A heap of trouble and a momentous day from the past

Oh, oh.

The lasting impression I got from listening to the post-game breakdown by the Suns after Wednesday’s loss was that they have no idea how to slow down the Lakers.

Troubling. Indeed.

But, and this is always what it comes down to when teams are trying to figure out how to defend the Lakers, unless the Suns get some grip on Kobe Bryant, this series might not get back to L.A., let alone to a Game 7 for a glorious Phoenix upset.

After Bryant scorched them for 40 in Game 1, the Suns shifted tactics and ran more double teams at him in Game 2.

Um, fail.

All Bryant did was dish out 13 assists – career playoff high for him – and sit back and watch the likes of Ron Artest and Jordan Farmar drill open three-pointers.

And as good as Pau Gasol was – and, man, was he good – it all starts with Bryant, a guy for whom Alvin Gentry and staff have no answer.

I guess, if I’m a coach, I’d probably stick with much the same tactics in Game 3 as I did in Game 2 and hope that either Artest or Farmar don’t make shots from the perimeter in a hostile gym.

Sure, it’s a gamble but what else are you going to do?

I saw a Gentry quote along the lines of “maybe we should let him get 80 and stop everyone else” and that sounds like a solid theory, if in fact you can stop everyone else.

The Suns haven’t been able to stop anyone, which is a problem.

What do the Lakers have? 128 points in Game 1 and 124 in Game 2? I don’t care what kind of offence you run, that’s despicable defence and you can’t win playing it.

Trouble is, the Lakers have shown the ability to run up the score pretty much anyway they want to and Gentry’s got a couple of days to figure something out or the dream is dead.

Sure, it’d be nice if the real Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire showed up, and if the empty jersey that’s Channing Frye finds his shot that’d be a help, too, but the problem with Phoenix is they can’t stop anyone.

Ever heard that before?

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Not sure if you read this one but as an addendum, four months before he died, Malik Sealy hit one of those shot for a lifetime.

Check it out.

But never mind the dogpile and the celebration and Kevin Harlan’s over-the-top call.

How about the Raptors connection?

Yes, that is the one and only Sam Mitchell making the cross-court pass to set up the bucket.

And, yes, that is the one and only Jalen Rose just missing a chance to contest Sealy’s game-winner.

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Guess the doofus who figured on that Orlando-Phoenix final might be feeling a tad sheepish at the moment, eh?

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Happy anniversary,

Happy anniversary,

Happy anniversary,

Happpppppy anniversary

(Sung to the tune of Happy Anniversary).

What’s this, you ask?

Remember the Nine Years Ago Today thing of a week or so ago, commemorating the May 2001 day when that Carter guy dropped 50 on the Sixers? Well, break out the mortarboards, girlz and boyz, the recall The Day Vince Graduated College.

Remember?

Day before Game 7 against the Sixers, he heads to Chapel Hill to grab a diploma, walk across a stage and come back to Philly.

I had no problem with it at the time and don’t today and neither does Vince. The topic came up in an interview he did down in Orlando early in these playoffs when he was asked about criticism and what he gets:

“You always hear something; I never feel bad about graduating from college, Never. I’d do it again. This is temporary, it doesn’t last forever, after it’s all over, you’ve got to have something to do and I come from a family of educators, all teachers so that’s all I know.

“That’s all I know, that was an honour to do so and still be able to go out there and play well; one shot away.”

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Back to Suns-Lakers for a minute.

I won't mention how "lucky" Lamar Odom was, again, as he shredded any and all defenders most of the night.

But here's how the stories read in Los Angeles and in Phoenix.

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Oh yeah, mail.

Gladly accepted by clicking here but can we put a moratorium on “why don’t they do this sign-and-trade with Chris?” queries?

Want to know why? Because it’s not up to them.

We’ll mention it again here, if Bosh wants to leave, he’s going to pick where he wants to go. It’s not as if he’s going to say, “hey, I want that $30 million extra, just move me anywhere.” He’s going to come with a list of teams or a team and then it’s up to Bryan to work something out with the other GM.

In this regard, Bosh drives the process.

