Who should be there and who should win (the game and the awards)

Join Doug Smith at 1 p.m. Wednesday for a live basketball Q&A, as the Raptors get ready to take on the New York Knicks.

Good morning Bobcats, er, I mean Raptors fans.

How’s things?

There’s really not a lot to say today that hasn’t already been said. So, I’ll say a lot.

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What I will say is, as I did in the paper today, this is no one’s fault but the Raptors, whose freefall in the second half has been stunning.

I have no idea what’s going to transpire tonight (these two teams have defied logic too often for me to fall into that trap) but it’s going to fun, that’s for sure.

So, because there’s no need to be too serious until this all unfold however it does, why should we be? So …

I’m often asked whether it’s better for us Grunts to have them in the post-season rather than out and, on the whole of it, I’m not entirely sure which side I fall on.

Let’s see what happens if they don’t make it:

I have to care about the draft

And, trust me, a couple of weeks of covering kids coming in for pre-draft workouts is like a couple of weeks of a migraine.

Bosh is about 1,000 per cent sure to leave

Now, that may be the case anyway but the thought of five weeks or so of sign-and-trade questions is at some level quite horrifying.

Do we need to worry about a coach?

I don’t think so – the vibe I’m getting doesn’t suggest there’s any move afoot to replace Jay if they don’t get in – but it’s something that’ll be in discussion and, if it happens, that’s whole other layer of work.

Let’s see what happens if they make it:

I have to go to Cleveland (sorry, Cleveland)

Not to mention we’ll probably have to drive back and forth between Games 1 and 2 because they’ll practice back in Toronto most likely.

The whole “inevitably losing” thing

Finishing the season after a four-game sweep kinda takes the fun of covering the intensity of the post-season and, trust me, it’s kinda fun to cover a series.

Bosh is about 999 per cent sure to leave

And all the extra work of covering a series just leads into five weeks or so of sign-and-trade questions.

So, let’s call it a tie and I’ll comfortably sit back and watch tonight.

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But if there’s one thing I really want to see tonight, it’s Bosh in the arena.

I don’t care if he speaks to us or waits until tomorrow morning to do it; I think he’s got to be there just for support. And appearances.

Now, I don’t know how he’s feeling physically, I don’t know how anyone would be feeling a week removed from nose surgery and I can never assume to know someone else’s pain threshold.

But this might be the last night he’s with this group and it might be the last night he’s with this organization and I think it’s important that he be there.

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Questions?

Okay.

Answers?

I’ll try my best.

But we have to back it up a bit today, to 1 p.m. from noon for some scheduling matters over here. But guess it’s okay, the game’s an hour later so it won’t screw things up too badly, I don’t think.

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One easy, two hard.

At least that’s how I saw the three NBA awards ballots I got last week and which I will dutifully submit to the head office today.

The easy one’s easy to figure out, right.

MVP

There was a time mid-season when I figured it was Kobe and I said that a few times. But, as we know, times change. So, the five in order

LeBron James, Cleveland; Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City; Kobe Bryant, Lakers; Dwyane Wade, Miami; Steve Nash, Phoenix.

Yes, it’s hard to leave Carmelo and Howard off but someone had to do it.

Now the hard ones

Coach of the year

It’s hard because you could probably have six guys in consideration and they only let you do three. And they are:

Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City; Scott Skiles, Milwaukee; Jerry Sloan, Utah.

That’s leaving off the likes of Alvin Gentry in Phoenix, Nate McMillan in Portland, Eric Spoelstra in Miami and that wasn’t easy to do. I’m sure you could make a case for a couple of others, too, but I didn’t.

Rookie of the year

Man, this might have been the hardest one of them all. Lots of good candidates, most from very bad teams, mind you. But still, lots to choose from. And I chose:

Stephen Curry, Golden State; Tyreke Evans, Sacramento; Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee.

That leaves out Darren Collison, who probably will finish a strong fourth and I’m sure there are a couple of others.

Why Curry over Evans? I just think he does more; shoots it better from distance, handles an offence extremely well. He’s far more athletic than you’d think at first glance and I just think he’s had a better year.

And, please, don’t give me Evans’s 20-5-5 crap, either. You know me and stats to begin with (they don’t really mean a lot standing on their own) and read my friend Jonathan’s blog post about how they were achieve.

Besides, it makes my fingers twitch to have to write Tyreke Evans in the same sentence as Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James because, frankly, that’s a slight at Oscar, Michael and LeBron. Evans may one day be great, I can say with absolute certainty he will not be in the same class as those three.

