How everyone handled themselves in a very odd process

Some day, eh?

First call from about 7:30 a.m., last call from a guy about 10:20 p.m. Gotta love the gig.

But it was fun at some level, wasn’t it?

And there’s more to come.

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So, I know what you think – the 150 or so comments here and the 100 or so that accompany the various news stories were enough for me – and I’m still trying to figure out what I think.

And this is what I get to:

Chris Bosh made the best decision for Chris Bosh and, at the end of the day, don’t we all have to look out for No. 1?

He’s 26 years old, been working the same job for seven years and had a chance to move to a different city to work with a better group of colleagues and he took it.

Wouldn’t you?

I might, especially if those seven years hadn’t been all that successful.

But there are so many layers to this whole situation it’s really hard to get your head around all of them.

Let’s go through a few:

How Bosh acted.

I’ll say this up front: I quite like Chris Bosh. He’s a good man at heart, I believe, he’s been nothing but respectful and cordial and professional with me and I’ve seen him every step of the way, from here to Beijing.

That said, I don’t think he handled himself particularly well during his whole process, not with the Raptors, not with the fans, not with the media.

That he put himself out there in public should come as no surprise – this is a dude who did a video about getting a tattoo, for goodness sake – but not being open and forthright and accommodating with the Raptors was disrespectful. And to not take 20 seconds on that faux interview yesterday afternoon to thank the people and organization that helped make him what he is was bad. Very bad.

I don’t know if this is some seismic shift in Bosh’s personality or not; I don’t think it is but it was a definite blackmark on an otherwise solid reputation.

I presume someone close to him will tell him that, and I hope he understands how he hurt some people up here.

How the Raptors acted

It became apparent to lots of people it the organization about March that Bosh was going to leave so that he’s gone really doesn’t surprise a lot of people.

Now, it’s easy to say in hindsight that they should have traded him last February at the deadline but, if you recall, things were going pretty darn well at the point, the sense was Bosh was happy, we were fielding calls and e-mails about him being the best power forward in the game and certain all-NBA pick. It went south, no question. But at the deadline, there was no sense a trade was necessary.

Anyway, that quite aside, once this whole process started, the Raptors knew they had lost a little bit of control in the situation, that it would be up to Bosh to pick a team and then for them to work something out in a sign-and-trade.

Now, there may very well be something coming back for Bosh, the door is not entirely closed on a sign-and-trade so all this needs to be tempered by that fact.

But perhaps they misread him a bit, too. I know some in the organization were convinced that Bosh would be about the money and that the allure of a sixth year on a contract would be enough to ensure they got something in return.

Maybe that isn’t going to happen and that would make this a very big black mark on the tenure of GM Bryan Colangelo.

But let’s see how it shakes out in the next 24 hours.

What the future holds

I had a guy say to me yesterday afternoon something along the lines of:

“They’ve got no chance to make the playoffs now.”

And I kind of thought:

“Well, they didn’t make the playoffs the last two years, what’s the difference?”

Maybe as much as this was a good basketball decision for Bosh, maybe it’s a good basketball decision for the Raptors, too, even if it was kind of forced on them.

It didn’t work to great extents with Chris here, they were good some years, bad some years and middling some other years. They tried a whole bunch of things, coaches, teammates, styles, and nothing seemed to really click.

Maybe it is time to regroup, to find some other style of play, let this group run and see if someone or something emerges. I don’t know if it will and I don’t know if it won’t but it should be interesting to watch.

I have a friend, Kate, who’s one of the better editors I’ve got, and one of the Irregulars around these parts. Got a note from her that ended with this:

“Moving on … I’m actually pretty excited about the Young Gunz era! I know we might not be winning as many games, but I expect the entertainment level will be as good if not better with these talented kids – including the rookies, who look to be great addition.”

I had a few more comments and e-mails like that, too.

It’s going to be a new era around here for sure, no question about it. It might be bad, it might be good, it might surprise everyone.

And, you know, the unknown might be one of the good things about sport, you throw the ball up, see what happens and watch and enjoy.

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Oh yeah, if you want to watch, I hear TSN’s picking up the hour-long LeBronathon.

If it ends with him, Bosh and Wade singing You’ll Never Walk Alone, I’m throwing something at the TV.

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What of LeBron?

Miami? Cleveland?

From the world of total guesswork, I’m saying Miami for no real reason except because I feel compelled to put in my two cents.