Just reminding some of you.

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Quick digression:

As Chickens go, I guess a pair of one-eyed thingamabobs is all right.

That’s what we’ll be seeing in London in 2012, I understand from this story.

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Hey, no games tonight or tomorrow.

Cool.

That means a staff meeting after tonight’s Mighty Yankee workout and a Friday afternoon answering-mail-session at the local with no worries about having to race home to do one of those in-game blog thingies.

Oh, and yard work if Super Wife’s reading this. Really. I will. Honest.

Thanks, NBA.

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Comments

[Peter]

Doug, I'm a big fan, but I highly doubt that Super Wife is reading this!

[Derek]

Hey Doug,
Question for you - a few days ago there was a report on Hoopsworld stating that Bosh had advised Raps management that he'd decided NOT to resign with the team. I haven't seen anything since, confirming or denying that story - have you heard any confirmation or denial of that story?

Blogger's note: No.

[Mike S.]

Doug, that was a great story on Sealy. Hard to believe ten years have passed already.

[Felix]

Hey doug, how about the raptors connection of mark jackson putting the pacers up by 2 to set up the GW-3 by sealy??!?!

[Jade]

Great Story on Malik Sealy. Great Job Doug!

[Lewis Kaye]

Glad you mentioned the Vince Carter graduation. For me, that's actually one of my proudest moments as a Raptors fan... that the owner of the team would lend a player his private jet so he could attend his college graduation. It says something about the priorities of the team, that they care about the players at this level.

You only get an opportunity to attend your convocation once in a life. It is a significant accomplishment for anyone, let alone someone who left college early to take up a full time job as an NBA player. Given the money he was making, forgetting about his education would have been ridiculously easy.

Anyone who would hold something like this against him should really reexamine their priorities.

[chris]

Doug - do you think BC regrets not trading Bosh last season or off/season when he had leverage?

If all he gets for him now are bit pieces....then he took a team with a young future-best-in-the-league PF, a #1 draft pick, and TONS of cap space and turned it into the mess we currently have...

I honestly thing Babcock would have us in a better position right now.

[Stuart Laidlaw]

Hi Doug,
Thanks for the "Happy Anniversary" song. True story: my wife and I got married on 20th May, 2001 and most of the men in the room had to leave the reception to "go to the bathroom" for about 30 minutes to watch the 4th quarter of Game 7. My wife was mega-pissed as neither she nor her family could understand why none of my friends or male relatives were present at the head table. I was sent to corral them but it took me 20 minutes as I got sucked into the game immediately. Then Wince missed the last shot and the day became sort-of bittersweet, especially as my wife was even more angry at me for deserting her (understandably). The topic is still verboten - with my wife because she still doesn't get why it was so important, and with my friends, who still blame me for the loss. Every year, though, I'm reminded of that loss on what should be an unadulterated happy day... ugh. Sport sucks sometimes

[John S]

Hi Doug,

I respectfully disagree with you saying that it is Bosh's decision to leave.
The owners are looking to significantly reduce salary length, guarantees, etc. The initial owner proposal back in March effectively cut max contracts in half.
I can't see Bosh walking away from $30M in his last year with this labour uncertainty.

I'm sure that tons of people will say that I'm wrong and that it's Bosh who signs his contract and that's true... if he wants to leave, he'll leave. But he's said that he doesn't want to be a second option, he's comfortable in Toronto and Colangelo has said that MLSE will pay the luxury tax if need be to win. I think that those external factors plus an extra $30M takes the decision out of his hands.

And I really hope that if I'm wrong and the Raps do a sign and trade, they don't bend over and take it like they did with McGrady... if someone wants to leave and a good sign and trade is not available, I would love to see Colangelo call his bluff and tell him to take less money elsewhere if it doesn't help out the team first

[Adrian]

Indeed, Chris Bosh drives the process. I maintain that is why the team should be doing absolutely everything in its power to keep him. He drives many processes for the Toronto Raptors. And if he has made a decision to leave, as some would be so kind as to point out, it doesn't change a thing- this team should then be doing everything in its power to reverse it. No sulking, please. No denial. No "woe is me, we deserve to lose" attitude. That's no more than a waste of time. You demonstrate to Chris Bosh how badly you want him to re-sign and you challenge him to make any other choice. It doesn't matter how Chris feels about anything right now: you use the next seven weeks to sell him on Toronto, secure your asset, protect your team and do right by your fanbase.

