There are a lot of questions in this mailbag

There’s probably too much here but I had some idle time.

Go to it:

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Q: Hey Doug. Here are a couple geeky grammar questions, one specific and one general that I’d like to hear your thoughts on.

Something that’s always bothered me is the use of the term “over .500”. To me, I think it’s used incorrectly. Here’s an example:

Let’s say it’s the end of a 100 game season. If a team finishes with 60 wins and 40 losses, I feel sportscasters/writers would say that they are 20 games over .500. Isn’t a more correct statement that they have 20 more wins than losses, as a .500 finish to that season would have been 50/50 which would mean they finished 10 games over .500? Thoughts/opinion on the matter? Should I get a life and ignore stuff like this

Do you have any favorite “words” or terms that sportscasters use that make you cringe? Describing someone as being “literally on fire” drives me nuts, as does “physicality”. Any gems that you’ve heard over the years?

Thanks.

Heath M, Toronto

A: If I never hear another basketball person talk about a players’ ability “to score the ball” it will be too soon.

And if a baseball player “goes yard” I might “lose it” and because that’s not “staying within yourself.”

There are a gaggle of other clichés that get to me but those come quickly to mind.

The over .500 debate will forever rage; I can see your point but with my limited math skills, I’m not sure I can engage in the discussion. Suffice it to say, I think readers know what we’re referring to.

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Q: Doug, seems to me there is a reluctance of the local TV commentators (media) to be critical of the home teams. They seem to be quite knowledgeable and well informed of the limitations of the visiting teams.

Is this a case of not wanting to bite the hand that feeds them?

Can you comment on the relationship between the TV media and their bosses/audience/sponsors ?

Does this situation apply to other basketball media coverage (radio, print, etc.)?

Thanks,

Mike S, Toronto

A: Not in my situation, that’s for sure. I’ve never had a boss tell me what to write or how to write it in the years I’ve been covering these guys. And I’ve never heard of it happening anywhere else in this market, either.

But I can’t really speak to the television outlets or team broadcast “partners.” It would seem to me there might be some kind of implied relationship that tempers overly-harsh criticism.

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Q: Hi Doug! Have you ever wondered why it is that so many GM-level commenters to your blog have not been hired? Do you think it might help their chances if they at least spelled the players' names correctly? :>)

My real question: I read a story (I believe it was the "Favre is retiring, Part XXV" story) where the report said that is was based on a source who wished to remain anonymous, since he was "not authorized" to comment on the situation.

To me, that sounds immoral, if not illegal, for a news outlet to use an "unauthorized" source to publish a report. You've mentioned several times that you won't report 'rumours' unless you can get two reliable sources. What do you think about reporters who use sources that are "not authorized" to speak on the subject?

Thanks for all the great work!

Tim H, Windsor

A: I think what’s meant in those circumstances that an assistant GM or a coach or someone else in authority but not the ultimate authority, passes along information that is supposed to come from only one “authorized” voice. I would expect that any professional journalist would have at least two confirmations of any piece of information they publish or broadcast.

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Q: Hey Doug. Any idea if the team Canada games will be on television? I'm guessing the exhibition games are doubtful but am really hoping to watch the games in Turkey, will I be happy?

Dave W, Toronto

A: I think you will be happy but nothing has been finalized about the world championship broadcasts. The good folks at Canada Basketball are trying to firm up details and contracts as I type.

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Q: Do you have any concerns with the American "Young Guns" blending with the international players on the Raptors. Not just co-existing but really gelling and redefining this team. Do you see much interaction off the court between the players ie: Bargnani, Derozan, Johnson, Calderon.

Derk S, Centreville

A: There was some but, really, it’s not that big a deal as long as they play hard and respect each other on the court and they do. But as for team dinners and nights out on the town? Didn’t hear of many last year and don’t imagine I will this year; these are grown men with other tugs on their lives.

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Q: Hi Doug. Further to a question a reader asked about Raptors/teammates liking each other on/off the court, I wondered if there were examples of Raptors or any players in the NBA who really despise one another but still mesh well enough to play successfully?

Obviously it would be great to have a lot of love in the dressing room but as these are all paid professionals who get thrown together by the GM/management, have there been instances where there are huge personality clashes in the background but success on the court?