And if it is, we have all tomorrow to figure out whether it’s good or bad for the NBA.

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Mail check one more time. Got lots in there that are rants and comments and quite entertaining on the whole but a lot of ‘em lack the requisite feature of a mailbag question.

That being a question.

So click here and send some if you like.

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One thing we’ll delve into tomorrow for sure is the salary cap situation of the Raptors and the league.

It was with huge interest that I saw the cap and tax numbers released by the league last night.

The cap is set at $58.044 million and the tax level is $70.307 million; last year they were $57.700 million and $69.920 million, respectively.

Kind of makes it hard to believe the league’s contention that teams are in dire financial straights when the money to spend goes up, doesn’t it?

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Anyway, got Amir Johnson hoopla at 1 p.m. and more phone work on what else Bryan might have up his sleeve (the mid-level guy is coming soon, I’m betting we get a trade in the next little while).

Stick around, who knows what might unfold.

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The teens lose and Bosh may be on the move -- somewhere

First the news, then the stuff.

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The Good Canadian Boys were beaten over in Germany while a lot of you (us) were sleeping, going down 75-70 to Poland to end the preliminary round of the world under-17 championships.

What it means is Canada, at 3-2, will finish second in its pool and while it’s a bit hard to predict who they’ll get in Friday’s quarter-finals, the odds are it’ll be China or Lithuania.

Neither’s an easy touch, I don’t think, but the local lads have really been playing well, I’m told by people there, and they’ve got a shot.

Of course, a win in the knockout quarters gets them into the semis and gives them two shots at medal in the inaugural tournament.

Telephone technology willing (and it let us down Tuesday) we’ll get to chat with coach Roy Rana later this morning to get the lowdown.

Kevin Pangos of Holland Landing made all seven of his two-point field goal attempts and led Canada with 22 points, while Dyshawn Pierre of Whitby had 15.

So that catches you up for now, we’ll get more later on I hope.

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Now let’s take a quick journey from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Way back yesterday morning, the old Blackberry was buzzing with the breathless news that Chris Bosh was headed to Cleveland, a sign-and-trade deal had been worked out.

Way back last night, the old Blackberry was buzzing with the breathless news that Chris Bosh was headed to Miami, a sign-and-trade deal had been worked out.

Hmm.

Gonna be interesting to see how he splits himself in half but it’s sure got to help the Raptors to get bits and pieces and trade exceptions from two teams, doesn’t it?

Borrowing a phrase from Kevin O’Neill:

“Will the ridiculousness never end?”

(An aside: KO muttered that line the morning of his second home game as head coach – Oct. 31, 2004 – when he was asked what his favourite Halloween costume was. He was unamused.)

Seriously, this has to end, right?

And when it does, I cannot wait to see who claims to have known all along that what happens, happens. It’ll be classic.

Of course, there is one report out there right now – a new one – that says Bosh and Wade have agreed to sign in Miami and we’re checking on its veracity right away.

It could be true, which would be great because it would mean the saga is over; or it could be not, which would be like, well, yesterday.

I don’t know that Miami’s the best fit for Toronto – I still think Houston would have been the preferred destination for the package that was out there – but it would be second, in my book.

If it is the Heat – and it could very well be – I’d say Mario Chalmers, Joel Anthony (although he’s not crucial), Toronto’s own first-round pick back, another one or two unprotected firsts and a big old trade exception would be the best they could get.

Suppose if came down to negotiations they could put some protection on the Miami picks they’re getting; that certainly wouldn't be a deal-breaker.

Anyway, off to work the phones. Just like we did most of yesterday.

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When good guys do good things:

Matt Bonner, Everyone’s Favourite Adopted Canadian, is hooked up with this charity music thingy for the Boys and Girls Club.

Now, I have no idea who these bands are – the flier I saw had The Hold Steady w/ The Whigs – but Matt’s hooked up with a fund-raising concert at The Phoenix. I think if you click here you can get the details you need.

This is a good thing Matt’s doing because he does good things as a rule and if you’re into this kind of music – and I have no earthly idea what kind of music it is – you might want to check it out.

And for all of you who ask: The Bonner Citizenship process is wending its way through the process and there’s no definitive word on whether it gets done in time for him to play in Turkey at the worlds next month.

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Mail?

Sure, why not. Send the cards and letters, best wishes and whatever else is on your mind, right here and we’ll get to it.