And I’m also sure that if you parsed the numbers deep enough, you could find out that Curry, or Jennings, or Collison, or, heck, even DeMar DeRozan put some kind of statistical thing that few others in the game have ever done.

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Never mind how my man KC wrote the game story last night (it’s full of “we’ve fought adversity all year” and “glad we control our own destiny” clichés) the story out of Chicago is an alleged physical confrontation between GM John Paxson and coach Vinny Del Negro.

Here’s the story and I’ll just say this, this makes that whole fabricated Vince Carter-Sam Mitchell piece of crap we had to deal with look like nothing.

I never thought Del Negro would be back as the head coach next year; now I’m 100 per cent certain of that and I would certainly hope Paxson gets run, too.

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When I was watching Bulls-Celtics last night, one thing did catch my attention a bit more than anything else.

No, it was not Craig Sager’s sportscoat.

It was when he was doing one of his sideline hits and the topic was players taking nights off to rest down the stretch of the season.

He mentioned that he’d spoken to someone at the league office and was told that, yes, the league was quite aware of the impact sitting players for no reason other than rest has on other playoff races and the paying customers.

Stern apparently said in the statement the league’s board of governors would discuss the matter when it meets this week for its annual pre-playoff gabfest.

I have no idea what – if anything – the league might do except hammer home the need to respect the game and the integrity of races when deciding when to give guys nights off.

But I think it’s a good step that they’ll talk about it.

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Let’s get the first request for mail out of the way, even though I imagine there’ll be all kinds of end-of-season or prepare-for-playoffs questions to come in the next couple of days.

Click here to send what you’ve got on your mind.

Comments

[Ian]

@Adrian
Jay Triano said on the Fan 590 this morning that Sonny is good to go tonight.

Blogger's note: Just got done shootaround and yes, he's a go for sure

[The J]

Anyone else notice that the Celtics were rolling well in what was a tied game going into the fourth. But it was right around the time that Marv ALbert mentioned the Raps watching at home that the Celtics began to miss open shots on offence, and there defense began to suffer because of it. They started to let the Bulls backcourt torch them including blow-bys by Rose. Heck, they gave Rose a career night and let a Hinrich nail every three he wanted. How did just the mere mention of our team turn the mighty Celtics into the inconsistent Raps. Heck they even swithced their starting PG out at the end of the game. Were they trying to steal our PG controversy? When Rasheed rebounded that ball into his own net I almost yelled at Hedo until I remembered who I was watching.

[jimt]

So this is Torontos playoff game of the season with no guarantee of getting in.Wow what more does a hoops junkie want?
its not like were getting past cle anyway and id much rather watch the wests first round over the east anyday. Good Luck to Bosh and his future endeavors 1 thing i know is Money is King so like doug im 999999999% sure that his decision will revolve around Mr Benjamin.
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Doug if a miracle occurs this evening wheres the party spot?
I need somewhere to go before i hit the BrassR :)

[Umair]

Hi Doug, Do we know why the game is at 8pm tonight?

Blogger's note: To make my night harder?

[LeeZ]

Any news on Antoine for tonight?

Blogger's note: He plays

[G Keeping]

You've been fairly consistent all season that you believed Bosh was truly undecided and would wait until the end of the season before making any decisions. If you believed 7 weeks ago that he was going to stay you certainly didn't give 1000% or 999% odds of it occuring. My point is that you seem much more confident in your opinion now. I'm wondering if you think he has made up his mind at this point?

[Jack]

Kelsey just anted to let you know that I appreciated your comments all season long. Quick question. Will you keep your season seats for the upcoming season?

[James Online]

Discipline. Defense. Focus. Seriousness of purpose. Team play. Accountability. Maturity. Unity. Utah Jazz.
Saw Utah without Kirilenko and Boozer hurt methodically take the Warriors apart at GSW last night.
That's the atmosphere and dedication it takes to win.
How long would Jerry Sloan tolerate Reggie Evans dancing up and down the sidelines or Marcus Banks, who didn't play a minute, getting a T from the bench? DeRozan, Weems, and Johnson playing Slam Jam during warm ups? Would Jerry Sloan have said after the Chicago game, "I thought the guys played hard tonight..."
Oh, and a couple "soft Euros" seem to do quite well in the Sloan system.
Don Nelson has won the most games ever, so far. Sloan will eat that record up, and deserves it more.
Utah could be tough in the playoffs.
Good luck to the Raptors tonight!

[Dan W]

I agree with most of the picks you made. I would just switch Nash and Wade on the first and second teams. I would replace Bosh with Boozer on the third team since the Jazz have a winning record and will make the playoffs.

