At last a week with some Raptors news

Seems a guy’s getting home – eventually – just in the nick of time.

(But not in time to see the Mighty Yankees tonight, sadly).

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Big week ahead, folks, and I’m pretty sure over the course of Tuesday and Thursday I’ll be seeing whoever it is that emerges as the No. 13 pick in the June 24 draft.

Now, I offer this with the codicil that these things sometimes don’t work out, kids have a way of bailing at the last minute for whatever reason.

But right now, Thursday looks like the biggest day of the pre-draft period, big Patrick Patterson of Kentucky, wings Xavier Henry of Kansas and Paul George of Fresno State and guards Eric Bledsoe of Kentucky and Avery Bradley of Texas are due in. Bradley, however, has an ankle issue and might pull out; it’s interesting he’s the only guy they wanted to see twice in Toronto.

Tuesday, an equally interesting group of forwards Damion James of Texas and Quincy Pondexter of Washington and centres Hassan Whiteside of Marshall and Solomon Alabi of Florida State are supposed to be here.

I was having a little chat with Bryan on the weekend – we were both waiting for USA-England – and he was telling me that it’s “best available player” rather than any specific position when it comes to who’s going to be the pick.

Now, I think they need bigs more than anything given the uncertainty of Bosh and Amir Johnson but I’m hearing that if they think the best guy left is a wing, that’s who they’re taking.

With so many balls in the air – Bosh, Johnson, Turk, a point guard, Antoine Wright – they figure it’s too dicey to gamble on one position because so many might be open once camp comes around.

Now, out of that group, I certainly don’t have a favourite – I haven’t seen any of them in person except Bradley and we didn’t get enough of a chance to see him really work – and I don’t know that the braintrust has a favourite, either.

What they’re going to do is come up with some kind of list in their mind and if they guy at the top is there are No. 13, they’ll take him; if he’s gone, they move down to their second guy.

It’s going to take a little while to figure out who’s ranked where but that’s kind of what I’ve got this week to do.

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Digression time.

Are vuvuzelas just thunderstix on steroids? Man, that incessant wasp-like buzz takes some of the joy away from watching the games, doesn’t it?

Speaking of games, though, how about those Black Stars! Huge win, good penalty call, excellent shot and I’m thinking they look pretty good for second spot in their group.

And my friend in Accra tells me they were dancing in the streets after the final whistle. Good on them.

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Oh yeah, right.

Lakers in six.

Oops.

Anyway, pretty good game in a muck-it-up-defence, oh-my-God-how-good-is-that-Kobe-Bryant-guy kind of way with one moment of high comedy.

You see it?

Ron Artest knocks down Kevin Garnett and here comes Rajon Rondo who puts his arm into Artest, who flails and falls like he’d been hit by a steel girder.

(I’d say he flopped like some yellow card-deserving football faker but that would do a disservice to all those in the beautiful game who tumble like they’ve on the cusp of heading to the great beyond)

Rondo on it:

“I’m not that strong. He sold it a little bit. He’s probably the strongest guy on the court in this series; I’ve been lifting a little bit but other than that, I didn’t push him that hard.”

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More Raptors news?

Man, you folks are in the pink today.

End of week, I’m hearing they’re holding one of those big free agent thingies to find some bodies for summer league in Vegas.

The thing doesn’t have an official name so I believe we shall call it The Jamario Moon Memorial Camp For Hopefuls, seeing that’s where they found Moon so many years ago.

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An interesting theory proposed to me over the weekend in a conversation with a highly-placed poobah is that the guy actually driving this whole free agent thing is not LeBron James but Dwayne Wade.

Makes sense, right? Wade is the only guy who can truly “recruit” someone to come join him, he doesn’t have to go somewhere to hook up with somebody, there doesn’t have to necessarily be some sign-and-trade to make it work. He sits back, extols the virtues of Miami and gets his guy without having to go anywhere.

LeBron can’t do it with the Cavs, Bosh can’t do it with Toronto, Joe Johnson can’t do it, neither can Amare, nor can Dirk if they want to join forces with one of the others.

Now, I’m sure we’ve all heard about the breaking of bread out in L.A. with Wade, Bosh and Johnson and it’s nice that buddies got together for dinner; I’m sure there was all kind of talk about what it’s like to play in Miami and for the Heat and that’s just natural.

But it’s interesting to me that with all this talk about who “fits with LeBron” and where they might go, it’s one of the other guys some big shots are thinking is driving the agenda.

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I’m pretty sure some of you might have missed this but Bosh got this really big honour on Sunday night.

