The list is getting narrowed

The list is narrowed, no doubt about it, as we get to T-minus one day and counting to the draft.

As was mentioned in today’s yarn (it’s here for those who missed it) there is all kinds of activity going on and there is no doubt in mind that some kind of transaction comes down between now and the end of the draft.

But if the pick remains the No. 13 selection – and I’m thinking more along the lines of a straight trade or the addition of a pick rather than dealing away the selection – I have a sneaking suspicion the list has been narrowed to four or five.

I’ve got Ekpe Udoh, Cole Aldrich, Paul George and Avery Bradley on it with Eric Bledsoe and Patrick Patterson as longer shots.

Having Bradley back in just to have dinner and be checked out by the doctors was an interesting revelation and has to speak to some serious interest on this end.

He and Aldrich are the only two legitimate No. 13 candidates who’ve made multiple visits to Toronto but the Raptors have done all their due diligence on the others, too.

What’s that entail?

According to Bryan, lots.

“The medical background, the background information that we’re receiving in terms of a formal written report that’s been ordered on several players. We might discover something that makes sense or does not make sense and we have to do some further investigation on it.”

So it’s not all jump shots and ball-handling and physical prowess at all.

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From The Entirely Facetious Department Of Items (which means please don’t take this too seriously) I offer this:

The Raptors are virtually certain to draft Cole Aldrich on Thursday.

Why?

Well, they hand out these little bio sheets whenever they have a workout and Tuesday’s arrived with all the background on Cole Alrich.

And I’m thinking:

Hmm, no ‘D.’ Has to be a Raptor, right?

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Hey, did anyone notice that my favourite basketball team has an 11-2 record, is easily in first place in its conference and seems on an inexorable march to a glorious championship?

Yeah, I’ve been checking in on the Seattle Storm and I hope you are, too.

They’re 11-2, with a 5 1-2 game lead in the West, they’ve won eight of their last 10 and if Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson don’t tie for WNBA MVP honours, they ought to have a recount.

Can I pick a team or what?

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Hey, Ghana today!

The Black Stars are in tough against Germany, very tough, and need a win. Difficult, no question, but not impossible and it’ll be pretty tough to get me away from the tube this afternoon.

Think good thoughts for them, would you?

Oh, and talking to a guy around the Raptors who knows a bit about the football yesterday and the chatter gets to France, which at that moment was being drilled 2-0 by Bafana Bafana.

Guy looks at me and says: “France? 2-0? That’s terrible. They can’t go home now.”

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Let’s put out a quick call for mail with the usual “click here to send in your cards and letters” and see what we come up with.

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The piece of news that kind of got short shrift Tuesday – and it’s not hugely significant and it may be just a case of downplaying an impending move – was Bryan on the point guards.

Here’s the transcript:

“Rather than saying we were absolutely going to do something with one of our point guards, it’s more about trying to determine whether or not the two guys can co-exist. And the conversations I’ve had with both players have been very productive, they’ve both said things that make me comfortable and the coaching staff comfortable if they were to come back.

“But as you know, we have to constantly look to improve our roster and if there’s a means to do that and one of those player sis involved then we’ll look to do something. But there’s not a mandate to make a move here. I like both players, signed them both for various reasons and I have to say there’s a lot of talent on our team because I’m getting a lot of calls about several of our players.”

The “but as you know …” thing is the most important there because if there’s a deal, he’s going to make it and I’m told there is quite a bit of interest out there in each of Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon.

Now, many have read that Indy wants a point guard and I’m told Charlotte’s in the market as well so we can guess phone lines have been burning between those cities.

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Hey, back to the WNBA for a sec (go, Storm!) for this.

Candace Parker misses the rest of the season after shoulder surgery.

A crippling blow to the Sparks but given her – I know, tenuous – connection to Toronto, figured some of you would like to know.

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Did you know Chris Bosh is a de facto free agent today?

Bryan let us in on some housekeeping news yesterday; Bosh had to tell the team by June 20 that he was going to exercise his player option for next season and when the fax didn’t arrive, it meant he’s on the market.

No big deal but a little piece of news that we didn’t know nonetheless.

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Okay, the grass doesn’t seem to be getting any shorter, the blackberry’s fully charged for the trade e-mails and phone calls to arrive and downtown Toronto’s a police state with the G20 crap so it’s a house day today, methinks.

Hope there’s news to worry about.

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Comments

[Ryan W (Ottawa)]

Can I just put this in a comment now so that you can tell everyone it will never happen?

Calderon/Turk for Chris Paul.

I know it will come up on here, might as well get it out of the way.

[john]

hey doug, it's eric bledsoe and ekpe udoh. you must be burning the midnight oil right now trying to break trade stories!

[Natalie]

How long does it take for you to get to the ACC usually and how much longer during the lockdown?...Also any thoughts on the Villanueva incident?

Blogger's note: 45 minutes-an hour in rush hour traffic; not much longer to get there, just way longer navigating the streets with the omnipresent police forces.
Charlie? I don't have all the details but I will say this: The work he does in every NBA city with kids with Alopecia might be the best thing I've seen an athlete do on a nightly basis. He is incredibly good with them

[Kunal]

Eric Bledsoe not Derek Bledsoe :)

Blogger's note: I could have said Drew

[Jacques]

What did you think Barkley's comments last night on Sportsnet about Toronto Drafting history, Bosh, LBJ and Wade.