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When I first heard that LeBron was going to go on national television in the States on Thursday night to announce his intentions, I groaned. Really, isn’t that a bit over the top, I thought, and a tad presumptuous of him, running quite contrary to how he’s comported himself in the last week.

And then I took a second and figured, hey, why not?

How else is he going to get the news out? Tweet and run? Leak it to some friendly reporter? White smoke billowing from the chimney of his Akron palace? So I guess it makes entire sense to hold a news conference with a twist, the twist being it’s broadcast on national TV.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching.

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Okay, off for another day of Waiting For Chris. Hope it’s the last one.

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Bosh dithers still, the kids win and a blast from the coaching past

I’m sure you all saw or heard the Bryan quotes yesterday about Bosh and sign-and-trades and how the Raptors would work with him to get something done but only if it made sense to Toronto.

Not a whole lot newsworthy, it’s been that way for quite some time now and there were no startling revelations. There is, however, a growing sense of impatience tempered with a bit of frustration around the hierarchy; at least that’s the sense I’m getting.

They are impatient that Bosh seems to be waiting to be “the other guy” to someone somewhere after telling all and sundry he wanted to be the man, and the level of frustration comes from the fact they can’t get a read on what he’s thinking because he’s not talking.

Now, I’m sure when it’s all said and done some sign-and-trade deal will work itself out somewhere -- although there is no way in the world they are taking four years and $50-plus million of Luol Deng so put that right out of your mind – and the feeling is it’ll be done by the end of the week.

But the subtle, and not-so subtle – shots across the bow are telling Bosh and his agent that the Raptors are going to take care of themselves first and foremost, they have some say in what’s going to happen and they won’t be held hostage by a guy who’s bolting after seven years in Toronto.

I would expect that in the end Bryan won’t cut off his nose to spite his face but the message he’s delivering needed to be delivered.

And if brings this stuff to a conclusion a bit more quickly, I’ll be the first in line to thank him.

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Of course you know there’d be a couple of guys who’d slip my mind when I was talking about the mid-level exception and the guy I was told the Raptors are thinking about making an offer to.

Now, I again caution nothing is done until it’s done and these are talks that are progressing. But a couple of guys sidled up to me Monday, and, even though I like sidlers about as much as Elaine Benes, I had to listen.

And they dropped three more on me:

Travis Outlaw, Linas Kleiza and Josh Childress. Nothing more than names to put on the list because no one connected with the Raptors is about to divulge anything specific at the moment.

Kleiza’s the interesting one to me because there was interest in him a year ago before the Raptors made all their moves and he headed off to Europe.

He’s a restricted free agent but he could very well be the guy you should be debating.

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So, the kids.

Easy win over in Germany this morning for the Canadian under-17 world championships, they drilled Korea 95-74 in the first laugher of the four games they’ve played.

The win runs their record to 3-1, assures them a spot in the quarter-finals and, just as important, also means they won’t get the Americans in the first round of the elimination portion of the tournament.

Junior Lomomba led Canada with 20, Dyshawn Pierre continues to have an excellent tournament as he had 14 points and 10 boards while Kevin Pangos and Olivier Hanlan each had 11.

We’ll be talking to a player or two and hopefully coach Roy Rana later this morning to get more details but these kids really have to be feeling good about themselves and Canada Basketball has to be feeling good about its programs, too.

I have no idea of the calibre of the competition but beating Spain and Australia, especially by coming back late in the fourth quarters of close games and pulling away speaks to something about this group.

But quite aside from wins and losses – and don’t get me wrong, wins are great – it’s the experience these teens are getting that’s the most important thing. They are learning how the international game is played, they are learning the significance of playing for their country and that has to count for something substantial as their careers roll on.

We’ll try to take a deeper look at what it all means after the preliminary round ends Wednesday and there’s a day off to collect thoughts and take a breath.

But before then, check back on our regular sports page later today for the stuff about this morning’s easy win.

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Mail? May as well start the weekly plea for submissions. Click here to send ‘em but don’t forget that anything to do too specifically with free agency might be rendered moot by the weekend

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Shaq to Atlanta? Why not.

Guess that’s what the reports are out there today and if he’s going to be a backup, that’s an odd spot.

Not sure what it means for the entirely functional Zaza Pachulia (a fave only because of the name) and if the Hawks are still going to run stuff through Joe Johnson, doesn’t Shaq get in the way?

