Glad I didn't stay up all night for that!

So a guy wakes up expecting the world as he knows it has changed but noooooo.

The quad vente non-fat latte tastes the same, it’s a nice brisk fall day, Super Dog needs her morning constitutional and the NBA earth didn’t move.

Glad I didn’t stay up.

Anyway …

-

In a previous episode, The Kindly Old Grunt discussed his feelings that Chris Bosh was really looking to be wooed in this free agency process, that he would like to see what teams have to say before doing anything rash like deciding his home for the next half decade or so.

Well, Super Wife, who does these things, just calls down from her breakfast perch to the Cluttered Bunker that Bosh has already met with Houston, Chicago, Miami and – ta-da!!!! – Toronto and we’re only 7 1-2 hours into the frenzy. (Yeah, I’m up a bit late trying to get this drivel finished for all you lovely holiday readers).

Yes, Toronto.

Guess Bosh tweeted that or twitted it or whatever the heck you do with that nonsense about four ago shows you how he spent his night.

He also said he was waiting to see who else came in from the cold today and I’m hearing the Knicks are definitely paying a visit and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Dallas didn’t try to get in on the action, too.

Not sure about the Toronto part of those meetings, no one I’ve talked to at the Raptors holds out any hope he’ll come back, but they did have to make their pitch.

Anyway, guess I need to get into this twitter thing. Either that or make sure Super Wife or Super Son sit next to their machines while I spend Canada Day afternoon in a high level Mighty Yankees Coaches Meeting.

-

Speaking of Bosh, and I presume we’ll be speaking a lot of him in the next little while, here’s something you should look at for sure.

We have a raft of extremely talented photographers working for Mother Star and Steve Russell has put together an exceptional picture blog of Bosh that takes us from his rookie day to now.

Seriously, there is some excellent work in here.

Talk about the minutia of these times.

During our Mighty Yankees tilt last night – more on that later, which is a warning to those who don’t care about them and shame on you – was playing something akin to a game of Where’s Waldo with a couple of other intrepid fellows spanning the globe.

Was Bosh in Dallas? Was Bosh in Chicago? Was Bosh going from Dallas to Chicago?

Was Bosh on Mars.

It was kind of comical because there were conflicting reports out there and, as it turns out, it appears he was in Dallas so the world can rest easy.

-

Okay, I need to apologize.

After promising myself I wouldn’t jump to any guns with this whole sorry episode of free agency that’s precisely what I did Wednesday morning with the story out of Miami.

It was not a moment of great pride, that’s for sure; the first story didn’t make clear enough the dubious nature of the original report and, yes, I was kicking myself pretty quickly.

Won’t happen again and I can only chalk it up to rust developing from one free-agent season to the next.

-

Mail? Sure. Why not send some. Click here and we’ll try to weed out the “why don’t they get this guy?” queries and hopefully come up with something good for the weekend.

-

As I mentioned in today’s yarn (click here if you missed it and shame on you if you did) the Bosh thing is really creating some havoc with Bryan’s other free agency plans.

Not knowing what he’ll get back for sure (A big? Two starters? Starter and rotation guy? Nothing but trade exceptions and draft picks?) he’s finding it tough to go after the few guys he’s got his eye on with his mid-level exception.

Now, he didn’t share that list with me (I know, huge surprise there) but as I cast a glance over the list of available guys who might be had for the right price, here are some I’d sure consider.

Now, I’m not saying any of these guys are the bee’s knees or anything, just that they’re the kind of affordable pieces who might fit here.

Matt Barnes

The guy can defend like a demon and is the kind of gritty kid this team doesn’t really have.

Ronnie Brewer

A bit surprised the Grizzlies let him walk, he can defend three positions, doesn’t do anything flashy but the kind of guy I like.

Luke Ridnour

If there’s a point guard vacancy, I’m all over Ridnour who can make shots and plays and is by all accounts a great addition to a locker room.

Shannon Brown

If for no other reason than to watch him and DeMar DeRozan dunk against each other after practice.

Now, I have no idea if any or all of these are on whatever list Bryan’s compiled but they’d be on mine.

-

Okay, we’re all tied after four last night and playing our best game of the season. We’ve made some plays in the field (we threw a guy out stealing third and in bantam house league baseball that’s like an unassisted triple play), we’ve got some hits (a couple even got to the grass) and we’re tooth and nail with a pretty good team.

Top of the fifth we go nuts and get seven and it looks like the Mighty Yankee winless streak is coming to an end.

But, alas, they’ve got this curfew for the late games, probably because they don’t want the urchins up too late although none of them would go home and go right to bed) and when we struggle to get three quick outs, the drop dead minute arrives.

We’re still up four but the score reverts to the last completed inning and it’s a tie.

Guess it’s not a loss but, man, it’s tough to be so close and not get the first W of the season.

