What the Suns are doing should be applauded

Pardon the seriousness for a moment but …

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You know what?

Regardless of what we think about the Phoenix Suns as a basketball team, I think it is now impossible not to think of them as a good, socially-conscious, responsible group of men.

Not sure if you’re aware, but they’ll don Los Suns jerseys tonight for their game against the Spurs to protest the draconian Arizona law that makes it a state crime to be in Arizona illegally and allows local police officers to determine the immigration status of anyone they please.

Here’s Paul Coro’s piece out of the Arizona Republic that explains it far better than I can.

Anyway, I think it’s hugely appropriate that the team is taking this stance because sports reaches so many people of so many different walks of life that it’s a unique opportunity to draw attention to such issues.

I’m kind of conflicted about the whole “role model” thing with pro athletes; I believe they have some duty to comport themselves at a higher level but at their very heart they are normal men and women who succumb to the temptations of life.

But in instances like this, where there are huge social issues at play and it’s a collective protest, I’m all for it.

There needs to be more awareness of issues like this so they aren’t repeated by equally wrong-minded civic officials and I am almost certain that the Suns protest will cause great discussion among fans who wouldn’t normally know, or care, about what’s going on in Arizona.

We all know how socially aware Steve Nash is so it’s not at all a surprise that he’s fully supportive of this initiative.

What’s comforting, to me at least, is that so many of his teammates and coaches, along with the team’s owner and general manager, are so vocal in their disgust with the situation.

The NBA, perhaps more than any other sports league anywhere on earth, does an excellent job of promoting equality among races and gender. It is a leader and should be followed.

And now the Suns are out in front, leading awareness and protest of something I happen to feel is fundamentally wrong and it does my heart proud to know that a team in a league that I cover takes this kind of initiative to say: “This is wrong and you should know about it.”

Good on them.

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Oh oh.

Chris Bosh was at the Lakers-Jazz game in L.A. on Tuesday night.

Can only mean one thing, right?

Yep, he’s gone.

Or maybe he’s out there on business. Or vacation. Or some convention of tweeterers or whatever the heck they’re called.

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Speaking of Los Suns, a Happy Cinco de Mayo to all of you.

Which reminds me …

For some reason known only to bosses who didn’t know what they were getting into, I was once asked to cover an Ottawa Senators-Philadelphia Flyers playoff game on May 5.

(I presume it was because I didn’t have, you know, Raptors playoffs to worry about and our zillion pucks scribblers were otherwise occupied).

Anyway, I go, the Senators win handily and I write perhaps the greatest hockey story ever penned by a guy who knows nothing about the game (or not).

Now, when you’re on the road covering an event you know nothing about, the first tendency the next morning is get up to read the local fishwraps to make sure you haven’t missed the obvious angle.

And that next morning I saw one of the greatest sports back pages I’ve ever seen.

The Philly Inquirer, a rather cheeky tab at times, has a full page picture of an empty net with the puck in it and the only thing you can see for yards and yards in the pic is a goalie stick.

And the headline:

Stinko de Mayo

Classic.

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Ernie Harwell, RIP

Classic voice, great man, superb broadcaster.

Next to the incomparable Vin Scully, maybe the best there ever was.

Somewhere in the clutter of this house, there’s one of those cardboard face cutouts of Ernie, I should try to dig it up.

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First call for questions for the weakly mailbag.

Send ‘em here if you’d like.

Weekly, I mean.

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Nice to see the real Dwight Howard last night, wasn’t it?

All he did, really, in comparison to his foul-filled flameout in four games against Charlotte was play in control at both ends and show how dominant he can truly be.

Except for one little blip I can remember – putting his head down and throwing a shoulder into either Al Horford or Josh Smith (I can’t recall) – he played like the defensive player of the year on one end and a powerful force on the other.

It was no surprise, really, that Orlando knocked down so many shots because they were so ridiculously so wide open thanks to the attention Howard was drawing.

