Jose is out of worlds, and tragic losses and terrible, horrible movies

Oh, this is not going to sit well with many of you, I can be sure of that.

Not sure how many saw it but in Sunday’s Spain-USA game in Madrid, Jose tweaked a hamstring and ended the game on the bench.

I spoke electronically with a couple of people who were at the game and neither of them made it sound at all serious but there’s more checking to be done today.

Turns out that he'll need at least a month off and will not take part in the world championships that start Saturday. I'm going to try to reach someone for comment during the day but the Associated Press is attributing this quote to Jose.

"There is not much to say. It is a pity I was injured at the last minute."

We all know hamstrings, right? They don’t tend to heal themselves really, really quickly and I guess the best thing might be that NBA training camps don’t start for a month, it’s almost nine weeks before the regular season opens and that’s an awful lot of time.

I’m sure this will once again raise the issue of NBA players playing for their countries and suffering injuries but, as always, I will suggest that injuries can happen any time, like when guys are simply working out in a summer gym as they always do and it’s a tough break but it should in no way dissuade players from taking part.

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Speaking of games, imagine you saw that Canada lost, 84-53, to Turkey at the Efes Pilsen Cup in Ankara on Sunday.

No surprise there, beating Turkey in Turkey isn’t going to happen for Canada, but the one interesting thing I saw was that Kelly Olynyk got a start for Canada and, by all accounts, played well.

When Canada left a week or so ago, I think Olynyk was firmly on the bubble with two cuts to be made before the worlds begin on Saturday.

But he’s one of those young kids – he’s only 19 years old – who I think would gain so much just by being on the team that they have to keep him for the championships.

That and he’s a 6-9 kid who can stretch the floor and seems be one of those guys who just makes things happen when he’s playing.

Anyway, Canada finishes up its pre-worlds series today against Lebanon in what could be a telling game since Lebanon is a team Canada simply has to beat in the preliminary round if it wants to advance.

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These are truly sad days around the NBA family and I ask for some indulgence.

You didn’t know Matt Dobek, who was the vice-president of media relations for the Detroit Pistons, but you should have.

Matt, 51, was a gracious professional and fine man; when you went to work Pistons games you always were treated with respect and courtesy, you had more than a few laughs and it was, in many ways, one of the best cities to visit and work in.

Matt ended his own life on Saturday night, sending shockwaves through this little corner of the world.

He’d been fired by the Pistons in May after nearly three decades with the club, a time that covered everything from the Bad Boys to current group.

I first met him in 1992 when he did media for the original Dream Team because he was so closely associated with Chuck Daly; it was the beginning of a friendship I was honoured to have.

We can never, ever truly understand the torment of others, how their mind works and why. Things like this are tragic and unexpected and very, very, very sad.

All I know is my world is a darker place today but that my life, and the lives of thousands of others, was better for having Matt in it.

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Hey, I’ve got about a billion hours of flights coming up (Toronto-Frankfurt-Munich-Izmir) Thursday night-Friday morning and I could probably be convinced to pass some of the time answering mail since I have to hit the ground running when I get to Turkey.

So, an early call for the mailbag; click here, do your thing.

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Yesterday provided me with a perfect example of one thing that’s wrong with the media these days.

While driving to Niagara, a certain well-known American-based all-sports radio network was on and all I got all morning were breathless tributes to Vin Scully, the extraordinary broadcaster who was to announce his future intentions a few hours later.

This took on a life of its own because “speculation” was that he’d retire and we heard video clips and tributes and everything short of an obit.

No “sources” even, just the assumption that the 82-year-old would hang ‘em up and anyone turning in would have felt for sure that the decision had been made.

Except it hadn’t.

The great Scully – who I would rank as the best broadcaster I have ever heard – is coming back for another season.

Never a doubt he wouldn’t as it turns out.

It showed the media at its worst, anticipating news with no basis in fact rather than reporting it, or even digging it out.