Go ahead and use Tanenbaum's private jet if you have to.

[Matt G]

That Sealy story was great. I really liked how it revealed the leadership qualities in Sam. Hopefully some team grabs him soon, preferably out West.

[Ryan W (Ottawa)]

Quick question, although may be it is better for the mail bag. How does a sign and trade work? When does the other team officially come into play? Can BC for example sign Bosh to a max value contract and then NOT trade him or trade him to a team other than the one agreed to? Has this ever happened before?

Blogger's note: It has to be simultaneous and, no, teams cannot back out of pre-arranged sign-and-trade transactions.

[Rob.V]

This just in: Vince sucks!!!... and so does marriage!!! (kidding).

Hey, where's all this "defence" that everyone was preaching about with the Pheonix Suns??? My goodness.

I geuss it's going to have to be the HATED Celtics that beat the MORE hated Lakers in the final. Yawn!.

Bring on July 1st baby!!!

I know, we've exhausted EVERY angle here... but maybe not this one!! Bosh HAS to go for this simple fact:
If he says he "has" to be the number 1 option... it's over. 23 or so million by the end of his deal is too much money for that position.
Other than Tim Duncan I cannot for the life of me think of a PF who has been the go to guy that has won a championship without a great wing.
You must, no MUST have a star guard or wing player to win in the NBA. Look at KG in Minnesota... it doesnt work! Bosh is a really good player, but has to be a main cog... not "the guy". If he wants a championship he will have to realize this... which also means his time in T.O has expired. It's OVER!

On the flip side, Dude! What would you say are the odds that Colangelo makes a bold trade prior to July 1st in an effort to retain Bosh? Maybe for say a Gilbert Arenas (could be had now with the #1) or another star that could step in and help.

[doug]

good article on Sealy, as was the halftime report a couple weeks ago that ABC I think did on the story was , just shows the human element of the game....

its why i picked Lakers against the Suns, the versatility of Odom, Gasol and Bryant is unequaled plus throw Artest in the mix, there really a under-appreciated TEAM...superstars that play together and see a common end, what a novel idea, concept....I have to applaud both the Lakers and Celts...there are maybe what 6,7,8, potential and future Hof'ers on their rosters from coaches to players, and if not Hof'ers just some darn good players...but yet they both have one goal, and only that goal beyond all else..if they both get to the finals we may see one helluva finals, the intensity, the desire, the talent, the match-ups..it'll be a barn burner...and I hope doubters are seeing why Kobe is without a doubt the best PLAYER in the game today...his actions make his teammates better, and in them there is a purpose to win and just win...whereas LeBron can have a triple double and it has no impact in the bigger picture for his team...its not a coincidence...Kobe's b-ball I.Q. is in the mensa category, LeBron is still struggling to pass his S.A.T.'s....

[Sean]

Doug, VC's graduation was the morning of Game 7, not the day before.

[David Sidhu]

Wow Doug! I can't believe you said 'um, fail'.

[SY]

Simply walking away from the Raps should be the absolute last option for Bosh. Putting 30 millions on the table by the time he's like 32 and burning the bridges with the Raps is just bad business (not sure if his agent is too happy if he does that as well).......

It's never ONLY about winning when it comes to the players.......it's always winning with the right amount of $$. If Lebron, Wade and Bosh are only about winning, they can theoretically sign anywhere (say the Lakers for the mid-level).......so when it comes to whether Bosh will leave, $$ is a very important consideration. I'd say even Bosh will want to push for a S&T if he wants out.

-SY

[kim]

doug, two of your colleagues -- eric smith and holly mckenzie -- have predicted today that the raptors will likely trade that 13th pick. what do you think?