Who knows if it’ll happen, just not sure it’s the greatest of fits.

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The stuff you learn when the phone rings out of nowhere.

Just got done a quick radio hit last night at dinner when I answer a call that yields this little nugget about a guy some old-time Irregulars might recall.

Seems our old friend Butch Carter is going to get serious about getting back in the game and he’s hooked himself up with none other than William Wesley, aka World Wide Wes, in an effort to land some new gig.

Now, you know that I think the world of Butch as a basketball coach and a guy. He was an outstanding strategist and coached a game as well as anyone who’s ever done that gig in Toronto and I’ve thought for a while that he should have landed somewhere.

World Wide Wes, as some might know, seems to be a facilitator extraordinaire, he was hooked up with LeBron and a whole raft of others.

Put his connections with Butch’s abilities and I bet something happens for Mr. Carter.

Which would be good.

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Since today seems pretty quiet (oh, it’ll be Netherlands 2, Uruguay 0 and I’m sorry to my Uruguayan buddy) I figure late afternoon is when we get some breaking news just to mess up a slow day.

Or not.

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Raptors wait but still have some things cooking

Is this the week we get some resolution to all this crap? One can only hope.

Until then …

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I guess the most significant part of today’s semi-news (click here for the gory details) is that the Raptors have decided to strike while the iron is hot with mid-level free agents rather than wait to see what happens with the big names.

There is a thought that once LeBron, Wade, Bosh and Stoudemire get their deals done this week – and we’re looking at midweek at the earliest for James – the market may explode with even bigger contracts to even more middling talent than we’ve already seen.

Look at it strictly by the numbers:

There are still five teams – Chicago, Miami, New York, New Jersey and even the Clippers – with big money left and, given that second-tier guys like Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay are staying put, the number of players out there is dwindling.

You’ve got James, Wade, Bosh, Amare Stoudemire (who seems destined for the Knicks) and maybe David Lee in play and too much money to go around.

It could lead to some teams over-paying later in the week and it makes sense to get something done sooner rather that later.

One other thing the Toronto situation might suggest – and this is extrapolation pure and simple and not something anyone from the organization has whispered to me – is that the Raptors probably know what kind of player they’ll ask for in any sign-and-trade and they’re filling out other holes other ways.

Anyway, guess it looks good that Bryan’s being a little proactive at the moment instead of entirely sitting back and waiting for Bosh.

And it gave us something to put in the paper today that had at least a modicum of substance to it.

Now, I do wish the people who helped me out with the information last night had dropped a name or two on me but, you know, that provides a task for today.

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Yes, I read with great interest the sourced reports over the weekend that the Raptors were losing interest in any kind of sign-and-trade for Bosh.

And then I figured: Nice shot across the bow.

I know from talking to people in the organization that, yes, there are some sign-and-trade deals ready to be consummated if Bosh picks this team or that, and that there are some teams with which the hierarchy really can’t find a comfortable fit.

I think the message, no matter how it was delivered, was that, ‘yes, we’ll play ball with you to maximize earnings but we’re not going to get killed in the process.’ Kind of makes sense and kind of what the feeling around the Raptors has been since the whole shebang started a week or so ago. Not entirely huge news but a message delivered in some fashion that wasn’t a tweet.

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I miss the football.

Luckily, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons like slow and, if you’re reading this Mr. Colangelo, doing nothing between about 2 and 5 those days would be greatly appreciated.

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You’ll be able to read more about this in this space later on (there’s a conference call with the coach about 8:30 a.m. and then I have to write while having another coffee) but a big win for Canada at the world cadet championships over in Germany this morning.

With another big fourth quarter, the under-17 boys beat Spain 79-72 to run their record to 2-1 at the first age-group championships ever.

I’m only getting details off my FIBA boxscore at the moment but Canada finished with a 25-17 fourth quarter and was down three with about three minutes to go before finishing on a 14-4 run.

Good on ‘em, the win virtually guarantees a spot in the elimination quarter-finals and with Poland and Korea left in the preliminary round, a couple of wins will get them to second in their group and could mean a pretty solid shot at playing for a medal.

As I mentioned, we’ll get some more details and information a bit later this morning.

The kids go at the same time tomorrow and I guess that’s one benefit to getting up early in the morning.

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You know who’s comported himself with the most class in this whole free agency frenzy? The guy at the top, LeBron James.