Steve S, Hong Kong

A: I’m not sure “really despise” would be the right phrase but a good example may the fact Kobe and Shaq weren’t exactly in love with each other as they were winning three straight championships at the start of the 2000s. That’ s probably the most recognizable – and recent – example I could give you.

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Q: Hey Doug. I seem to remember last year that the Raptors mentioned to the league that they had an unfair number of games in back-to-backs against very well rested teams who came into the games with 3-4 days off prior. I agree that this is unfortunate and maybe unfair, but this seems like the kind of thing that is too difficult for the league to plan around. Do teams get a sneak-peak at the schedule and a chance to flag some games that they consider worth changing or does everyone get the same list at the same time?

Paul C, Brantford

A: They do get a look at a draft schedule and teams have been able to get particularly arduous trips changed, mainly based on arena availability and the travel of the opponent. It probably happens with one or two games for a handful of teams per year.

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Q: Hey Doug, I read your blog every weekday. Thanks for making it seem much like a roundtable conversation over some brew. I don't even bother reading the basketball section anymore, just come to you.

Quick question. Why do you call regular readers "irregular"?

And one more for ya. With absence of Chris Bosh and Turkey-Glue, who on the current roster can you really see blossoming and coming to their own now that there are more touches and shots to be distributed?

Atif K, Toronto

A: Every weekday? What’s wrong with Saturdays and Sundays? (I joke)

I figured we needed a pet name for the cabal we have here and Irregulars just came to mind. I know it’s stolen – or an homage to – the Baker Street Irregulars but there you go.

And I would think DeRozan and Bargnani might benefit with more shots, and responsibility, this season.

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Q: From your reporter perspective, how much fun do you think it would be to cover the start of a potential NBA powerhouse? If you could do like Bosh and leave Toronto after 15 years of covering a franchise with just one playoff series win, assuming your family would come to and equal pay, would you take your talents to South Beach?

Robert S, Toronto

A: Considering my expertise in the alternative, I think I’d quite enjoy covering a team that wins huge because there’s always less angst and pressure under those circumstances. Or so I’m told.

And, no, I would not take my talents to South Beach, I’m very much not a South Beach kinda guy. I’d be more Chicago-Boston as big cities to live in.

Maybe Phoenix but I’m not really built for the heat, either.

On the Hall of Fame and DeMar says all the right things

They did the Hall of Fame thingy on Friday night and I have one bone to pick with the group that went in.

I’m not at all in favour of inducting “teams” into Halls of Fame, I think it should be a place reserved for the great individuals of the game. Yes, the Dream Team in 1992 was something else and the 1960 American Olympic team might have been the second- or third-best ever assembled but to induct them as a group diminishes the Hall in some regards, I think.

It may turn out that each member of those teams gets in (although I highly doubt it) but that’s what Halls are for, individuals.

There are several other issues with the Hall that are very troubling to a lot of people, me included.

I think the selection process is horribly flawed – it’s left to an anonymous group and the vote totals are never made public – and the whole notion of so many categories – builders, players, international players, women, coaches, amateurs – makes it hugely confusing.

I don’t know what the answers are – perhaps a separate Hall for the NBA might be in order but that opens a huge can of worms – but something needs to change for the joint to be taken entirely seriously.

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One last Hall of Fame mention of my friend Jackie MacMullan, though.

The Boston Globe writer was a trailblazer for women journalists in the sport I cover, her work covering the Celtics and the league in its Magic-Larry heyday was exemplary and should be held as the standard to which all young writers should aspire.

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As I’m sitting there watching France-Canada all I can think of is ….

Makan Dioumassi.

Who?

You need some old-school international basketball chops to know who that is and I’m not sure many do.

He’s the dude, a 6-4 guard, who simply beat up Steve Nash for 94 feet and 40 minutes of the Sydney Olympic quarter-final game and cost Canada a shot at the medal.

First off, I can’t believe that’s 10 years ago – a decade goes by a hurry, doesn’t it? – and, second, I can’t believe how vividly I remember that five-point game.

Not sure who the refs were but they swallowed their whistles, as the saying goes, and Dioumassi manhandled Nash almost at will, taking him – and Canada – out of the game.