Yes, we of the Professional Basketball Writers Association – an august group of more than 150 that has somehow found fit to make me the president – voted him the winner of the Magic Johnson Award, which goes to the player who “combines on-court performance with steady co-operation with the media.”

Not bad, eh?

We administer three awards, the Magic Johnson, the J. Walter Kennedy Award for community service (won this year by Sam Dalembert for his efforts with Haiti relief) and the Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award for meritorious service of our industry which this time around went to the Golden State Warriors.

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All right, need to knock off an NBA finals off-day story and get out to the airport to begin the Lewis and Clark journey home. Oh, and maybe find a couple of hours to check out Italy-Paraguay.

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Comments

[Eric]

Hey Doug, I think you mean Damion James from Texas.

Blogger's note: Oops, I did. Thanks.

[Peter]

... when to the Golden State Warriors.
Type: went.

Ghana got lucky Doug...

[joe]

Hi Doug,

In your conversation with BC over the weekend, what's the feeling? Do you think he's going to take one more big swing and try and land a top tier player to convince Bosh to stay or is he resigned to the fact that Bosh is likely leaving?

Blogger's note: Didn't really get a sense either way

[LeeZ]

Wasn't able to catch your in-game blog last night, and I imagine you addressed it there, but what are your thoughts on Pierce's SHOCKINGLY immature (in a "if you don't pass it to me I'm taking my ball and going home" sort of way) stunt at the end of the first half? And then two seconds later, when interviewed about it courtside, he stood there and said, sincerity dripping from every syllable, that he wasn't upset at all! I watched Pierce intently in the second half, and he still seemed to be pouting every time Rondo passed to someone else. I mean, grow up!

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Whoa Doug,
"... for meritorious service of our injury"?
And could "best available player" be interpreted as "we have no idea what the roster might look like"?
Safe trip home to ye.Cheers.

[GDS]

You saw them live: am I wrong or the lakers' bigs had no legs, I find it surprising; to see Gasol get blocked that easily or Rondo have a tap-in over Odom is really shocking. Not having Bynum in game 4 has killed Gasol and Odom or is it bad bench management during the series?

Blogger's note: They did look slow; not sure what the reason was

[Paul]

Chad Ford wrote this today: "The Raptors have been the most aggressive team in the league this summer in seeking out all sorts of trades."

Is this accurate? Or, is ESPN exaggerating the facts to produce something newsworthy?

Blogger's note: There was nothing newsworthy at all in that report to people who follow the Raptors.

[kevin]

Hey Dougie, Did BC mention anything about Turk? Black Stars Looked great even without our Chelsea Star

Blogger's note: No

[dribbles]

I know you're rooting for Ghana but they looked pretty sloppy to me. Maybe they'll pick it up a bit as they go along. Germany looked like a well-tuned machine out there. Looking forward to seeing Brazil as always...

If BC wants to and can snag a second 1st round pick, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried going for a Texas 2-step with Bradley and James. James looks like a solid if unspectacular 2-way player who plays hard all the time and grabs rebounds. I don't have a good read on any of the bigs. I only saw Patterson play a few times and he looked ok but not all that special to me.

[Mike kovacs]

During the 'Wired' segents in the game the contrast between Doc Rivers and Phil jackson was wide. Doc was telling his team to not over-focus or get caught up in worrying about kobe, whereas Phil Jackson with 5 min to go unbelievably was telling his team that the Celtics have a history of giving things back in the 4th. Although that may be true this illustrates how the Lakers seem to this point to feel more entitled to win whereas the C'sseem to just want it more.

[Amr]

Doug,

This may be a mailbag question, but how do you balance "protecting your sources" vs. "informing the readership" to Raptors news? It seems to me that sportswriters more often than not "protect their sources" rather than informing the readership. For example, the Del Negro vs. Paxon fistcuffs incident comes to mind.

Blogger's note: It probably is better suited for there; can you send it to the regular place because I'll forget for sure.

[Andre]

I'm liking avery bradley... But its henry I think we should draft. Hopefully BC gets a second 1st rounder, and a second rounder, and starts to rebuild our team via the draft (Jordan Crawford for the second rounder)

[capt kirk]

Congrats to Japan for their 1-0 win over Cameroon. If not for the goal posts the score may have been different. Anyways Doug you're probably in transition now seeing your magic ball is kind of cloudy. Do you still believe the Celtics can lose two straight? I guess it's not over till Stella sings the blues.

[GM]

Maybe that ESPN report wasn't newsworthy to the Raptor grunts, but I've never heard anything about it from them. Yes, we know Colangelo is (and always does) work all angles and isn't afraid of making a trade, but that's a far cry from being the most aggressive team in the whole league this summer. That's something I like to hear.