No tweets, no curbside video interviews, no breathless reports that every meeting was “great.”

No tours, no jetting around teasing, no letting everyone know exactly what he was doing a handful of times a day.

You’ve got to give him credit.

Now, I’d love for him to make some kind of decision today so we can get this whole circus packed up and out of town for a few years but, other than that, he’s been first-class all the way.

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Do you know that if you spend a 30 C Sunday in the cool comfort of your home doing nothing but putting out calls and e-mails and waiting for replies that you can watch nearly every episode of Criminal Minds ever made if you’re so inclined.

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I wonder if Ed Davis will be toting his parka and flanked by a phalanx of tax lawyers when we see him today at noon?

And once they unveil him and Solomon Alabi (again), there’s a wee reception over at the new bistro next to the arena. Wonder what taped hockey game they’ll be showing on the gigantic screen?

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Information by way of leftover mail, what a great idea.

Q: Do you know if the upcoming summer league games Toronto is in will be aired on TV?

Karen P, Whitby

A: My understanding is that the games, which begin July 10 out in Vegas, will be shown on tape delay on RaptorsTV. I know NBA TV is treating the Orlando summer league, which starts today, and the Vegas league, which kicks off Friday, as its own summer basketball telethon of live games but you need a pretty good satellite or a nice local to find that.

There will be a host of games on the Raptors network but not too many look like they’ll be live from checking out this schedule posted on the website.

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All right, Canadian under-17 call in half an hour, meeting with the draft picks at noon, Yankees at 8:30 p.m. Long day ahead. Hope nothing else breaks to cause excess work.

See ya.

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Lots of mail for an expected quiet Sunday

Morning, folks.

Lots of good stuff here and still some leftover that I can parcel out through the first of the week.

Have at it because I’ve got the feeling we’re in for another long boring day of nothing happening with the locals and this will probably be it.

Hope the weather’s good wherever you are and you can some of that long-neglected yard work done.

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Q: Happy Canada Day, Mr. Smith!

I am reading rumours that with Bosh leaving, Hedo may wish to stay, as his role would be extended. What are your thoughts on this? Is it simply Colangelo trying to increase his trade value? Would one of the point guards need to be traded? If so, who? Would we see a difference in attitude and effort on Hedo's part, or would his presence negatively affect the team?

Thanks

Michelle PB, Toronto

A: Hope you and yours had an excellent Canada Day as well.

I don’t think the door is at all shut on a Turkoglu return, time seems to have a way of healing all wounds. I’ve said all along I thought saner heads could prevail in the organization and that Hedo would have to make amends with the fans somehow and that’s the big job ahead.

As well, I think when Bosh goes, and the ball isn’t in his hands on so many possessions and for so many seconds on so many of those possessions, it could very well allow Turk to be a more efficient and regular contributor to the offence.

And I don’t necessarily think either of the PGs has to move to pacify Turk or increase his role; he’d be fine on the court with either of them.

As for his effect on the team? I do think there some fences to be mended there but it’s surprising what a little contrition and some hard work in practice and games will do to enhance a guy’s reputation with his teammates.

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Q: Hi Doug, here's a change of pace for you from the free agent madness. You've written about the WNBA from time to time and I admire your recent pitches for Seattle's Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, though with a game on the line give me Cappie Pondexter or Katie Smith any day. They play with the fire that you see in the best, man or woman. My question, is there any support for bringing a WNBA team to Toronto? I'd hate to see the league fade away through lack of support. Thanks for the blog!

Frank L, Ottawa

A: Those are indeed two great ones and having watched my Storm club the Sparks on Saturday afternoon I'm pretty happy with where things are going with them.

Now, I’ve heard of no support whatsoever here in Toronto for a WNBA franchise; I wonder if it wouldn’t be too tough a sell for Maple Leaf Sports to take on at this time.

But I’d like to see it.

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Q: Good evening Mr. Smith.

While this is not the most topical of questions given the pending/past free agent goings on, I did wonder what your reaction was to the whole Wilner/Fan kerfuffle of a few weeks back. The reason I ask you is that as a reporter who covers a team on a local basis, you likely have some good insight into the dynamics that occur between the Manager/Coach and a reporter, e.g. Mr. O'Neill and Mr. Mitchell.