Now, I did have to go to old friend Arnaud Lecomte of Le Monde newspaper, who was in town for the games, to get Dioumassi’s name and Arnaud got me up to date.

I knew that Dioumassi was hardly a star in France – I’m not sure he played another game in Sydney – but he kind of drifted off into a peripatetic basketball life and the last anyone heard of him was about three years ago when he was playing in Iran.

The other guy?

Nash?

Turned out pretty good.

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I will tell you one thing DeMar DeRozan has been doing this summer:

Getting media training.

The kid – looking a tad geeky in glasses that can be described as “Poindexter-esque” – stopped by the Air Canada Centre on Friday and you wanna talk about saying all the right things …

“It’s a great opportunity to play on an NBA team in another country. I think it can be big if you take advantage of it.”

Anyway, he went on to say he can’t wait to prove people wrong, that they aren’t going to be that bad and all the stuff you’d expect him to say.

Oh, and why he’s in town?

To sign some papers on the place he’ll live in next year and, no, he and Sonny aren’t going to be roomies, they’re not that inseparable.

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Back to Canada for a second.

I had a fellow ask in the mailbag (Hi, Josh of Whitehorse!) and others make comments about the feasibility of playing the game at the Air Canada Centre instead of, say Ricoh or something like Varsity or the University of Toronto or somesuch.

Now, knowing the relationship between Maple Leaf Sports and Canada Basketball, the only place I could see the games being move would be to Ricoh and I’d heartily endorse that idea

A few thousand in that arena would seem to be more than a few thousand in the ACC and there’s something to be said for the intimacy of the venue.

I’ve long thought that Ricoh would be a great venue for a D League team, or even a WNBA team and should be utilized for things like the games against France.

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In keeping with a theme, a mailbag sneak peak:

Q: Hey Doug. In light of the Basketball HOF and the 1992 Dream Team being inducted and all. I was looking at the roster and noticed Christian Laettner. He's not really of the same caliber as the rest of the roster. I know he had a very celebrated NCAA career. And, that before the Dream Team, the men's USA Senior Basketball Team mainly comprised of NCAA talent. But, if you could go back in time, who would you replace Laettner with? I would guess Isiah Thomas. Your thoughts?

Anthony M, Milton

A: Laettner was there because USA Basketball wanted at least one collegian on the team as a nod to the NCAA the first time the NBA guys played.

And, yeah, Isiah probably would have been the guy if I’d been picking, although his so-so relationship with Jordan might have been an issue.

Okay, loads of mail for the morning but here’s one more shot to get something in. Click. Send.

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One last Canada point.

Please, in the name of all that’s good in the world, don’t think that the results of Thursday and Friday will mean Canada rolls over France in the first round at the worlds.

I’ve seen this so many times it’s not even funny, teams play possum early in the summer of a big event, they don’t show their best stuff and aim only at the start of whatever big tournament there is.

I’m sure Canada’s got some other stuff up its sleeve – the return of injured point guard Jermaine Anderson will automatically give them a different look – and I know France does, too.

But, right now, France is terrible.

And gets the Americans in New York on Sunday. Nicolas Batum put it pretty well:

“If we play like this, we will lose by 50 or 60 points.”

I’m thinking 75 or 80.

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The Goods On The Game, Frances vs. Canada redux

Hi again.

Welcome back, or just welcome.

Canada, the crowd and a Raptor says goodbye

It is entirely impossible – and utterly unfair – to judge a basketball team after seeing it play one game so I can’t offer any real assessment of Canada at the moment.

Maybe tomorrow.

But for now, it does look like this team will play hard, it’s athletically-challenged, it really, really, really, really needs point guard Jermaine Anderson to get healthy and it’s young.

There is, however, some depth to take care of those times when one or two shooters go stone cold and I do quite like the intensity with which they play.

I still contend getting out of the first round at the worlds will be a solid accomplishment for this group as it tries to build something for the 2012 Olympics and 2016 2014 worlds.

I know there is some sense of optimism about the future given the youth of this group but that future isn’t here quite yet.

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The crowd? It was terrible. Just over 2,600? Shameful.

I know, ticketmaster and service charges and no TV and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah; there should have been more people in the seats.

