Odds and ends and a bit of Canada for good measure

Well, looks like the final has some juice, no? Might make for a good three games I’ll be at and it’s nice to know for certain when I’ll be back home.

More on the series tomorrow, some odds and ends to clear up today.

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I guess one of the more interesting off-the-court storylines of the final (Lakers in six!) is the fact Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau is bolting right after to be the head coach in Chicago.

Now, Thibodeau, generally credited for making the Celtics a defensive power (not coincidentally it happened with the arrival of Kevin Garnett) has been the flavour of the month among assistants for a couple years, even if he didn’t get many head coaching interviews.

And, he’s certainly got some high-powered supporters out there; listening to Jeff Van Gundy gush about him was a bit too much.

Still, from afar this seems to be a hire fraught with peril for a team that really can’t afford a step back.

It is a huge, huge step from lead assistant to head coach, there is a ton more responsibility with being the man in charge than there is being the chief adviser to man in charge. Media duties, massaging egos, handling personalities, the whole gamut.

And Thibodeau has never done any of that.

The Bulls are an intriguing team, one with some nice pieces and lots of money to spend this summer and entrusting the roster to a first-time head coach seems to be quite a gamble to me.

I don’t know Thibodeau all that well but I saw him as a head coach in a game here that Doc had to miss when his father passed away and Thibodeau was far too animated, excitable and over the top. That was one game, I can only imagine the strain he’ll feel over 82.

Now, this may turn out to be one of those inspired hires that works wonders; the Bulls may turn into an Eastern Conference power in a year or two.

Or they may not.

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This story kind of got lost on the weekend on our website and in our paper but I really thought you should see it to understand what kind of good things athletes do in their communities.

Now, I don’t know what you people all think of Jamaal Malgoire, I like the guy even though I wish he’d played for Canada sometime in the last eight or nine years.

But no matter, I don’t think you can find fault with his off-court actions and it’s been pretty much a constant.

I remember dragging my sorry butt out to some news conference in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to hear Jamaal’s impassioned plea for donations to what was then his professional hometown.

There’s the sponsorship of one of the biggest mas bands and floats in the annual Caribana festivities; kids basketball leagues, his own foundation.

Yes, it’s a bit over the top flattery but we don’t often get to celebrate the good that gets done by athletes in the community and I’m thinking we should.

When I was talking to Jamaal for the story on Saturday evening, I got a sense that what he’d done he’d rather have kept private at the moment.

Too bad, it’s a story that needed to be told.

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Wondered this last night during the game, sorry for the repeat.

Hey, do you think eight three-pointers in an NBA Finals game is enough to get Ray Allen invited to The Summit?

That was a pretty impressive game by an old guy, made an old guy’s heart proud.

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Getting back to the national team for a second, you Irregulars out in Vancouver might want to pay attention today.

Apparently, a gaggle of Canada Basketball big shots are headed your way to officially announce the Canada-China game (Aug. 10, I believe) that starts a rather ambitious summer for the national team.

With a couple of games a couple of days later against France here in Toronto, it’s the biggest series of games on home turf in quite some time. (Yes, the played Lebanon and New Zealand here a couple of years ago, but that’s Lebanon and New Zealand, this is China and France).

Now, it’s not like France and China are coming to North America to simply play Canada – there’s a little event in New York right after that’s the prime reason for the trip – but it does speak to a growing reputation of the national team program that the other countries are going to stop here on their way to New York.

The credit should be widespread but it really stops and starts with Maurizio Gherardini, whose reputation in Europe and FIBA circles is the most significant thing Canada has going for it these days.

I know it’s still quite far off but if I were you and I could make it happen, I’d find a way to get to one of these games simply to show some support for a program trying to be on the rise.

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Mighty Yankees practice tonight and game on Wednesday and sometimes this whole work-for-a-living thing truly gets in the way.

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Hands up anyone who was surprised Danny Ferry walked away from the Cleveland Cavaliers last week without even thinking about a new contract when his present deal expires in a month or so.

With the heavy involvement of owner Dan Gilbert – reports are Gilbert and Ferry were at odds over the fate of coach Mike Brown – and the owner’s intention to do everything in his power to be involved in the LeBron thing, it was apparent that Ferry’s power was being diminished.

And when that happens? You have to leave.

I haven’t followed the Cavs closely enough to know whether Ferry is a good GM or a bad one, I suspect like so many others he’s had lots of hits and misses over the years, but when owners start getting truly hands-on, it’s time to go.

While it’s all well and good that the Mark Cubans or Dan Gilberts or Michael Jordans of the world are out front and cheering and making news, I’m not sure any of them truly have the expertise to run franchises on the basketball side of things.

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That rather muddled Cavs thing has an impact up here, too.

While Mike Brown was let go as head coach, his assistants kept their jobs and the uncertainty about who might take over and who he might keep on staff may cost Leo the services of Michael Malone as an assistant this summer.

It’s still up in the air but until things get set in Cleveland, Mike can’t 100 per cent commit to his gig with the Canadian national team.