And the game went to prove my point about Orlando: They’ve got a pretty bullet proof offence because so many guys are perimeter threats that if one’s not going well, someone else will be. And with the anchor in the game, I’ve got to think maybe they win this series in five games.

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At the threat of having my retinas burned to the point of no return, I think I’d like to watch a free-throw shooting contest between Kyrylo Fesenko and Shaquille O’Neal.

That’d be train wreck, basketball-style, wouldn’t it?

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So you guys and gals ready for the big game Friday?

No, not Boston-Cleveland or Lakers-Jazz.

I’m talking CKSA Moscow-Barcelona at the EuroLeague Final Four.

Why, you ask?

Not because of Ricky Rubio, I tell you.

We all know that the incomparable Pops Mensah-Bonsu is in Moscow and if that’s not enough to make you all fans of the team, I don’t know what is.

Am trying to find somewhere with a good enough satellite so I can see the games because the intensity is like you seldom see. The quality may not be of NBA Finals standards but that’s okay; it remains one of two global basketball events I still want to see. The other’s the European Championships but unless our department his the number and wins a lottery, can’t imagine that happening any time soon.

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Comments

[Geoff Read]

Hey Doug,

Couldn't agree more about Los Suns. As soon as the Raptors are done every year, I cheer for Captain Canada and his team... and this is just another good reason to do so.

[Carl J]

Personally, I agree with the team protesting the state law. As you said, Arizona has made it a crime to be in Arizona illegally. Key word, "illegally". This is not a law against "races and gender".

Thousands upon thousands of illegal men and women are working in Arizona, which means that a) they are taking (low paying) jobs from Arizona citizens (the unemployment rate is over 9%), and b) not paying taxes back to the State, including their employer who is paying them under the table.

With that said, I think that it "sucks" that innocent people, who are legal citizens of Arizona will be constantly questioned about their citizenship. Arizona needs to handle this differently.

On a totally unrelated topic, what are your thoughts on Camby? Yes he's past his prime and has a few years left, but he's a free agent this summer, can block shots, rebound, defend the paint, great help side defender, and great communicator on the court (from what I've read). These are all things that the Raps' are lacking and desperately need (as well as a good wing player that can consistently create their own shot). The Raps can score (on most nights), so they can sacrifice a bit on offense, if he can improve their defense and rebounding. Thoughts?

Blogger's note: Camby signed a new deal in Portland.

[Wall-G]

Doug,

How amazing would the NBA finals be if it had the Magic vs. Suns? I'm thinking it would be pure high octane offense and any sort of defense would be thrown to the wind. What do you think?

[MC_Brad]

Any thoughts on the Bosh "medical mess" rumour sweeping the interweb?

http://raptorsrepublic.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14568#post14568

Blogger's note: "Sweeping?" No, no thoughts.

[Roble]

Doug. you can watch almost any sporting event you want from around the world online... www.myp2p.eu

[Nick M]

Technicalities...

I don't mean to make light of the new immigration bill in Arizona but I can see it now...

Game 7, Pheonix. All the Spurs have their papers but Nash, Barbosa and Dragic forget theirs and are immediately arrested by stadium officials on technicalities and its the 2007 Western Conference Semis all over again!

[Tabber]

Thanks for the link, Doug. I didn't realize (yet again) just how many people in the U.S.A. just don't get the humanity thing, as the comments reflected. You'd think I'd have learned by now ... oh well. One thing that didn't seem to be mentioned about the illegal employees is that they are employed by someone or some company - maybe the (racist?/xenophobic?) commenters are the ones employing the illegals and are trying to assuage their consciences? And before I get flamed, I realize there are racist and xenophobic people up here too, but there don't seem to be the same proportion here as there.

[Rob.V]

The Arizona bill is a joke!!! How they inforce that is beyond me.

Having said this, here's a thought the next time anyone from Arizona complains about their jobless rate.

You cannot have thousands upon thousands of ILLEGAL men and women working in Arizona... then claim ... there are NO jobs available.

