

You might be the only person who didn't notice that they were hiding Jose Calderon behind the admittedly average Jarrett Jack for the last 50 games, that the past two seasons have turned out disastrous with Calderon as team leader, that Calderon is more injury-prone than his counterpart, and that Calderon's is a much heftier contract. Or maybe you did notice but chose to play devil's advocate by fabricating sources who would have to be living on another planet. I don't mean to bash Calderon but your selfish reporting almost forces people to do it. If you wonder why fans were booing him at the end of the year, you need look no further than your OWN unabashed, unrelenting defense of his game for the past two years. I can't remember a single time where you criticized Calderon in isolation of everyone else for anything- and don't pretend like you haven't criticized others in isolation, because you have (Weems' "horrible defense" comes to mind.... in contrast to what Colangelo was talking about yesterday- i.e. Weems as a "great defensive player"- but I'll leave that for another day). Fans don't know how else to get their point across when the chief scribe is purposely deluding himself to serve selfish ends.

Fans do like Jose but he is not what you say he is. So stop it. All you're doing is causing him angst in the end after the fans see no choice but to chew on him in public in order to fight your selfish agenda.

[sam]

Wow Joel - nice rant...totally off base, but a nice rant nonetheless. If you don't like the product - don't read it. If you don't like Doug's Opinions - read Feschuks salute to Tabloid Journalism, where everything has a dark cloud hanging over it. Even when things are going well, Feschuk can find a negative -
It's really that simple.

I don't always agree with what Doug writes, but I don't see any agenda other than reporting on the games and providing the Raptor fan base with an entertaining and interactive opportunity.
It's impossible to not form some sort of relationship with some of the players. You mention Rasho - All I can recall is Doug saying that he was a funny guy and acted like a professional with his limited role on the team, and when called upon performed admirabley.

With Jose - many people agree that the flow of the offense works better when he's on the floor. I like Jack, but have seen some flaws in his game - as well as some exceptional play.

Opinions vary from reader to reader - You can read all sorts of things into a written piece of work. To suggest an agenda is just wrong.