My personal take, which granted is worthless, is that the reporter overreacted to the "belittling" he felt from the Manager. While most of the local media, not surprisingly, circled the wagons to protect their own, e.g. the BBWAA's letter, they failed to acknowledge an obvious transgression: Mr. Wilner's whine through his blog. Why I say transgression, I think if Mr. Wilner felt "belittled", he should have raised it in a one-on-one conversation with the Manager rather than using a blog to express his dissatisfaction. By using the blog to vent, it left the Manager with no ability to present a counter argument -- an impartial and journalistic account would have at least allowed an the subject to express his/her view point on the matter, no?

In any case, I read your blog virtually every day and for some reason I'd be shocked if you ever used your blog to express a similar sentiment.

Matt G, Ottawa

A: I probably wouldn’t no. But I’m me and Mike, who I quite like, is Mike. And I don’t think I’ve got a problem with venting in a space that’s yours, to tell you the truth. I see your point, though, and without knowing all the details of that particular dynamic, I can’t speak to even the possibilities that the two could sit down and chat to iron out whatever differences there.

I don’t see there’s much of a difference, really, between a guy writing in some blog what he feels and a guy writing a highly-critical newspaper column on how he feels.

As for the BBWAA’s involvement, I applaud Rich Griffin and his folks for letting their feelings be know to the station’s management and even the Jays. It’s what that organization is supposed to do.

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Q: Hi Doug. Somewhat of a different type of question: Do you think that there will ever be a place for tablet computers (e.g. iPad) in coaching? Coaches could access scouting reports and animated plays, all at their fingertips. Just a thought.

Haley M, Toronto

A: That’s an interesting suggestion. With so much use of video these days – including some teams showing stuff at halftime in the locker room – I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone didn’t try it.

The only concern would be the amount of time there is in timeouts and whether someone might steal it to surf some websites during breaks.

But eventually, I can see them using it instead of some erasable whiteboard.

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Q: Doug, I loved your recent rant about the way in which players stacking the deck in their favour "smacks of taking the easy way out". I was nodding my head in agreement while reading but then the devil on my shoulder said that it needed a voice and so I'll act as advocate and hopefully get another solid response from you.

How is the idea of Bosh, James and Wade orchestrating a union this summer less sportsmanlike than Garnett and Allen joining Pierce in Boston? Or having Pau Gasol shipped to LA for not very much to play with a certain Mr. Mamba who had threatened to leave the team unless he got help?

Jordan had help, Bird had help, and Magic had help. In a post expansion era where talent is diluted and spread over more teams, isn't it logical that that players would crave the experience of playing for a team that features real talent? And if the only way to achieve that goal is to take responsibility for their lives, careers and legacies, doesn't prudence dictate that they must take the actions necessary to ensure their greatest good? Thanks as always for entertaining my questions.

Nik W, Pune, India

A: I guess the main difference – and those comments of mine evoked quite a few responses, which is good – is that the GMs didn’t sit down and make a concerted effort to turn one team into a behemoth. Each – McHale in Minnesota, Wallace in Memphis – had a reason for doing what they did, whether those reasons made sense to any of us is entirely moot.

Yes, everyone who’s ever won has help to some degree, there’s just something about the start of this year’s process that irked me.

Is it a question of someone blinking first?

Is this the weekend we find out what’s what?

Do you think by this time Monday morning any of the dust will have settled? We can only hope.

Anyway …

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Does anyone else get the sense that this whole free agent frenzy is devolving into one humongous game of chicken?

We’ve got Dwyane Wade apparently holding the Bulls against the Heat.

We’ve got Joe Johnson waiving his max value deal from Atlanta around in face of the Knicks, Bulls and who knows whom else.

We’ve got Chris Bosh – and if there’s anyone who disputes the contention that he loves the attention he’s getting, let them forever hold their peace – praising everyone he talks to or about and pretty much being omnipresent.

King James sits as some Ohio potentate, inviting the plebes in and hoping they one-up each other to some ridiculous degree.

It bores me.

Really.

I know there are nuances every and every meeting takes on the significance of Yalta if you listen to the tweets in the wind but, really, come on, snore!

Yes, teams want to sign great players. Yes, players want to make oodles of money. But let’s get it over with.

Please, for the love of all that’s good in the world, let’s get it over with.

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Speaking of the Raptors, and I guess we better given that’s what we do around here, well, actually, there’s nothing to speak of.

A lot of sitting around Friday working the phones and gauging the wind, I’m told. Getting ready for whatever happens to happen and prepared to pounce immediately.