-

All right, if there’s a chance we may host an afternoon soiree I’ve got some major league deck and house cleaning chores ahead of me so this has to go to end.

Sure hope the Heroes Of The Hardcourt don’t make life difficult (Bryan: If you’re reading this, please do what you’re going to do this morning rather than this afternoon).

Happy Canada Day everyone.

Go wave a flag. We’ve got a pretty good country here, doofuses (doofii?) and all.

-

Comments

[Joe]

Doug,

Do you know if Bryan and/or other members of the Raptor management team flew down to Dallas to make their presentation personally to Bosh?

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Dear KOG,
No need to kick yourself, seems like that might be a first in your case. Hey, we're all chomping at the bit here. Actually wouldn't mind seeing that rumour pan out, compared with the other rumours swilling around at the moment. Freeing up some cash would be huge for the new season, and having some picks wouldn't hurt a thing either. Of course, if it does pan out, then there's more collusion to reflect on all around, and so it goes these days.
Happy Canada Day from Doofi Central! Cheers.

[patrick c]

great blog these last few days. talk about starting some great conversations. it did seem out of character to post that miami rumour so quickly but the comments portion of that posting were terrific to read. so doug, you could look at it like here's a topic: go forth.

@ doug the comments poster: great writes man.

anybody notice that bosh looks a little skinny lately? i think he's forgetting about his muscle.

and another free agent i would love to see in a raptor uniform is kyle korver. there's a three baller and catch and shoot guy that would be great off the bench. super quick release and most teams will be after ray allen for more money.

[Jon F]

Hey Doug,

Happy Canada Day! Any insight into reports that the Raps are interested in Haywood, and is there an update on Gomes, who was recently waived? Are they still interested in him?

Blogger's note: Don't know about Haywood, would surprise me if they do Johnson; yes, there is still interest in Gomes but that's a low priority.

[Brad]

I can't remember, can the Raptors unofficially confirm any signings or trades prior to July 8th? I know its not official until then, but would BC be able to comment on something prior? It was hard waiting until July 1st - but now its just tiring with the amount of BS rumours floating around - even from supposedly credible sources (ESPN?). Would be nice to get some real info eventually.

Blogger's note: Teams cannot; agents can and do.

[Aditya]

Blogger's note: I don't know if he'll make $15 million in total the rest of his career but he should get a longer-term deal
----------------------------------------
Please cite your sources (in this case, John Hollinger). We get caught for this kind of stuff here in university....lol

[Aditya]

david kahn is an asbolute genius.....hard to fathom darko milicic getting a 4yr $20 million offer from any NBA team.(not sure if he had other NBA suitors or not, but i doubt it)....even in europe, he would be lucky to get a 4yr $16 million offer......i mean thats a lotta money for darko.... not wise spending in my opinion.....whattya think doug?

[d]

I am in absolute shock that a young up and coming team in Milwaukee has made the first move of the free agency period by signing Drew Gooden to a ridiculous long term deal.................

Drew Gooden........really??? What are they thinking ?

[g.t.]

im from this generation who knew nothing but the internet and I am first to admit that twitter is garbage. It's good for marketing and news updates (very short ones).

IN a nutshell its reality TV on steroids. if you like being updated every second about what some celebrity thinks, what they had for dinner, what's in their toilet or that they are driving in traffic then sure go ahead but generally its a waste of time because you get too much information in too short a time, hence it means nothing to you 90% of the time. Just another means to live vicariously through strangers.

I also don't get why anyone would spend their time on a holiday to come online to trash Doug's blog. I guess he is that powerful that he consumes your thoughts when you could be doing something better.

Anyway, can't wait for these guys to get signed. I'm surprised the Hawks are offering Joe Johnson a max deal after so many years where they haven't been able to go anywhere in the playoffs.

[Rob.V]

Doug, with all due respect, readers come here for basketball stories, not elementary school baseball news. It was reasonable when it was a sentence or two but now it has transformed into paragraphs of coverage.

You're redefining your blog from what was once a quality Toronto Raptors blog, answering fans' questions and posting quality insight to something of a daily rant which now includes elementary school baseball stories. I am sure the local school papers cover the games just fine. For your readers, please go back to what made this blog worthy of our time in the morning when visiting TheStar.com

... or just scroll past the parts that do not interest you and get on with your life?

... or, when "you" have "your own" blog... maybe then, you can decide what content it should have.

You know Mike, I dont actually read the Mighty Yankee stuff either, but dude. Did you have to beat down on Doug about this?

Joe - unfortunately theres nothing I can say that would help. Sorry!

Seriously, why do people come here to correct Doug's spelling and grammar, and tell him what to do with his blog... on a DAILY freaking basis.

All of you (you know who you are), this is a "shared" community... don't make this blog ABOUT YOU!

The world doesn't change... WE do.

Why spend the time trying to change everything around you?. Look in the mirror.. and start with that person first!!

...or find the "life sucks" blog. It's probably more suited.