That said, I’m hugely happy Scully will still be working and if you’ve never heard him, find some way to listen to him do a Dodger game on radio, he paints a picture. No excessive chattering, no screaming, no pet phrases that drive you nuts.

He is a delight. And more of these yellers and would-be comics we’re forced to listen to should be made to sit in a room for 18 hours straight listening to tapes of him before they are ever allowed to be on the air.

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There are just some things that should not be allowed.

On a slow Saturday night, Super Son’s looking for movies, decides on The Longest Yard and when the opening scenes roll, I’m a tad perplexed.

“Who’s in this, pal?”

“Oh, it’s great. Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.”

“Ack. Ugh. Grr. No. No. No. Find the real one. Now. Burt Reynolds. Eddie Arnold Albert (in his post-Green Acres era). That’s the only Longest Yard.”

“Oh, okay, Wise Old Man.”

Fast forward to post-nap moment.

“How’d you like the real movie?”

“It was great, Wise Old Man. Thanks.”

And more culture delivered at Casa Doug.

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Speaking of games, I am more convinced now than I was on Friday that the United States will not win the gold medal at the world championships.

I will preface this by saying the games against Lithuania and Spain were true tune-ups, I know the Americans didn’t show all that they’ll do once things get rolling for real on the weekend but …

They don’t shoot well enough, they aren’t big enough, I don’t think they’ll rebound the ball well enough and I honestly think they are just one of three or four teams that have to be considered favourites going in.

It should make for an excellent playoff round.

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This whole Longest Yard thing is sticking in my craw and since we’ve been known to, um, digress from Raptors and basketball here every now and then, here’s something.

The Worst Move Re-makes I’ve Had The Misfortune To See

Pink Panther

Ugh. Peter Sellers was spectacular, Steve Martin not so much.

Psycho

Anyone who messes with Hitchcock should be injured.

Caddyshack II

They should find every copy and burn them.

Rear Window

The original – shockingly gorgeous Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart – might be my all-time favourite flick and deciding to see what they did with a remake among my greatest cinematic mistakes.

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Comments

[DG]

More evidence of "media at its worst"....Your colleague Damien Cox. Blindly accusing someone of steroid use based on no journalistic investigation. I know baseball has a history of juicing, but as a writer, don't you have to at least try and gather information before making these kinds of statements? And by information I mean more than just looking at box scores.

http://thestar.blogs.com/thespin/2010/08/gotta-at-least-ask-the-question.html

[Mike D.]

Uh, Doug? Does mis-spelling the name of Hitchcock's most famous movie in your blog constitute "messing with him"?

On a related note, I have a Hitchcock-calibre feeling of dread when I hear about Jose having yet another hamstring injury.

Blogger's note: Oops, got that one fixed.

[paulc]

Condolences on the loss of a friend and colleague in such a tragic way. Itputs all other trivial news of hamstrings and such in perspective and I appreciate how you respectfully shared you grief today.

[Tony Oliver]

Injuries, oh the pain...for both Jose and BC

Doug, anything new on Andy Rautin's availability for the worlds? We need him bad.

Blogger's note: WIll find out more today, I believe

[Geoff Read]

There was a remake of Rear Window? Do you mean Disturbia? That certainly did pale in comparison.

Sorry to hear about your friend with the Pistons. Suicide is such a senseless act - but as you say people who are depressed that badly aren't thinking rationally.

[Tiger]

Ah, yes, the great Vin Scully.
Who once announced to America that Toronto was on the shores of Lake Huron.
Funny how a dumb thing can colour your impression of a person.
As to Caldron, shades of 2008...

[Thadeous]

Just another example of how weak Jose is - a returning injury and I think what is more alarming is ZERO points and only THREE assists. Hmmm I wonder if there is anyone else for less then NINE million towards the cap that unables the team to sign better player(s) then Jose's production at the same money!???!

[Striker 77]

Hey Doug,

Have you ever checked out the movie "Mean Machine"? Its a British film remake of the longest yard, with the same story, just centered around soccer... Vinnie Jones, Jason Statham...