Blogger's note: Didn't hear or see them

[chili]

You may be on to something there about Cole Aldrich. The Raptors are preparing for "life after Bosh" so taking Aldrich to play center and moving Bargnani to power forward makes sense. Unless Colangelo does something significant like sign and trade Bosh to L.A. for Bynum, Shannon Brown and Powell. And move Turkoglu somewhere.

[Eric Bledsoe]

Its Eric Bledsoe, not Derek.

Blogger's note: Fixed

[LeeZ]

Maybe I'm sleep deprived this morning, but I didn't get the "no D" reference. Are you saying his bio indicated he can't play D??? I must be getting that wrong. Please clarify, kind sir.

Blogger's note: A shot at the defensively-challenged Raptors

[Bsin]

Think they should have taken Bradley somewhere nicer than Real Sports? Food is definitely unproven after being open 3 days...

[Peter]

So how does today play out for you? Sit and wait for the emails, texts, and calls to come in, or are you calling the sources on a regular basis? Are your seeds planted, and you'll find out, or do you have to keep digging so that you get the information as it happens?

Blogger's note: Put out the usual plethora of calls and e-mails and see what it yields; work on other stories; hurry up and wait

[Skiff]

Honestly, does anyone actually believe BC is capable of building a decent team at this point? There have been a lot of mistakes the last couple of years. How many roster overhauls do good teams make? I bet it's not every year for 3+ years. Might be time to move on...

[WH]

OMG. No disrespect to Cole Adrich, who seems like a fine young man...but surely he is not the pick at 13? He's a lighter version of Eric Montross! Just re-sign Patrick O'Bryant and move on.

[D. Boucher]

I hope the raptors draft Bradley, Aldrich seems like a sure bust. Doesn't Bradley fit the Colangelo profile more?

[nate]

Am I seeing this right? Is that actually Eric Bledsoe reading Doug's blog? If so I hereby renounce all of my prior draft desires and hope we draft you!

[erc]

Doug, You mentioned downtown Toronto being a 'police state' and the 'omnipresent' police presence, like possibly this whole mess was being orchestrated by TO's finest.
Truth of the matter is, downtown Toronto is a potential anarchist state and that thick blue line is our first and certainly best hope to prevent it. That is the normal state of affairs in downtown TO and wouldn't be news except these particular anarchists are more organized and international than our normal garden variety psychos.
I know of one fine young man, very dear to my wife and I who is decked out in some bulky, hot, visually-impaired gear to prevent him from getting a brick in the mouth, waiting for something ugly to happen and hoping it doesn't. Unfortunately a face mask won't repel a molotov cocktail.
He'd much rather be doing his 'normal' duties with the 'normal' denizens of the deep, but this little clambake has a lot of ugly potential. It is a dirty job, but somebody ......
Hope you are soon free of that police presence that's causing so much turmoil. I'm rooting for it to be over even more than you are.

[mdc]

@LeeZ:
The team's bio sheet on Aldrich misspelled his name, omitting the "d"

[J]

LeeZ: Notice the lack of a D in Cole's last name, at least in the one typed above. ;)

[LeeZ]

@mdc: Ohhhhh, I get it! Thanks.

[SeanG]

Hello Doug, just wondering if you know is this true? not true? can you confirm? not confirm? "The Raptors and Wolves have discussed a deal that would send Hedo Turkoglu and the No. 13 pick in exchange for Corey Brewer and the No. 23 pick" Alex Kennedy/hoopsworld

Blogger's note: Don't know; don't trust the source since it's not one of mine.

[Bill]

dead @ alrich/no 'd' - thats why your my favourite blogger doug

[gdr]

Doug, what are the chances nothing happens before/on draft night and the Raps just go about their business and select a player at #13 and that's it?

Blogger's note: 5-95

[The J]

Doug - When you see a rumour, take for example the Turkoglu for Brewer trade above, where you don't know the source or trust the source. Do you ever check these rumours with your sources or Raptors brass, or do you just assume BS and move on?

Blogger's note: I check a lot things in the run of a business day

[The J]

Whoa, just noticed something in your Colangelo quote: “But as you know, we have to constantly look to improve our roster and if there’s a means to do that and one of those player sis involved then we’ll look to do something...".

"Sis involved", does this mean BC is looking at moving either Jose's or JJ's sister? Not sure how I feel about this. Can you give us a little scouting report. You know, which one plays D, which one is prone to blow-bys, strong with drible-penetration, outside shot, etc. And of course, is either hot?

[jeff]

Hey Doug,
Now that the Bucks have Maggette, do you think that makes John Salmons any more available? I think he has shown in the last couple of years that his game is more well-rounded than many people assumed.

Blogger's note: Everyone's waiting to see if Salmons opts out of his deal next week

[Chris]

Hi Doug,
Is Gordon Hayward not on the Raps radar for the 13th pick? Seems like he'll end up being pretty good. Maybe a Mike Dunleavy/Mike Miller kind of player.
Does Bryan think he'll be gone at 13, or are we just not interested? Anyone else have a terrible feeling we're gonna get another Araujo?