I will tell you this, though.

I imagine the news that Amare Stoudemire is leaning to New York (and I caution you, it’s not done until it’s done and these are “sourced” reports) had to be greeted with smiles at 20 Bay.

That would take the Houston Rockets out of the bidding for Stoudemire, allow them to go after Bosh even harder and if there’s a sign-and-trade already negotiated that includes Scola, Battier, maybe Trevor Ariza or another player or a pick, I think that’s about as good as it’ll get for the Raptors.

Now, I don’t know for 100 per cent certain that that’s the actual offer that’s on the table, it sure sounds good at this end.

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I am certainly not steeped in the history of football but if there was a more compelling day overall than Friday, I can’t imagine what it was.

Talk about two great ones.

I guarantee you that’s the first time I’ve ever stood in a radio studio getting ready to do a show with one eye trained on the TV in the corner and almost all my attention devoted to the Black Stars.

What a game.

Tough, tough finish. But we acquitted ourselves well and, I’m sure, won over some fans with that run.

And for a guy who first liked Netherlands in the Johan Cruyff (speaking of, you need to read this) era, the come from behind win was stuff of legends.

Not sure how today tops it but I think being nailed to a stool to find out is a good idea.

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Speaking of stools, if I’m sitting on one, I better have something to do pass the time so here’s your last chance to hit the mailbag and see what happens.

Click here and remember, things are pretty fluid in the free agency world and a question you ask at noon may be rendered moot by dinnertime.

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Wait, there is some marginal Raptors news.

They’re going to trot out Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi at some buntoss-chinwag on Monday and we should get a look at the summer league roster that day, too.

They’re planning a little mini-camp here the first of the week for the Vegas-bound team that’s supposed to include DeRozan, Weems, Davis, Alabi, the legendary Joey Dorsey (not to be confused with Tommy) and a handful of others.

A couple of names I did hear of guys they’re trying to get are Dee Brown (the other one); this dude Chiekh Samb, who had a sniff in the NBA in the past; and Curtis Stinson, who apparently led the D League in assists.

But when you’re looking over the rest of the roster, consider this: The reason the D League team is playing is to get live minutes and opportunities for the guys like DeRozan and Weems, Davis and Alabi, who are certain to be Raptors next year.

That’s why a guy like Stinson is here, rather than some hot-shooting point guard; they want a guy who knows how to get the ball to the guys who matter and on this Toronto team, that’s the four kids who are part of the future.

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All right.

Yes, this is a little bit shorter than usual but it was a quiet Friday and a quiet morning. Good weather ahead, you should all get out of doors and do something productive.

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Even for the money, the Johnson deal makes all kinds of sense

Amir Johnson, $34 million over five years.

Basketball angle: Good deal locking up a young big.

Financial angle: Big whoop.

Seriously, the money’s not at all a problem to me, it’s a big a raise off his $3.66 million deal of a year ago but, talking to people last night for the story, there was some other interest (as widely expected), the Raptors wanted him and went and got him.

It doesn’t impact anything else they may want to do this summer, there’s every possibility he’ll be the team’s starting centre next October and, at 23 years old, they’ve got him locked up for what could be the prime of his career.

The criticism that this could be a bad deal by, say, 2014 is entire guesswork; we have no idea what the economic landscape will look like then so to say it’ll hinder or help the team in three or four seasons is impossible to know.

And, besides, we’re not entirely sure how the contract is structured; maybe it’s not $6.8 million a year, maybe it starts lower and gets bigger or starts bigger and gets lower. Maybe there aren’t full guarantees for each year, those questions will be answered when the deal’s actually finalized in a week or so.

Look, Amir Johnson’s a pretty good young player and for fans who want the Raptors to “blow it up and start with kids” he’s one who fits with DeRozan, Weems, Davis and, to some degree, the relatively grey-haired Jack.

Johnson, who does have a penchant for fouling, which may impact how much he can play, made huge strides last season working hard with assistant coach Alex English on some offensives moves. If he keeps growing like that, I guarantee the money issue will be put entirely out of mind.

The Raptors wanted to get him, he wanted to be here, and the deal got done quickly. There are still several other moves rattling around in the mind of Bryan Colangelo, it’s good that he got this one out of the way quickly.

The money? Sure, it’s a lot of money. But it’s what the market – where Drew Gooden, six years older than Johnson, by the way, gets $32 million – dictates.