[Chris]

Hey Doug,
A nice article about Canadians Men's veteran Jesse Young and why heis not with the team in Turkey..
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2723556

[LeeZ]

You are indeed a Wise Old Man, and if I needed any confirmation of this, your love of Rear Window provided it in spades. An astonishing movie on so many levels, not least of which Grace Kelly's entrance, her indescribable...well, beauty is I guess the word, but no word or words can truly describe her...awesomeness, and finally, the kiss. Yes, that's right, The Kiss. Possibly the sexiest scene EVER recorded on celluloid. Movie directors of today, watch. And learn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl0yPuI7EVs

[Camilin]

So much for a Calderon trade. Things just got a lot of worse from the Raptors perspective. If there was something in the works, this will throw it out for sure; No chance now to make a trade and at least try to improve the team going into the season.

For basketball starved fans like me, I am really looking forward to the world championships; I think it's going to be fun to watch the Americans struggle so much to win games against European competition. Either the gap has definitely narrowed between the NBA and European basketball or the Americans are simply not that as good as advertised.

[Jacques]

what to do with Jose. Would it be in the best interest of the Raps just to buy Jose out? Clearly, he hasn't recovered. They might of as well cut their losses now, instead of dragging this on any longer.

Blogger's note: No, it makes no sense whatsoever.

[d]

What a shocker, another summer , another Calderon injury and therefore making him an untradeable asset for the time being.

Much like a broken record, the beat just goes on and on for Jose. Play,offseason,injury,bad season, blame injury, heal, offseason, injury ............

Blogger's note: Except that he didn't play last summer and I don't believe many thought he was a tradeable asset before yesterday by reading here. Wrong though that opinion was

[Ian]

Doug, in the interest if fair and equal reporting can we lobby the Wise Old Man for a list of the BEST remakes ever? Might b tougher to come up with!

Blogger's note: A challenge for the morning. Although none come quickly to mind

[Mr. SS]

Hmm guess Michael Jordan knew what he was doin after all!

Blogger's note: Yeah, that guy needs to give stock tips if he knew eight weeks ago that Jose Calderon would suffer an injury in an exhibition game that will have no bearing whatsoever on the start of the NBA season. Jordan's a genius

[Sam]

The Jose haters have arrived -
He tweaked his hamstring, disappointing yes, but not the end of the world. It does seem to be a reoccuring injury though. I would hope that it heals and he will be in good form for the start of training camp....

[Pipit]

Jose is such fragile as glass. Completely, a non-factor throughout the game, unable to defend any player in team USA and his team is being outscored and being killed whenever he's on the floor. I don't know what happened to him but in just a year's time he lost a step and lost his shooting range. Whether he's not healthy or lost a lot of his confidence but its safe to say that Jose should be traded fast so that the Raptors can get something in return. For God's sake, he's just running the court leisurely when he injured himself. That shows on how his body is not conditioned to play competitive basketball. It's nice to see Rubio play which won't help me to compare him with Jose. It's like seeing Cris Paul vs. a 40 year old wash-up player. Sorry Jose but your time with the Raptors is ending fast. You can now hang with Garbajosa all day long. I won't be surprised when Doug starts defending this guy saying how good he is in the locker room, how professional he is and how he loves the city. Bottomline, this guy can't play a high level of basketball anymore and if the Raptors want to improve their defense as a team, first thing to do is get rid of this guy or bench him.

[Lorie]

Dear Doug,
My heartfelt condolences to you on the sudden loss of your friend, Matt Dobek. And prayers to his family. The juxtaposing of the death of Mr. Dobek with your reference to "Rear Window" reminds me of a line from that near-perfect film: "That's a secret, private world you're looking into out there. People do a lot of things in private they couldn't possibly explain in public." And the private pain people can carry and are ultimately not able to live with, being the saddest, most tragic secret there can be. Shalom, Doug. Now, further to your thoughts on movies, if there has been an attempted remake of Hitchock's "North By Northwest", I don't want to know. (The "updating" of the charming 1947 B&W film "The Bishop's Wife", with the recent Whitney Houston clunker is something I am still trying to forget.)