I don't think I often (or ever) throw out compliments about this blog, but it just hit me this morning how great it is. I mean, I've always liked it, of course. AndnNothing in particular was written today that led me to that conclusion. I just like that there's something here every day and appreciate it. So thanks.

[dc]

I will certainly miss Bosh if he leaves the city. He's sort of an indie-cult geek at heart, it shows in the interviews and he's pretty genuine about it. It's a rare type of athlete that spends afternoons watching grind-house movies when he's not working the low blocks.

anyway, I hope the raps blow the whole team apart (EVERY STARTER, save maybe Bargnani) in the event of Bosh's departure. It would be great to have the same energy that OKC enjoys.

[Rob.V]

Chad Ford wrote this today: "The Raptors have been the most aggressive team in the league this summer in seeking out all sorts of trades."

Is this accurate? Or, is ESPN exaggerating the facts to produce something newsworthy?

Blogger's note: There was nothing newsworthy at all in that report to people who follow the Raptors.

Ah!, you're good you!!, nah you!!...you're good, you're very good!! (Robert Deniro from Analyze This movie).

That's a very politically correct way of answering this question dude... which tells me you have more "nuggets" than you're letting on.

I completely understand you protecting your conversation with BC, but I'm sure you have a sense as to where they are at in the process.

Come on man, we want "dirt".

How about I ass you this way: Maurizio was on record somwhere I thought indicating that the Raptors may have 3-5 new players next season. After your conversation with BC what are the chances that the Raptors end up with 5-8 new players next season, 90-10... or 10-90?
Thanks.

Blogger's note: I know you're not new here but you've had "dirt" for about two months. Yes, they are open to a sign-and-trade with Bosh; yes, they want to divest themselves of a point guard; yes, they will endeavour to trade Hedo Turkoglu; yes, they will have five or six new players next year. I could write that every single day and it would bore people to tears. It's not news. When I get a sniff of specific teams or actual contact, you'll be the first to know. Trust me, I think my track record for getting stuff is okay.
For now, there's nothing but age-old speculation and the hyperbole that they are the most active team out there.

[Juan]

Doug
A little nitpik about the layout of the Sports section. The new link to the blogs at the top right of the page is handy. In the basketball section though, if you click on "Doug Smith's Raptors Blog" it takes you to a blank page that says "Click here to read Doug Smith's Raptors blog".
Funny, I thought I just did that! A minor nuisance I know but perhaps you could mention it to someone technically-oriented.
Thanks

[Rob.V]

It's interesting how this series has turned.

In game 4 the Lakers had the C's on the ropes and if their bench had played marginally better in the 4th quarter of that game they might have had a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Doc let's the bench roll, they win the game, and the C's come back after 3 much needed days rest to take control of the series.

Suddenly, it looks like the Lakers are on the verge of collapsing!

But I will say this. As much as I hate (no HATE) the Lakers. If they get game 6, the momentum will have once again swung back into their favour possibly setting up game 7 to be a classic!

The best thing for Boston is to keep their foot on the Lakers neck and get it done in 6 (before Odom and others on the Laker bench - wake up!). Me thinks, the C's will need one more big push from their bench (come on Big Baby, just one more drool fest and we're free and clear)... and the championship will come back East where it belongs!

[Lorie]

Congratulations on your election (appointment? armtwisting?) to the position of President (For Life?) of the PBWA. Your "Freudian slip" of injury/industry regarding the meritous service award handed out to the Golden State Warrior franchise was perhaps understandably rooted in the ever-present concerns you might have regarding the condition of the "injured industry" you represent. Whatever the explanation, well done, Doug; the PBWA have re-elected themselves a terrific president. Now, don't forget to cheer on Italia in support of our Paulo, The Intrepid Italian Irregular! But the Azzurri had better not meet South Africa in the finals or it will be major decision time for me. Safe trip home, Bafana-Bafana!

[Jerry]

It is only right that Wade should be the one that is staying put and picking who he wants to bring in to play with him. He is after all the best player of the available free agents and is in a City that has won and will probably do all they can to win again.

Lebron may be the most talented but give me Wade any day for my team leader.

[Vicent Lam]

So you were watching the US vs. England game with BC? Where did you watch the game? Who were you cheering for?

Blogger's note: No. He was here, I was in Boston

[FPB]

Dribbles, the Black Stars are the only African team with a win in the finals so far. They are very athletic and quick on the ball. Gyan had the opportunity to score three goals and converted one (the other 2 hit the polls). I hope somehow we meet your Brazilians and beat you as we did to your under twenties. Go Black Stars Go!!!!!