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Um, one question: Wasn’t one of the big beefs from some that the Raptors wouldn’t spend what it took to win?

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From the Department Of The Body’s Not Even Cold yet, we have …

Q: Hey Doug. You have been a consistent supporter of Chris Bosh. No one has watched his career as a Raptor closer. Now that Bosh is about to sign elsewhere, is there a feeling of disappointment?

Now I know professionalism would speak against such human emotion but I have to wonder - What are your personal feelings?

Jacklyn M, Charlottetown

A: I’ll be quite up front about this: I like Chris Bosh, I think he’s a good kid, an exceptional basketball player and as a guy who had to interact with us on almost a daily basis, he was tremendous.

We did have to wait him out after almost every game because he had to be fully dressed – right down to the earrings – for each post-game interview because he wanted to look good when he faced the cameras. Good for him, a tad frustrating for us on deadline at times.

But as a guy? He’d have a conversation about stuff away from the game, he answered a lot of hard questions (remember the hullabaloo about the public negotiations about his child support issue? Well, that sure turned out to be nothing but he talked about it) and he answered them all.

So, yes, I guess there’s a sense of disappointment that he won’t be around.

I hope he goes on to have a long and outstanding career.

I remember writing quite some time ago that “you’ll miss him when he’s gone” and I have a feeling I’ll be right.

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Okay, that’s one out of what’s shaping up to be an excellent mailbag, click here for your last shot at getting in it.

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Hey, Black Stars today!

My man C Young (this is a late addition, you have to read this) over in South Africa reports Ghana are without doubt the favourites of the masses and I can just add, “it’s about time.”

I’ve got the hat, Super Son’s got the t-shirt and we’re ready to rock.

Ghana 1, Uruguay 0.

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I’m sure you’ll see an update here later today sometime, probably in the form of a second post or maybe a separate story, but the Under-17 Canada Cadets open the inaugural world championships today over in Germany.

It’s a good young team under coach Roy Rana and represents a lot of the long-term future for the national senior program.

No idea how they might end up doing – this is the first age-group world championships ever – but the most significant thing is that they area there and gaining valuable experience.

The quicker these teens get used to the international game, the better; and what might be just as important is the exposure they’ll get in front of European club team scouts because the greater number of Canadians we have playing in the top Euro leagues, the better.

There’s always a problem with Canadian kids out of college finding places to play because too many of them have been buried on NCAA benches for years and no one gets to see them. With things like this tournament, their names may get out to enough teams that it helps long-term.

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Oh yeah, the Mighty Yankees didn’t do anything yesterday. Figured some of you might like to (not) know that.

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The one thing I think we’re going to find quite fascinating as the next few days and weeks play out is that you might find some teams that have cleared all kinds of cap room with nowhere really smart to spend it.

A lot of people – myself included – didn’t expect Joe Johnson to go back to the Hawks but reports are suggesting a maximum value deal (and talk about over-spending) will keep him there. Rudy Gay is another guy lots of folks expected to move but it looks like he’s going back to Memphis for about $80 million.

Those are two of the “other” free agents that I think were fallback positions for the teams with mega-cap room like New York, New Jersey and Miami.

And if any of those teams don’t get the biggest names out there – and there was no movement other than meetings on LeBron, Bosh, Wade and Stoudemire yesterday – they could be left holding the bag of money, so to speak.

Watch out then if you’re looking for teams to over-spend on guys.

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So Phil Jackson says he’s going back to the Lakers for another shot; Doc Rivers isn’t going to abandon the Celtics for a quiet family year quite yet and Byron Scott gets recycled yet again.

So much for the coaching carousel, eh?

Am mildly surprised Jackson re-upped since all indications were that he’d trot off into the sunset to deal with some physical issues and marvel at his championship ring collection.

But that leaves just one gig – the Clippers – and then we’ve got all those vacancies filled.

If only free agency was so smooth.

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All right, another day of calls, e-mails and waiting ahead. Thank goodness there’s some football to help pass away the hours.

That didn't take long for Amir

Just finishing up some Canada Day family stuff here in time to get the call that the Raptors have taken a step to solidifying their front court.

Am told that Amir Johnson, who had a breakout season last season, has agreed in principle to a five-year deal that approaches $34 million in total value.

Just a quick hit now, it has to come as no surprise to anyone that he's re-signed and we'll have some more in a little bit.

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 …

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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