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
First, let me express my sincerest condolences on the loss of your friend. There's not much else to say. Events like these sure do make a torn hamstring look like a relatively minor inconvenience, although I'm sure many will make it seem like it's the end of the world. On a lighther note, Am I the only one tired of all the Jose bashing going on? What exactly has he done wrong that makes him deserving of such vitriol? Is he the only NBA player that has defensive limitations? Jose is not nearly as bad as people make him out to be. The biggest problem with Jose's defense is that he lacked the help he needed from the rest of his teammates. There are very, very few top-notch one-on-one defenders in the league. Most guys need help from their teammates, especially if he's the PG. Jose hasn't had that and yet he seems to be getting the lion's share of the blame for the teams defensive woes. It is a tad unfair in my opinion. And finally, couldn't agree more about Grace Kelly. She might be the most beautiful woman that's ever "graced" the silver screen.

[Rob.V]

You know, I'm starting to think that Colangelo is going to have to trade Jose (when he can)... for Jose's own good rather than the Raptors.

Can we please lay off the guy... give him a break!

Whether you like his game or not the guy is all world when it comes to "team" and "the city of Toronto" which cannot be said for 95% of your other favorite Raptor players over the history of the franchise.

... most of you are still in love with CB however although he worked hard, the truth is he used us for his first max deal, minutes, #'s, and whatever else he could, without ever producing anything on the court for us... and bolted when he thought he was "too big" for this smelly city.

Yeah, lets praise him!!!... and beat up on Calderon at every opportunity.

It's soooooooo tiring! Showing some loylty around here, to um, the guys that you know, actually WANT TO BE HERE... would be nice for a change.

Don't blame Calderon for signing a "good deal"!!!

[Dave in BG]

For sheer volume if nothing else, no other remake can hold a candle to "A Christmas Carol" starring Alastair Sim.

All other "Scrooge" remakes pale in comparison (and I do not mean the ghostly complexion)

[james]

Eddie Albert. The other one was a plowboy from Tennessee.
Last year, during a Dodger game against Cincinnati, Scully gave a stunningly detailed sketch about Joey Votto in one 30 second at-bat. One of the pleasures of life on the west coast is listening to this octogenarian at work. He hasn't lost much, one of the two great broadcasters of my lifetime (the other was Gallivan).

[Shawn]

Doug,

I read on hoopshype that JR Smith is apparently on the trading block, he's been one of my favorite players since he came in to the league out of hs. Does it make any sense for the raps to make a run at him. He makes 6 million in the last year of his contract, and is still relatively young. I think it would be a great addition to the young gunz movement.

[shane]

I'm sure people will be blaming Colangelo that Jose tweaked his groin now. Man when it rains it pours!
Is it safe to say now that Jose will be starting the season with Toronto?

[John]

Doug I whole heartidly diasagree with your feeling that players should be encouraged to play for their country in the summers. This seems extremely irresponsible considering this would be the second time Calderon will not be 100% for the NBA season (I realize there is still about 2 months, but it still may not be healed by then, and it also takes time away from practicing he could be doing in the offseason). I think that these tournaments should be amatuers only. I have neve really heard your logic for this feeling other than it's a honour to play for your country. Isn't it more of an honour to be paid millions of dollars to play a game for a living? If this injury lingers like the last time, it would also eliminate any trade possibilities. And your comment about many not beleiving he was a tradeable asset contradicts everything you have been saying about his contract over the last few weeks. Kind of irritating, and I still don't understand the glamour of representing your country in these tournaments that very few people care about (as witnessed in the Canada vs France game at the ACC)

Blogger's note: No, actually it's not more of an honour to make money as opposed to playing for your country. And if you think very few people care about these teams, you are sadly, sadly mistaken. Maybe not here but around the world? This is far, far, far bigger than any NBA championship