I mean, which one is it??

Seems to me that there are in fact, thousands and thousands of job's "available", along with... thousands upon thousands of very very "LAZY" Americans.

Just sayin!

Orlando looked like "all world" beaters last night... but I'm still trying to figure out if that said more about Atlanta than it did about th Magic.

I STILL really despise, DESPISE the Lakers!!! see: (Kobe - 81). But, man!!!, it appears as though they will have the easiest ride to the finals that I have seen in years. I mean, come on. When your toughest test is the first time Thunder... geeez!!! I just don't see Phoenix or San Antonio (maybe SA??) posing a serious threat either.

[Mitch]

Hey Doug,
Wouldn't it be cool if the Spurs donned Los Spurs in support also?

Blogger's note: They wanted to but couldn't get road versions manufactured in time, I understand

[Peter]

Good on the Suns for thier stance against something that clearly wasn't thought through very well.

In regards to Shaq, remember his short-lived TV show "Shaq Vs." The premise to the show was that he has dominated basketball for so long, now he's taking on athletes in other sports. I was really hoping that one episode was going to be him taking on another NBA player in a free throw contest, but he got to take his free throws from 5 feet instead of 15, just to even it out a little.

[Peter]

Hi Doug,

I completely agree with you about the Arizona law. It's absolutely ridiculous to deal with immigration issues in the way that they have chosen to do so. The only question that I have, and I realize that this is politically incorrect to raise, but I wonder if the Sun's are doing this, in part, for money.

To hear that it was the owner's idea, and not someone like a player or coach, it just makes me cringe a little bit. I imagine that the "Los Suns" jerseys will sell like crazy, so it sort of smells like a ploy to make money by reaching out to a very large ethnic community.

I really want it to be all about the issue, but even the way that they have chosen to go about handling this situation. It's not like the players were approached about wearing arm bands, or the owner announced that they would place large banners up in the arena... they're making new jerseys. To me, it seems a little bit opportunistic.

Of course, the other side of it is that I applaud the Suns for reaching out to a community that has been treated unfairly with this new law.

[Peter]

... now if they promised to donate the profit from these jersey's to hispanic community projects.....

I'm just sayin...

[Tubcat]

I agree with Carl J that this whole issue with, as you wrote; "the draconian Arizona law that makes it a state crime to be in Arizona illegally" seems a bit weird.

Doesn't this equal; "It is against the law to break the law."?

[Raptors Fan]

Another great website for watching live sporting events is: www.atdhe.net

I travel a lot, and this is how I keep up with the Raptors when I'm on the other side of the world.

[Peter]

Doug, in case you can't find that satellite, here's another link you might want to check out:

http://ATDHE.net

Quality is not always the best, but just about every major sporting event can be watched online.

[Mark]

Any other laws you think it is ok to break? It is a crime to be in a country illegally. The Arizona law tries to enfore it, while Obama and Bush were content to let the problem fester and grow. What would you say if millions of Americans were coming into Canada illegally and taking jobs from Canadians, including sports writers? It is so easy to criticize from thousands of miles away when you don't have to live with the problems that made this law necessary. Sarver is protected too as you know he doesn't live with or have to deal with any illegal immigrants in his gated community. Outside his 'hired help' of course.

[Rasheed Serrao]

The comments for the Arizona article are just sad. There are other ways to try and stem illegal immigration. Let's be honest, it's members of the upper middle class and rich that are allowing illegals to always be around by paying them low wages under the table.

The problem with the bill is it's one large step closer to a complete fascist, Big Brother style state. The Patriot Act was similar. Call me naieve but everytime I'm in America I just feel more watched for lack of a better word. I generally feel more unsafe. And it all boils down to income disparity. The greater concentration of wealth in fewer hands ALWAYS leads to crime and problems. That's what happens in the US and that's what's starting to happen in many Canadian cities. Call me a tree-hugging Liberal all you want but I'd rather live in a world that tires to balance things out for everyone than a world where the rich have their own bubble and the masses fight for the crumbs. This law is just plain scary because of the implications of what other means it can lead to.