But in the meantime can you give Doug a break, faaawk!

[m]

I find it amusing that Lebatard translates from the French to English as "the bastard". -)

[The J]

I would like to point out how LeBatard can be easily switched into two insults (m points one out above and the other rhymes with Batard). Just saying that the next time someone breaks a story based on nothing, maybe we should call them a "LeBatard". For example:
Commenter: "Hey Doug, I heard that the Raps are trading Bosh to Seattle for Gary Payton and Detlef Scrhempf"
The Rest of us: "What a total LeBatard!".

[The J]

By the way, there are worse things to be stuck doing on Canada Day then having to follow LeBron Day. You could be forced to watch TSN2's all day NHL "Free Agent Frenzy". Ugh. Oh and another big singing, now Zybnek Michalek is off the board.
Or you could be stuck somewhere having to update all or your retail software to adjust for the HST.

[marc in Panama]

Hola Doug,

Dude, it's your blog — continue to write about whatever you care to write about. Any body doesn't like it: @$!%'em and feed 'em fish.

Cheers amigo
marc in panama

[VikZ]

Did I read that right?? Aditya goes to university???
I bet it's Brock

[Joey]

@Pete,
Not Raptors related, but what is it about our Nation that you are not proud to be a part of? I for one, believe anyone who lives in Canada, born or moved, is part of the luckiest group in the world, and we should all feel proud to be a part of it.

[J]

There's a big difference between Twitter for every day life and Twitter in journalism. I couldn't care less if other people enjoy typing snippets about their day or reading someone else's. It's certainly not for me, but I can see the appeal to some. The last thing I want to see, however, is sloppy integration of Twitter into journalism. I have seen articles that instead of going directly to the source for comment, relied entirely on a tweet. I can understand it if you cannot reach the source for comment, but these articles did not even state that. Until tweets can be 100% verified to be accurate and directly from the source, this is a big no-no for me.

[J]

And definitely agree with Rob V (and thus disagree with Mike Smith)

Okay, I have to admit I skip over a lot of the non-Raptors stuff, but that's my choice. Choice is great; everyone should feel free to try it out.

Heck, I don't drink or like beer, so perhaps I should tell Doug to stop talking about beer? (Oddly, I picked up some pointers on beers to try should I ever decide to try them again.) Someone else doesn't like to read questions from other readers, so please stop posting those too? I bet there's also a good number of people here who don't even come to Doug's blog for Raptors news, so maybe we should just can it all.

Keep on writing whatever, Doug; it's what makes this blog interesting and unique. I think a lot of people don't understand what goes into one of these. It alone would be a day job for me, so it's not surprising that you have typos on a daily basis. Pointing out mistakes is fine, especially if it's essential for comprehension or if it's something readers should not learn incorrectly, but for the people who pick them out as a way to show superiority... well, let's just say I've read plenty of posts and wannabe sports blogs by people who mock this blog on other sites and most (if not all) have been lacking.

[Obiter Dictator]

"Please cite your sources (in this case, John Hollinger). We get caught for this kind of stuff here in university....lol"

As a former T.A. and still-current graduate student:

The point Doug was making is called 'common sense' or 'common thought', insofar as it does not take primary research to figure out. It is a well-known, public fact that RJ optioned out of his contract and to any and every bright basketball mind out there the immediate reaction was that he was doing it for a length issue in his contract rather than money because basketball aficionados know that with the upcoming CBA negotiations in 2011 it will tough to get longevity in the league. So, there's no need to cite the source.

However, since you made a point of sourcing John Hollinger you should have provided the full reference. That omission, in fact, would be the greatest problem in a post-secondary, undergraduate setting--attributing the work to someone and not providing the source material is a form of academic dishonesty.

Thanks for playing.

- Obiter Dictator

[Gord]

According to Yahoo, Amir just signed a 5-year, $34 million contract, what do you think Doug? Kinda high, or would he have gotten that much from other teams?

Blogger's note: Probably about what the market would handle; maybe a tad more but not unreasonable

[Ryan]

Toronto Raptors have reached agreement to sign centre Amir Johnson to a five-year, $34 million deal

[The other KG]

Hey @VikZ:

Was that to be an insult insinuating that @Aditya goes to Brock? Because as I recall, it's one of the best schools in all of Ontario, if not Canada.

On that note, I hate to wonder what university taught you to use multiple question marks.

Back to the game - I'm glad they were able to get Johnson back - just wish it had been for a bit less. I'm definitely hoping if they lose Bosh, that the deal comes from Houston. Some great parts we could get back - and since their my original favourite team, I wouldn't mind them landing Bosh.

[VikZ]

@The other KG

Although I highly disagree about Brock being the best in Ontario/Canada, I meant it as an insult because Brock has one of the lowest entrance requirements.
And yes, multiple question marks isn't proper, but it's generally accepted on the internet that multiple question marks depict surprise.