Canada Basketball is trying to do something to enhance the program’s image here, they also know it’s a long and hard road back to capture the imagination of casual fans in this city.

But games like last night, and tonight, are a good starting point and I’m sure there was some disappointment running through the ranks when they announced the number of people in the seats.

But I know Wayne Parrish pretty well and Maurizio’s not going away any time soon I do know they aren’t going to get too discouraged and throw up their arms in despair.

Still, they could use some help and that’s where people who squawk about no basketball to watch need to get involved.

Besides, the Chicken was there and a half dozen or so June Taylor Dancers showed up and there were contests and noise (although FIBA, bless its heart, doesn’t allow music to be blared during the actual playing of the game) so what’s not to like?

See you there tonight, right?

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It’d been a while since I’d been in the press room at the ACC and as I rounded the corner to my little piece of work space, it became obvious something was amiss.

There are pictures of various Leaves and Raptors lining the walls, huge action shots, and the eagle-eyed reporter in my noticed large sections of wall where photos once were.

Combing the dark recesses of my mind (a dusty cobweb-infested place few should go) I tried to recall what had been there in June when I last stopped by.

Ah. Right.

Chris Bosh.

Body’s not even cold yet and the pictures are gone.

Funnily enough, glancing back over my shoulder I did happen to see the same old shots of Hedo Turkoglu that had been there all last season.

Figure they’ll be gone today.

Wonder if they’ve got replacements of Jarrett Jack to fill the spaces?

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Given we’re at the start of the big international basketball season, here’s a little teaser from the mail.

Q: Hey Doug, just wondering how you would rank Canada's developmental system for young players, and how it compares to other countries like France, Spain, Greece, Argentina, Brazil, etc.?

Ange A, Toronto

A: How it compares? Not nearly good enough.

And that’s the biggest issue going forward for the poobahs who run the game here in Canada. The most successful programs in the world have great club systems that have better coaching, more dedication to practice and skill development and more emphasis on getting kids into one system and keeping them there than we do.

A perfect example:

A few years ago, Super Son said he wanted to play basketball one winter so he joined a local Mississauga house league (which one doesn’t matter because I understand this happens too frequently) and off he went.

Well, it was supposed to be one day a week at a local gym, 45 minutes of practice and a 45-minute game.

There were a handful of times there were no coaches at all, sometimes some parents would try to run some drills but most of the time the kids ran layup lines for half an hour or so and then they played what could only loosely be called a “game.”

He dropped out after a couple of winters because, frankly, he was getting nothing out of it.

Now, I’m sure that doesn’t happen anywhere, and there’s every chance he might have bagged the idea anyway but he also might have gone on to really like the program.

Except it didn’t like him and who knows how many other kids are lost.

I know they are trying, and it’s hard to find gyms and coaches who know what they’re doing and have the time, but until the grassroots programs improve, there’s no way we’ll ever really catch up.

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Raptors news! Raptors news! Raptors news!

Well, sort of.

Let’s put this in the category of Guy Who Wasn’t Going To Play Won’t since I’m told the Raptors will put Dwayne Jones on waivers today so he’ll clear by Sunday and they can release him before guaranteeing any of his 2010-11 contract.

I know: “Who?” Jones would be the other guy who came over from Phoenix simply as cap ballast and to give Toronto a bit bigger trade exception from the Hedo deal.

He never was going to play here and, come Sunday, he officially won’t.

He will be missed.

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Hey, you know how in the regular season we try to give you links to how friend cover games for their papers.

Well, the bilingual among you might like this.

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I miss tennis.

Who won last night?

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Oh, right, mail.

Forgot this a couple of items ago and the mailbag’s a little full already but there’s always room for more.

Click. Here. Send. Missives. Say. Hi.

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Figure we’ll do the usual junk like this tomorrow – we’ve got the game tonight and the Hall of Fame induction to touch on since it’s been totally ignored.

And that’ll give me something to type this afternoon while waiting for the big game to start. And to start the in-game blog thingy since it seemed to be okay last night.

See ya.

The Goods On The Game, France at Canada

Hey, remember this?

Hopefully, I can remember how it works.

And welcome back.

Of point guards, Rafa's bold pink outfit and Canada-France tonight

Hmm.