[doug]

I see some bloggers on here have been drinking the Fox News Kool-aid...the problem with the law isn't about illegal immigrants which everyone knows is a problem it is about racial profiling, and the powers it gives a police officer to pull over anyone anytime and ask for I.d......thats the issue and oh do you think they will be pulling over a 55 year old caucasian guy and his wife come on give me a break....and the reason why which again Fox News news fails to mention that the feds haven't imposed tougher immigation standards are two-fold, one it would be basically a unenforceable law, and two big companies, farming industry, etc...need those immigrant workers so there is a lobby group from big industry that wants no immigration law with bite....Mexico and Hispanics have become the new whipping boy of the states...wrongfully, so i applaud the Suns, and who cares if the uni's sell, isn't that part of the point??...bring it more to the forefront and if anyone thinks this is Sarvers sole purpose is to make money then they don't know the man....Los Suns, versus Los Spurs...love it

[The J]

Hey Doug,
Wasn't there a rule that whatever Jerseys you wore in round 1 you would have to wear it for the rest of the playoffs? I recall this coming up when the Nets wore red to annoy our Sea of Red at the ACC. But after that they had to wear red road jerseys for all of their games in the next round and not their customary blue/navy jersey. So would the Suns even be allowed to wear this jersey if they didn't in the first round? I like the idea of Los Spurs. Maybe they could wear it back in SA.

Blogger's note: They've cleared it with the NBA as a one-time thing given the significance of the day

[Monty]

Doug, I have a complaint that I need to get off my chest and a question for you.

First, the complaint; I'm really getting tired of the complaining, venom, disrespect being shown/spewed to Toronto's hockey and basketball professional athletes if/when they decide to leave our great city and franchise. I can't understand why people don't get it through they're thick skulls that the reason people decide to leave a city or "job" is because there is something more attractive elsewhere...PERIOD!! Immigrants do it all the time, leave a bad situation for the hope of a better life. It is not a slight against the city of Toronto but rather the ineptude of the franchise of putting together a winner. I don't think ANYTHING Chris Bosh has done to date is wrong or rubbing it in the face of the city of Toronto. Doug, if you speak to Chris please let him know that there are several Torontonians that respect and are greatful for his contributions to the Raptors and representing the city of Toronto and wish him all the best wherever he lands.

END OF RANT!

My question - Doug, I am starting to question whether Bryan Colangelo's strategy/tactics are the right fit for the Raptors at this stage of the franchise development. His recent trading/recovery (lottery protected)of 1st round draft picks is alarming. I look around the league and all I see is that solid draft picks/development is what turns teams not only in basketball but also hockey around with the chance to compete, most in cities where the sport is almost dead. Examples...Carmelo in Dever, Lebron in Cleveland, Durant in Oklahoma etc...Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh...since the Raptors are(chronically) not in the upper echelon of teams, why are they not focusing on the draft every year? If draft picks don't work out (see Joey Graham, Charlie Villanueva, Rafeal Arujo etc)...then they will ultimately be cut from the team, but at least the Raptors will have the upside chance that these players can contribute costing only a rookie contract which is far better than throwing million of dollar limiting your cap for years (ie. Hedo) for someone arguably past their prime which seems to be Bryan's prefered recent band aid approach. I'd appreciate your thoughts on a draft focused general manager and if you see it in Bryan's repitoire.

Thanks.

Blogger's note: Denver did not get good until they obtained Chauncey Billups in a trade; LeBron needs guys around him like Mo Williams, Shaq and Jamison, all obtained in trades; Durant's a good young team that's never won a playoff series; I can't take about pucks because (a) it's apples and oranges when it comes to the draft and (b) who cares. Good teams are built in myriad ways, not solely by a draft and to hold Denver and Cleveland up as inspired drafting teams is ludicrous. Look at Bryan's overall draft history: Amar'e Stoudemire? Good pick. Shawn Marion? Good pick. I'm okay with Bargnani and other than that, the picks he's traded have hardly been turned into gems.