Luckily, there’s enough time before things start to get entirely serious up here for the situation to be resolved.

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Raptors news?

Sorry.

Fresh out.

Yes, there was a rumour of some Jose Calderon-Mo Williams swap but, yawn, if we react to every rumour out there, that’s all we’ll do.

When there’s something up legitimately, you’ll read about it here.

Word I got on this one was: Forget it, put it out of your mind. So I will.

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Okay, long travel day ahead, not sure when I’ll get to the inevitable comments but I will eventually so don’t despair.

Talk to you from Beantown.

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Comments

[Marc]

Thibodeau recently hired on the same agent as Lebron. I'm pretty sure he was hired because he was seen as being Lebron's choice or at the very least someone Lebron would be comfortable with. While I would normally frown on that type of thing, I think, you make an exception for James.
BTW, Bosh tweeted about some meetings held last week and said something to the effect that "big things are happening". Any idea what he was referring to? The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the timing of the Thibodeau hiring and those tweets was not coincidental. Could James, Thibodeau, and Bosh all be Chicago bound?

[joe]

Good points on Thibodeau, Doug. Makes me wonder about the Bulls. They took a chance on Del Negro, a guy with little experience, and that didn't pan out though it was more the fault of Bulls management than Del Negro. If they plan on bringing in big time free agents (e.g. Lebron, Bosh, etc.) would they not want to entrust them to a guy with some experience with a head coaching position such as Bryon Scott, Avery Johnson, Mike Brown, Mike Woodson, etc.? Only thing I can think of is that Bulls ownership/management like to have yes men and guys they can control running the ship. Should be interesting to see how this pans out.

[Bill]

Maglore "to help murder victim's son?"

Love your writing Doug, but you can do better than that!

Blogger's note: You think it's mine? Writers don't write the headlines, never have

[Adam Reddick]

Hey Doug,
Where are you sitting for the next 3 Finals games? I hope they didn't stick you up in the rafters and that you can chit chat with the celebs in the crowd.

Blogger's note: Won't know until Tuesday night

[Jacques]

Doug, So is Bonner going to play with team Canada.

Blogger's note: Wants to, more on that in the morning

[Chi of Steel]

Hi, Doug.

If Boston wins the championship this year -- methinks they will -- what happens to the non-returning players such as Ray Allen (presumably) when it comes time for the ring ceremonies or to meet President Obama? Surely you can't have ex-players join the team in Washington! And on the same token, what about new teammates? Do they have any right in partaking in the honour even though they weren't part of the championship team?

Blogger's note: If the schedule works, sure you can invite them. And they'd go

[Paolo]

Magic Doug, I read somewhere that the name Beantown is coming back from colonial days. A favorite Boston food was beans baked in molasses for several hours.
Today, Boston baked beans are something of a rarity and there are no companies in the city making it.

You are for sure the most famous American basketball Gourmet and I'm sure that you know some restaurant that can serve it.

Ciao
Paolo

[Andrew]

What did Triano have that Thibodeau does not? And vice versa. I don't mean to be snarky if my question reads that way.

[Rob.V]

Great game last night!

Watching Ray Allen has been a joy, and I'm not talking just last night. That dude is a pro's pro!... he and Reggie Miller carried the "sniper" role in the NBA for a bunch of years however Alllen has carried the torch in a solo effort for the past 5 or so seasons. He's one of the games true sharp shooting LEGENDS... it will be a very sad day for the NBA when that cat retires.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be another one like him on the horizon just yet.

I'm glad the Celtics won because I figured they would probably need to win 2 in LA so the chances of them getting both game 6 and 7 on the road was going to be unlikely.

If the C's can get anything out of KG and and Perkins this series may never make it back to L.A.

[LeeZ]

Canada playing a friendly against France brings back memories. Can't remember the year (six years ago, maybe?), but they played an exhibition at the ACC and I was there. I watched Nash's every move in the warmups. With the exception of the layup drills, he missed every single shot he took. Now, lest you think that's hyperbole, let me reassure you: HE MISSED EVERY SINGLE SHOT HE TOOK (and he took dozens). I've never seen anything like it. And then, in the actual game, I think he scored something like 35. Boggles the mind. On an entirely unrelated note, you stated: Word I got on this one was: Forget it, put it out of your mind. So I will.
Has a team source ever told you: yeah, we're woking on that deal and hope to get it done soon.? And if so, I'm guessing it would be off the record. Or would the source simply give you a vague non-answer that would lead you to believe they are in fact working on the deal? And under any circumstances, would you ever take what the team source said (or vaguely implied) and report that you think a deal is being worked on for player x in exchange for player y? If you feel like moving this to the mail bag, feel free.

[GM]

I can understand a free agent player not yet signed with a team wouldn't want to do national team duties for fear of injury, but what difference does it make if Michael Malone is unsure of his job next year? It's not like he'll get injured. Presumably he has an agent who can handle the job sifting.