[Michel G]

Hey Doug, is it going to be that easy to do a sign and trade for Bosh? Teams have been so intent on shedding contracts the last couple of years that they don't have enough contracts left to match Bosh's salary (e.g., Chicago, Miami, New York [even if you overpay David Lee]). It's going to take some creative thinking by BC and his contemporaries.
I'm probably going to get tar and feathered for saying this, but has Bargnani really had that bad of a year? One of the posters called him a failed experiment and Eliot Friedman described his season as mediocre a few weeks ago. He's averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds and has been a decent on the ball defender who gets the occasional block. I know he's not going to become the next Nowitzki, but has he really been that bad?

[Jack]

Triano is a good teacher. He'll be a valuable asset to any team to teach basketball fundamentals, especially to rookies. But as a head coach? I don't think so. He's too soft on lazy players. He's probably afraid to hurt their egos. If that big tub of goo is with another team with a mean coach, he'll be riding the pines most of the times. Try that with Pops or Doc.

[Manale]

Thanks, Bosh!
We'll miss ya, big guy!

BOY, WILL WE MISS YOU.

[GM]

I'm kinda hoping Bosh goes. But either way, I'm fine with it. He should be careful what he wishes for, though. How many times have we seen a solid vet get tired of a young losing team and either sign somewhere else or demand a trade only to see his former team excel and his current team suck (either through bad luck - injury - or bad chemistry)? The grass isn't always greener on the other side. There are no guarantees in sports.

I also have no opinion on whether the Raps sign David Lee but now I'm hoping they do just because the manic-depressive Kelsey said he'd be done with the team if they did.

[John]

looks like not even the players and coaches in the NBA are sure of the rules when it comes to seeding for the playoffs. This quote comes after last nights game that Boston lost...
"I would like a three, two or one (seed), but we didn't get it,'' Boston coach Doc Rivers said.

How many million a year does he get and not even know where they finished the season!!!

[Bball]

Doug, in your article today you mention that the recent whispers that "there have been private concerns emanating from some sources about Bosh’s effort after coming back from a sprained ankle and the impact that might have had on his teammates". I recall that Colangelo specifically suggested on the Fan a few weeks ago that someone had got to Bosh during the allstar break and that it had an impact on Bosh. Let me first say that while I respect Bosh as a player I like many fans was certainly critical of his play after the allstar break (ie. not driving and settling for jump shots). But, given that many fans and the Raptors organization may be coming to the conclusion that Bosh is likely to leave as a free agent, it would seem to me that the recent suggestions about "outside influences" on Bosh could be an attempt by the Raps organization to discredit Bosh with the fans so that it will be easier for the fans to accept his departure. Do you have any thoughts?

[Matt M]

Kelsey. I actually agree with your assessment. My problem is if you fire the coach every year the players are never really held accountable. I'm a huge fan of what Utah has done with Jerry Sloan. If the Raptors organization gave the same kind of backing to Triano I have no doubt that the Raps would be focused every game 'cause playing time is the only real leverage a coach has over his players. That said, I'm not convinced they would be a playoff team, no matter who their coach is, until the players improve. Firing the coach would be a mistake.

[DREW]

One name...stephen jackson, 4 Bosh...he is the real deal and an attitude that we desperately need!!

[LeeZ]

Any news on Antoine for tonight?

Blogger's note: He plays
I'm guessing you thought I wrote Weems?

Blogger's note redux: Oops, read too quickly. No Wright.

[Mike]

Doug G and Jim T - it probably goes without saying that I don't know Bosh personally and neither do you, so to suggest he's got Antonio Davis-itis with regard to French or that he's all about the money is attributing motives to a guy who hasn't given any indication that those are issues for him.

I am willing to give CB4 the benefit of the doubt that he will make the decision the same way I have in changing employers - money is of course part of it (but since the Raps can give him more $ than anyone else can under the franchise player rule it will be a sign and trade anyway if that's the motivation) but the other factors are, where is the organization going? What's can I do for the organization, and what can it do for me? Is there a corporate culture committed to the same goals I am? Do I like the City? Does it work for my lifestyle? Every player will have different answers to those questions, and to suggest that the problem is with Americans is stereotyping.

[Aditya]

Doug: No, he was only on the court because Tony Allen was hurt and played just like the way he always plays. Badly and selfishly
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why's he in the NBA then?

