Time to separate the wheat from the chaff, if it's possible

This is absolutely classic.

I sat down at this machine Sunday night for a minute before an entire evening of mindless television to check if anything was up.

Well, I was told in no uncertain terms that LeBron James and Chris Bosh were going to Chicago as a package deal and the whole dog and pony show was over before it started.

About a click later, I saw an unnamed NBA executive quoted as saying Bosh in headed to Miami and it’s been resolved that way for a very long time.

Classic.

Now, I’m not for a second suggesting any self-respecting reporter would write something knowingly wrong but the point right now is that no one knows anything for sure.

It’s extrapolation and guesswork and trying to make sense of one of the most non-sensible times in NBA history.

There will be all kinds of stuff written and said over the next fortnight or so and eventually, some people will be right and some people will be wrong.

But to sit here today and say unequivocally that this or that is going to happen once July 1 hits cannot be done.

It’s a difficult time for us in this business. We have to figure out whether sources we know are telling us what they know or what they think before we impart anything to you.

What do I think is going to happen?

Well, to tell you the truth I’m not entirely sure at the moment. I think there still some machinations being conducted behind the scenes and to come up with some bold pronouncement right now would be somewhat irresponsible, wouldn’t it?

That’s for later in the week, after all the front office people and agents have had a chance to decompress after last week and really get ready for Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

But I will say this, I’m sure this summer will make last summer look like a picnic as far as the league is concerned. I’d love to say it’s going to be busier than last summer for The Heroes Of The Hardcourt but I think it’ll be about the same. The only difference will be the significance of the players involved.

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And, with that, here’s this that I kind of hung on to from the weekend:

Q: Hey Doug, with all this talk of "World Wide Wes", what kind of damage will this due for the league? Will people be able to take it as seriously when you have these outside sources dictating who plays where? For example, Wes is now telling people that their chances of signing LeBron increases if their team were to trade for Chris Paul.

Thanks

Nick S, Ottawa

A: It will do damage if you truly believe that one man can influence so many decisions and I don’t think he can. I don’t know this Wes fellow at all, I was with a group at the NBA Finals in San Antonio one year when he bought a round of drinks for our table and said thanks, but I will say this:

I don’t for a second believe that he can wield as much influence as some suggest for the very reason that the players are men of some substance and won’t be led around by the nose.

And GMs that I know don’t take very well to threats veiled or otherwise and won’t be held hostage by one man.

That said, there is always some give-and-take in situations like this, some scratching of your back while you scratch mine but to think someone’s sitting behind the curtain engineering what goes on throughout the league is silly.

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So, as Germany scores its third goal – or maybe the fourth, I kind of lost track – Super Son turns to me in the booth and says:

“Hey Dad, the England defence is slow; it can’t catch up.”

I’m thinking ‘this kid’s got a chance’ and when I relay the insight to Calamity Kelly over in South Africa I get this response:

“Get that kid a kooky pair of glasses.”

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Okay, I’ve been remiss.

Sorry.

While we were so tied up with Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi and the stuff around this week, we’ve missed some somewhat significant Canada Basketball news.

And you know me and Canada Basketball, I like to stay in touch.

Well, the junior women ran through the FIBA Americas qualification tournament in Colorado Springs with a 4-1 record and have qualified for the Under-19 world championships in Chile next year.

They finished third overall in the eight-team event, beating Chile twice, Mexico and Costa Rica and losing by a point to Brazil.

Now, that’s not beating the Lakers, Celtics and Cavs but it’s doing what you have to do and it continues somewhat impressive streak of success for Canadian teams in international competitions and does show the depth of talent is improving.

The junior men are in the middle of their qualification event down in San Antonio – I’m hoping Maurizio and the lads have taken the suggestion to hit the Quarry Market area because it’s far less touristy than the Riverwalk although I don’t think they’re Bar America types (and Texans may get that) – and they’ve already secured a berth in the worlds next year in Latvia.

They hammered Uruguay to start and drilled Peru on Sunday and all that’s left now in Brazil and the playoff round to determine what seed they’ll get in the worlds next year.

Toss in the fact the men and women are in this year’s worlds, as are the cadet boys and girls, and you can see some momentum building within the programs.

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A wistful day around Casa Doug.

Super Son wraps up Grade 8 tomorrow and the big graduation ceremony is tonight and, I have to tell you, after nine years at the same school, it’s gonna take some getting used to. I’m not entirely sure I’m ready for a high schooler.

Aging bites.

And we have to miss the Mighty Yankees trying to get off the schneid tonight and that’s tough to take, as well.

What a day.

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I would also be remiss if I didn’t pay tribute to the Black Stars one more time and with news that C. Young and Calamity Kelly are searching out suitable Ghana souvenirs for a bloke back home, all’s good in that end of the world.

I know little about Uruguay except that they are going down to ignominious defeat later this week, and if there’s anything cooler than Spain-Portugal coming up, I can’t think what it is.

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Comments

[erc]

Adrian, Love your persistence and you make a lot of good points, but um, maybe you should kind of listen to Doug on this one.
Bosh checked out half way through this past season. In the first half, he was a load and was attempting to carry a very heavy, sluggish team of contemporaries and it looked for a while like he actually might.
After all-star, he wasn't the same player. Went through a mopey period that MIGHT be attributed to physical issues. Righted himself somewhat, but never appeared to have that fire he showed early on and the rest of the Raps went happily back to sleep.
Almost like somebody said, ' Forget that bunch of losers, kid and stick with me.'
It was a shame to see the one player who brought it almost every night begin to conform to the group. I believe he saw the hopelessness of carrying a moping Hedo, wildly erratic Bargs, fragile Jose and a bunch of kids who tried hard but needed better role models. He did his job, but no more. He'd already checked out.
I hope I'm wrong. I think BC needs to be held accountable for the lethargy we've seen from this team two years walking, but after his all-star sojourn, I don't believe there was ever a chance Colangelo, or anyone else was going to keep CB in Toronto. Again, I hope I'm wrong.

[Rob.V]

Hey, I just thought of an angle that has never been "explored"... maybe the ONLY one left.

If Bosh is intent to move to the "Big Smoke"... could the hiring of Mitchell in NJ be a ploy to bring CB on board?

Dude, did Bosh's ever refer to his relationship with Mitchell along the lines of what Kevin Garnett has said in the past, maybe that of being a "mentor"... or is this a stretch?

Blogger's note: Biiiiiiiiig stretch

[Cory]

Interesting to hear on radio that BC has pretty much given up. Oh yeah, there is faint hope but its on life support. I hate to say but BC might need to follow the Burke example in the puck world and start stockpiling young talent for the future and quit trying to take shortcuts to the playoffs. It isnt/hasnt worked (I know the division title is there but it fell to the Raps more than they earned it). I love the Raptors and follow them as much as I can but this is getting depressing. If Bosh wants to leave then let him go, dont give him the extra 30 mil. Get some young guys that want to be in Canada and let them grow together. I will be more upset if they let Amir get away than Bosh.

[Soon to be Ex Raps Fan]

I have to agree with Rob V. at this point. Let Chris go wherever he wants and start to rebuild in the mode of Seattle/OKC. Get rid of bad contracts, stockpile draft picks, suck for two years, draft high, and for sure, start Ed Davis next year. Toronto does not owe Chris 30 million, nor the opportunity to attain it.

Go grab your pot of gold in Miami or Chicago, but not at our expense with mediocre players in return, if any ( ie Deng, Beasley, Bynum).

I submit to the fact we wil stink for years. Let's just rebuild smartly instead of blowing it all up year after year with no success.

Peace

D