Blogger's note: Spurs by 12. And Suns vs. Magic

[LeeZ]

Doug, help me out on this one. Why all the love for Arenas? (I don't mean from you, I mean from us posters). Why on earth would the Raps, a defensive nightmare of almost unprecedented proportions as CURRENTLY constituted, want to ADD a player who wouldn't know what defence is if it reached out and slapped him in the face? A player who is a bad apple, to say the least. A player who has had major reconstructive knee surgery? An aging player. A volume shooter. So tell me: why?

[Charles N.]

Hi Doug:

Lawn work. There is only way to do it: wait for good weather and see when the Jays are on radio. Then do the yard work listening to radio baseball.
My mate is not happy with this since the sun and sked do not always cooperate.
But when they do all is well

[Peter]

To Lewis Kaye at 10:07
I have a feeling that the owner was allowing Vince to use the private jet to ensure that Vince made it back to the game. I'm not so sure that the intent was to honour educational pursuits as much as it was to make sure that Vince had as little time standing around airports as possible, and to do everything in their power to ensure that Vince was ready to play the game. Vince was going to his graduation, there was no question about that. The question was, what could the team do to make sure that he would also be ready for the game?

That's my memory of the stories of the time. I'm sure Doug will correct me if I'm wrong.

[Adrian]

Rob V., how does getting rid of Chris Bosh make it any easier to acquire the star wing you're talking about? Capspace? Not anymore. Blue-chipper through the draft? Not with the mediocre team behind Bosh. You could pray for a lottery miracle, I guess- but that could be done with or without Bosh too.

The only way to justify how getting rid of Chris Bosh NOW could possibly help this team specifically is by using the addition by subtraction idea- you'd have to feel that he's hurting the organization by simply being here. Obviously it's not something that many (if any) people believe, but at least it can be rationalized. It's a valid opinion that most people vehemently disagree with, but at least it's valid. It can be argued.

Everything else cannot even be argued. People keep talking about how Chris Bosh is not a true #1- but who cares? That's shooting the messenger. How does it make it any easier to acquire said #1 if you get rid of Bosh? You're not clearing cap room. You're not helping to vaporize the myths around how nobody wants to play in Toronto. It's a lose/lose across the board.

You bring back Chris Bosh no matter how you feel about him. This team, given the investments they've made in the last few years (around him) and the payroll as it pertains to the cap (behind him), cannot afford to lose him like this.

Blogger's note: I believe you may be missing one salient point here: The Raptors have steadfastly said they *want* Bosh back but it's not up to them.

[J]

Rob V, a la Adrian:
"How does it make it any easier to acquire said #1 if you get rid of Bosh? You're not clearing cap room. You're not helping to vaporize the myths around how nobody wants to play in Toronto. It's a lose/lose across the board."
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/sign
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If you don't think the team can afford $23 mil for Bosh 6-7 years down the road, you might as well give up now. Either you're saying the team should maintain a small-market mentality, or you're advocating tanking every season until we find our very own version of LBJ. I'm fine with that strategy as long as people realize, barring extreme luck, it's going to be a long drought. And as we all saw this off-season, even LBJ can't do it "alone", and honestly, that team isn't as talent starved as some think (though the fit probably wasn't ideal).
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Not sure I really understand the thinking here. We need to go above the luxury tax level, but not go above it with Bosh? Anyone who reads here enough will remember how demanding the readership was a year and a half ago in going over the tax with someone like Bonzi Wells. Perhaps you weren't one of those, but honestly, can you even name a realistic and obtainable situation (and set of players) that you would go over the tax with?

[Adam]

"Oh, and yard work if Super Wife’s reading this. Really. I will. Honest.

Thanks, NBA."

In regards to this quote Doug, - The NBA Cares.

[Adrian]

Do you irritate us on purpose, Doug? :) We've already addressed this.

1) Actions speak louder than words. They need to show us that they're not just playing public relations games when they say they *want* him.

2) They have as much to do with influencing his decision- through their actions over the next seven weeks- as any team in the league. If you don't believe that, remind me not to hire you as my lawyer.

Blogger's note: Not on purpose but it's a wonderful by-product of the gig sometimes.