Doug: They didn't make shots and as I've said about a thousand times, they're intensity comes from a good offence. I think they tried their best but did what they always do, sulk a bit when they don't score easily. I don't think they played any "harder" in Detroit, it's that they got rolling offensively against a much worse team.
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Well, then....because if a team's intensity comes from a good offence, the playoffs (if raps make it) would only be worse cuz playoff tempo is more 5 on 5 than up-tempo... team(s) will struggle to score... if the intensity comes from good offence, who's to blame, coach or the players? (fire jay triano, hire lawrence frank)

Doug: I do, yes. I'm entirely convinced more than a few fans here don't quite grasp how good he is.
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You love taking shot at a few fans huh? (not anymore than I love taking shots at you Sir)

Doug: He needs front court help big time; he needs an athletic 3
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Well, he could have had Gerald Wallace a season or two ago for TJ Ford and parts but chose not to (and I recall you didn't want that either cuz he's
always injured or something, but one thing you can't deny about him is that he plays hard.... Imagine we got Boris Diaw for TJ Ford which was also in
the works at that time, too many Euros in the Raps, get rid of all those players who can't play)

Doug: I don't think they'll guard each other and I'll tell you at 10:30 who has the better game.
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You don't think Gallo will guard Bargnani, do you even watch basketball?

Blogger's note: You really, really need to become a hockey fan. Cox'll love you. And I went back and took out the profanity I missed, don't try it again

[Frans]

As much as I am a die hard Raptor's fan, I will be rooting for them to miss the playoffs....I don't want making the playoffs (and being quickly eliminated in the first round) to be some kind of saving grace for a team that has ultimately failed with their goals this year.

Jay Triano and his coaching staff should all be fired. We need new coaching leadership....one that will hold players accountable...one that won't be soft and give someone like Hedo timeoff during the pre-season because he is fatigued...give me a break...we need a coach who is not afraid to sit our highly paid players if they don't produce or play defense (a.k.a. Jose, Hedo, Andrea).

Lastly, Jose can not be our starting point guard...too soft, too weak, too slow, average jump shot, no toughness.....this needs to be addressed.

Took 82 games or so but you finally wrote an article worth reading today Doug.

[kelsey]

Honestly depends on what happens with this team in summer If I keep my seasons tickets. Im a die hard, even if I didnt renew, I would still go to some games.

I like Triano, however recenltly cant stand the comments, "guys played hard" etc when we all know this is not the case. This doesnt fly, espescially the game against Bulls. Dont mention it at all if he doesnt want to throw team/guys under the Bus. We know us fans are arm chair coaches and Gm's but I know most of you dont want to hear non sense from a coach.

The real reason Triano is to go, is Raptors cant ride themselves of Hedo, Bargnani and Calderon over the summer. The coach & these combo of players can not work. I personally rather see the players go.

Side note believe me or not. My friend now lives in Atlanta, he lives close to Sam Mitchell and did some electrical work in his house. Anyways he ended up going out to lunch with Sam and another associate from Toronto.
Sam didnt give them the exact scoop, but it was a read between the lines conversation. All he could say there was a lot of "politic's" between him and Colangelo, but wouldnt mention anything specifically about any players or dorect situation. Take what you want from that....Let's GO Raptors

[Simon]

I was wondering what your thoughts are on why not resting players is important to the integrity of the game and league? I can understand how it might seem unfair if a team lucks out and plays a Cavs team with no LeBron or a Lakers team with no Kobe. Still, those winning teams have every right to reduce the risk of injury and rest up their stars for the playoffs -- they earned that right by winning games no? Wouldn't it be unfair to winning teams and its fans by unnecessarily taking risks and jeopardizing their chances to win, however marginally?

My analogy is, if you're late for work and you end up hitting traffic, it's still your fault no? How many bosses would accept "traffic was really bad" for being late if you had a big meeting or presentation? You have to account for those things, leave early or in basketball, win enough games that you control your own fate. Otherwise it just seems like shirking accountability for your actions (or lack thereof)

[GM]

How about keeping Triano and adding a veteran head coach as an assistant? No offence to Micah Nori, but who is he? (Not literally; more in the Trudeauesque sense of "Where's Biafra?") Sure, Iavaroni had a season at the helm in Memphis, but I'm talking a veteran presence. Looking around the league I see Bernie Bickerstaff, Brian Hill, Darryl Walker, Jim Lynam, Maurice Cheeks, Dell Harris (for a while) and the likes. Triano needs an experienced voice in his ear.

[Aditya]

Blogger's note: You really, really need to become a hockey fan. Cox'll love you
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I know, I tried, but I don't understand that damn game...Gallo will guard Bargnani, I bet ya....Need to study...bye....