Indy’s out of the market for a point guard and Toronto still has two.

Oh, woe is them?

I don’t think so.

As you well know, the Pacers had talked to the Raptors a handful of times, they couldn’t work out a suitable deal so Indy moved on and got themselves a pretty good young guard.

Good for them.

What’s it mean here?

Nothing.

I’m sure Bryan will still field calls about Calderon – and Jack – and while so many of you refuse to believe it, there are people in the game smarter than us who think Jose’s pretty good.

Whether a deal gets done or not is impossible to say, I suspect it’ll be harder now with one natural trade partner no longer looking but I’m sure efforts will be made. But what if nothing happens? Is that a calamity?

Not in the least.

I’ve said all along that I didn’t think they “had” to trade one of the guards but that they would try - but going to camp with both Calderon and Jack is not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.

It’ll be up to Jay to figure out who’s best as a starter and who’s best coming off the bench and that’s what coaches get the big bucks to do. Me? I’m fine with two of them being here, as long as there’s a clear-cut distinction in the minds of all the players and coaches who has what role.

The reason for moving one of the guards was to get something back to fill other holes, like at the three and the five, even if such a move would weaken them at the point.

If nothing happens there, guess Bryan will have to find other ways to address those other points of concern.

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You know what really surprises me about the big four-team deal yesterday and the reaction around these parts?

It’s astonishing that people were ripping on the Raptors for somehow “missing out” on Collison.

I’m sure they made a ball and I’m sure if they had someone like Ariza to give up and were willing to take on the odorous James Posey contract and were able to get two other teams involved to the point where they were satisfied with what they’d get, Toronto might have been involved.

But to think the Raptors “missed out” is simply foolish. Sometime teams get what they want in other places, it’s as simple as that.

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But how about that Julian Wright, eh?

Considering he played less than 13 minutes a game for a Western Conference team the Raptors only saw twice a year and has been in the league a whopping three years, I certainly don’t have a book on him or a good handle on what he can do.

I believe it was a move made to take a shot at something different.

It was apparent with DeRozan and Barbosa and maybe Weems and possibly even Jarrett playing some two that there was no place for Marco here and getting a young kid at the same money who might be able to contribute a little bit is a no-brainer.

But it’s also not a very significant move.

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Mail time.

Q: I enjoy your Q&A immensely as it delves into interesting areas not covered by normal columns or blogs.

Thanks for your answer regarding Jay today.

I do sometimes wonder how many submissions you have to ignore as inappropriate or opinions disguised as questions. Please keep up the good work (and keep the filters on).

Bruce H, Whitby

A: It really depends on the issue of the week and time of the year, as you can well imagine. Let’s say something happens like, oh, Bosh leaves. Well, we might get 50 a day that are 45 rants and five questions and it’s getting through the rants that make the day a lot longer.

As a rule, I try to get not to every question but to every topic and I’d say, as a general estimate, I probably answer 65-70 per cent of the queries shipped this way.

The ones I most like are ones that don’t deal the mundane stuff like, “why didn’t Jay use DeMar in the second half of the third quarter of Tuesday’s game” or “why don’t they sign Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson, you dope.”

The biggest issue I have is answering the same question week after week. I know it’s impossible for everyone to read everything done here – and very presumptuous to think anyone would – but if I’ve hit on a topic one week, it’s probably going to be another couple of weeks before I get back to it in some other form. Kinda stinks for the gal sending the second question on the same subject and that kind of bugs me. Nothing really that can be done about it, though.

I will say, however, you are an inquisitive lot.

And, speaking of, click, send, yadda, yadda, yadda.

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Okay, if I can remember how, I think we should do a live blog off tonight’s Canada-France game, don’t you?

I have no idea how it’ll work since it’s not on over-the-air television anywhere or on radio and I have no idea what kind of crowd we’ll draw but let’s see if we can get at least a few people here just before 7 p.m. and see how it goes.

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How about that Isiah Thomas.

One step ahead of Sheriff Stern, he withdraws from his gig as a “consultant” to the Knicks because of the conflict of interest it would have created – and the rules it would have violated – had he kept that job and still coached his college team.