[mando]

What would you say if millions of Americans were coming into Canada illegally and taking jobs from Canadians, including sports writers?
Posted by: Mark | May 05, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Never happen, they are too afraid of anything that someone didn't tell them is "American". I doubt that most of them could even find the border.

[The J]

Monty - It is a balance too. Like Doug points out, the Nuggets and Cavs had to bring in others and build around their great pick to get good. Isn't that what BC has been trying to do? The Raps already had their star pick (Bosh) and BC has been trying to bring in guys to complement him and build something around him. The other thing is that to get these truly great picks, you typically have to hit rock bottom. That's the only way you can get a high draft pick, and maybe do it for a couple of years. Take your Sidney Crosby example. The Penguins had to completly suck for years to build to where they are. Heck, they almost went bankrupt. But in doing so they were able to draft Sid, Malkin, Fleury and Stall. But being a Penguins fan, those were very tough years to sit through before they found the silver lining. I know the Raps have been mediocre, but I'm not sure if I would choose complete bottom-dwellers for years. Look at teams like the Timberwolves. They'be been garbage for years and still don't look like they are going anywhere.

[Wayne]

Rich American's hire illegal immigrants to save money politicians, actors you name it when the illegal employee complains we know who holds the hammer. Chris Bosh is at a playoff game which is very interesting can you imagine a Raptor checking out the playoffs to experience a winning playoff atmosphere again are any of his teammates even watching the playoffs( You can put BC in that group). Canada has just as much bigots running around as our American friends trust me spend some time travelling across our great country or head up to Keswick to do some late night fishing.

[Adrian]

I hope Colangelo is working the phones feverishly as I type this to acquire a stronger supporting cast for Chris Bosh. I hope he realizes that without Bosh, he's stuck in the middle of nowhere- not good enough to sniff at the playoffs; not bad enough to bottom out (especially with veterans like Turk and Jack who sure didn't sign for THIS); not bad enough to start an all-out rebuilding job for at least three years since he's darn near capped out already; not even putting an "exciting" product on the court seeing as most of the team that personified apathy and boredom last year would probably return.

For those of you who are saying "good riddance" to Bosh, let me paint a picture for you: think back to the Atlanta game last month, call it the "missed layup at the buzzer" game. Remember how he crippled to the floor, channeling all the devastated emotions in the building. Remember how that simple act allowed all of us to grieve together. It wasn't fun but it was healthy. It was nice to see that he cared, that we cared, and that we moved through it together.

Now think ahead to next year. Same game. Bargnani misses the same layup. "Wha'?" He shrugs his shoulders, runs down the tunnel and is off. The fans are left incomplete, staring into the abyss, "What was that all about?" Fans go home on the TTC feeling abandoned, like their team isn't even their team anymore. Imagine four years of that. Lord have mercy.

If BC and the media aren't doing their job, fine - then it's up to the fans. I'd encourage everyone to drop Chris Bosh a line to let him know that he's a valued leader around here. The results haven't been there, no; but the results without him will be a LOT worse and there's nothing Colangelo can do about it. He pretty much threw all his eggs into the Bosh basket long ago, and in the process floated his flexibility down the river. The only way this team can improve (without going on a 5 to 7 year rebuild) is to re-sign Chris Bosh and go from there. Drop him a line and let him know. He's just a kid. He knows he's still a Raptor at heart and if you give him an excuse to stay, he just might take it. What do you have to lose?

Don't just sit on your hands and get dunked on and shrug your shoulders (like Bargnani). Fight back. Toronto deserves a good team like anyone else. We can definitely do this.

[Lavi]

Hello Doug,
Great post today. You don't generally get into politics on this blog but this is an even of great significance which should be discussed. There is another great article here that ties in the MLB, and of all people, Colangelo Sr.:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/apr/27/arizona-immigration-boycott-diamondbacks