Aug. 10. Got it. I'll be there. Kinda wish we got France, though. We saw China, with Yao, a few years back. I guess they just figure we have a big Chinese community so that's who we'll always get. And maybe Vancouver's on the way.

[doug]

I don't think Danny Ferry just walked away...his contract was up in a month obviously it wasn't going to be renewed...so it was a mutual parting of the ways...plus if I as a owner had a G.M. that was fighting for us to retain a coach in Brown who was thorougly outcoached and over-matched then i would have to question his abilty and make a change..Chicago is a interesting situation, you never mention the whole Paxson side of things, who has limited credibility, as well as how are the Bulls a better team now then when they were with Del Negro as coach??...those guys played hard for him and he maximized that talent, so to me its not just about Thibodeau ..it's a mess there and Paxson should have been fired and a house-cleaning ensued....

this Laker-Celtics series is interesting..Odom and Garnett are a wash as neither have played well....Allen was the difference last night, but also Pierce played excellent defense on Kobe, as well as Rondo doing what he needs to do, dribble penetrate...its still a tough series to get a read on....

[doug]

plus Thibodeau's agent is the same as LeBron's let the rumour mill start churning....also in regards to LeBron expect another fine to come down, as Jay-Z part owner of the Nets has stated he won't be courting LeBron for the team, Stern needs to be fair and consistent let's see if he is....

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/193933-jay-z-wont-work-lebron

[Pete]

Hi Doug,
do you think that the hiring in Chicago of a rookie head coach impacts the decision of the Lebron / Wade / Bosh trio? Has Chicago taken itself a little out of the running with that hire?

[ldc]

One thing you can expect from Tom Thibodeau is defense. I think for the last decade the teams he was on were always top 5 in defense (Houston and Boston).

[Patrick Rutledge]

Hey Doug,

Jamal Magloire should get some props for his community work. I coached for his club team Jamba a few years back and we never needed to ask for a dime for tournaments or hotels. He was always first class.

PR

[David Taylor]

Where do you typically greet the public when in Boston? The Four's?

Blogger's note: I've been known to stop by there every now and then.

[Anthony R]

Zero Comments today? Doug's dream come true. Maybe not thestar but Doug's for sure.

Blogger's note: Been travelling day, just getting to them

[greg]

I think the decision to go for a first year coach by the bulls is more about saving money than it is about winning a championship in the near future. It is the bulls we are talking about after all. Reinsdorf's team.

[Mike kovacs]

The obvious diff between Triano and Thibodeau is that the former had plenty of head-coaching experience at the international level.

[Aditya]

I don’t know Thibodeau all that well but I saw him as a head coach in a game here that Doc had to miss when his father passed away and Thibodeau was far too animated, excitable and over the top. That was one game, I can only imagine the strain he’ll feel over 82.
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Geez, I wonder why we hired Jay Triano. I rather have Jeff Van Gundy (a real coach) gush about someone rather than BC trying to convince us all about Jay Triano. Believe me, BC won't fire Jay Triano because this would be the second time in 2 years that they would be paying two coaches at the same time.

For your info, Tom Thibodeau is animated on the sidelines as well guiding the defensive rotations for the Celtics or calling out opposition team's offensive plays. And, if you're basing him to be too animated etc., let me remind you it was only 1 (one) game. Pretty sure the circumstances were different. Oh, and I believe the Celtics won that game (I haven't checked, but that's what I remember, pretty clearly actually).

[Rob.V]

Maglore "to help murder victim's son?"

Love your writing Doug, but you can do better than that!

Blogger's note: You think it's mine? Writers don't write the headlines, never have

Hmm, intersting. You learn something new every day. That kinda sucks for you writers, no? I mean, you could put together what you might percieve to be the greatest story EVER!... only to have someone else come along and "butcher" the headline??!

[Aditya]

"That streak ended last year — a subtle indication that Bavetta was no longer considered among the elite referees. Any ambiguity was erased this spring, when he was not assigned to the conference finals, ending a 20-year streak. Bavetta had worked in every conference finals round since 1989." (NY Times.com)
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Asked you 2-3 times throughout the regular season about Dick Bavetta and you didn't respond, but I have my suspicions confirmed that Bavetta is no longer an elite referee. (I believe I asked you that I felt Bavetta was refereeing a lesser number of games than normal and wanted you to confirm that, but you never responded)

[Marcus Rush]

As mentioned before and something that you somewhat swept under the rug at that time it appears that CAA will have a significant impact on where the 3 major free agents end up. The first thing that Thibodeau did was sign a contract with this group even though he has never employed any type of agent in the past. Even though the 3 key free agents employ seperate agents they are also part of the CAA group and this group will determine where these players sign. The additional money they can get for someone like James will make his NBA salary look like petty cash. Perhaps some good investigative reporting is needed in order to get a jump on the eventual destinations.

Blogger's note: So, by "this group will determine where these players sign" you're suggesting no independent thought whatsoever from the athletes? Riiiight.