I still say Isiah is a good schmoozer and an excellent judge of college talent (check out his draft record) but I do know the NBA looks quite dimly on contact between team employees and draft-ineligible collegians. And that’s exactly what Thomas would have had every single day.

Makes sense he doesn’t have the Knicks gig, I’m glad he stepped back on his own before he was told to go.

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So, Tennis Boy’s era is over and not a minute too soon.

Aside from one glaring error (Novak Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open, I guess I just read right past that in his bio) I seem to have escaped unscathed.

Couple of quick points: Tennis replay is outstanding. I know it’s got to do with the finite measurement of the court and entirely clear-cut rules of in and out but it’s quick, it’s efficient, everyone in the stadium sees it and it’s never, ever wrong.

And

Not sure about Rafael Nadal’s pink shirt on Wednesday; much louder than Roger Federer’s the night before but I guess that’s not a surprise, kind of meshes with their personalities and playing styles, no?

Hmm, the last time I might have paid this much attention to Nadal was when he was supposed to come to a Raptors game with Jose but got tied up beating someone at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Anyway, I believe that concludes my summer of Today I Am An Expert In This Sport because with basketball today and tomorrow, perhaps some rest time next week and then Turkey, I’ll be back swimming in familiar waters.

Lucky you.

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Hardly earth-shattering but another minor Raptors deal is close

It’s another minor deal that won’t shake the team to its core but the Raptors are about to get something else done.

According to sources, the Raptors are planning to move guard Marco Belinelli to the New Orleans Hornets for small forward Julian Wright, hardly a trade of epic proportions.

Wright’s a 6-8 small forward who’s done little with the Hornets, averaging 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 61 games last season. He’s averaging 4.0 point per game in the 179 games he’s played in a career that includes 34 starts and is considered an athletic, average player without outstanding skills in any single category. He’s on the final year of a rookie scale deal and will be paid about $2.8 million this coming season.

Belinelli was ineffective and inconsistent in his one season with the Raptors, unable to fight his way past the likes of DeMar DeRozan and Antoine Wright in the battle for shooting guard minutes.

But as everyone who follows the Raptors closely knows, deals aren’t done until they’re officially done and there has been no official announcement.

And this transaction is separate from the other blockbuster the Hornets were involved in Wednesday. In that four-team deal, they’ll end up with Trevor Ariza from Houston while losing guard Darren Collison and James Posey to Indiana.

The importance of that trade to the Raptors is that the Pacers get a good young point guard in Collison after having several discussions with Toronto about Jose Calderon.

Good opener for Canada, and some scheduling quirks

Not a bad start for Canada, I see.

Of course, I wasn’t there (and I’m waiting for the Irregulars to report in with details of the game and the event) but an 86-62 win over China to start the serious part of the summer is nothing to be sneezed at.

Reading my old friend Gary Kingston in the cyber-pages of the Vancouver Sun (as you can do by clicking here), the game seemed to be the kind of game Canada’s going to have to play to have any chance to make some noise.

Minus a true “star” the Canadians are going to have to rely on balanced scoring and depth, both of which they seemed have had against a China team not expected to fare well at the worlds.

It’s going to work against the lesser teams, no doubt, but the fatal flaw may be when it comes down to a one-possession game and the Canadians need a guy who can beat his man off the dribble and get the bucket they need.

It’s been my experience watching China teams for more 15 years that they don’t put up too much resistance unless that Yao guy is in the lineup and without him, Canada should have recorded a relatively easy win. Glad they did.

A much sterner test will come here in Toronto in the games against France on Thursday and Friday. I haven’t seen a full France roster yet – I don’t think they even get here until some time today – but I know it will be a much better team than China.

Again, I know the whole Ticketmaster charge on the tickets thing bites big-time but if you get a chance, I think taking in one of the games might not be a bad thing to do.

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Right, the Raptors schedule.

Didn’t dissect it too much, being Tennis Boy and all for most of Tuesday, but it looks kind of ho-hum to tell you the truth.

Except the start.

Eight of 12 on the road to open including away dates at Utah, where they can never win, the Lakers, Portland on a tough back-to-back and then at Orlando-Miami on consecutive nights?

Am dreading the angst already.

Anyway, there are 18 back-to-backs, I see, which is down from last season as I recall. No big whoop or hardship there.

The one thing that did catch my eye was the proliferation this year of Saturday games. Nine of them – all on the road – seems a rather hefty number in comparison to last year and what that does is really cut into the number of Sunday afternoon home games. I think I saw there are only 11 home Sunday dates and that’s a smallish number.

Bet Mona’s ticked.

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This really doesn’t have any impact on the Raptors, and may not mean anything in the long run, but seeing how the Canadian team is in mind, I automatically started wondering about Andy Rautins when I saw old friend Roger Mason Jr. signed with the Knicks.

I know the Knicks are high on young Andy but, in the ruthless business side of pro basketball, he hasn’t signed a contract there and the addition of the similarly skilled Mason might cloud the issue just a little bit.

There’s been no indication that Rautins won’t get a deal done, at least from anyone I’ve talked to, but there is now one more shooter with some NBA experience to fight for minutes with.

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Want to start the mail stuff? Why the heck not.

First, a question:

Q: Hi Doug. I hope you are enjoying the relatively quiet days of August. Happy recent birthday wishes to Super Son.

I'm curious to learn a bit more about the TPE and what can be done, or not done, with it. I understand (I believe) it must be used in a straight up trade for another player, and can't be used to pay a free agent in any way.

Can it be split up into different transactions? Can it be an element of a larger transaction - ie Raptors trade a combo of Player A salary plus a portion of TPE to equal the salary of incoming player B whose salary is more than player A? What is the current value of TPE that the Raptors have to work with?

Any explanations/examples you can provide would be much appreciated. I find there's always more to learn about the trading rules and regs. I've always appreciated the time you take to help us learn every aspect of the game.

Cheers!

Kate C, Toronto

A: I’ve been trying to rein in all the questions about the trade exception and thanks for putting it all into one for me since it’s going to be an on-going topic.

You cannot aggregate any portion of the exception with a player; for instance, you couldn’t trade, say, Marcus Banks and $5 million of the exception for a $10 million player.

It can, however, be split into several transactions. They could acquire on player for, say, $5 million and someone else for another portion.

And, yes, it cannot be used for a free agent. If there is a current free agent the Raptors would covet with the money, that players’ former team would have to do a sign-and-trade for a deal to work and would therefore have to have enough cap room, or an exception of their own, to re-sign their guy and simultaneously ship him to Toronto. That was the breakdown in the aborted Matt Barnes transaction, Toronto had the money to ship to Orlando; the Magic didn’t have room to assume it.

And the value of the Bosh trade exception is $14.5 million and is good from for one calendar year from the date the original Miami transaction was made.

I’m sure there’s more but I can’t think of what to add right now.

And now, the link. Irregulars know the drill, the rest can figure it out pretty easily.

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Okay, I think it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been Tennis Boy and I have to admit, it’s not a bad gig.

I love the little stadium up there at York – I think they should hold a concert or two there, it’d be very cool – and the whole walking-around-to-the-outer-courts thing’s kind of neat.

And, having been Golf Boy recently, I hereby give you:

Some Differences Between The Two

You can see a whole tennis match and don’t have to traipse all over heck’s half acre to watch.

A plus.

They play tennis at night and that brings up deadline issues.

A minus.

You only have to pay attention to two guys at a time rather than 144. Or sometimes four, I guess.

A plus.

Par-love. Duece-Bogey. Ad court-Primary cut. Whatever happened to the simple things in life, like basket, jumper, assist? A tie.

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And, finally, yes, Raptors TV should be broadcasting the Canada-France games from the Air Canada Centre on Thursday and Friday nights. Without a question.

I know there’s a cost involved, and I know Bryan and his henchmen do provide all kinds of assistance – monetary and otherwise – to Canada Basketball but this is a perfect opportunity to promote the game and the program that shouldn’t have been missed.

I’m dead certain it came down to the finances involved in mounting a production but that’s a weak excuse, in my books.

I guess what bothers me most is they have, according the schedule I see on the web, some kind of Canada Basketball preview show on but then they switch away. Friday they go to the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which is a bit odd, and Thursday there’s something called NBA Special: World Basketball Preview Featuring USA Basketball and that kind of sticks in the craw.

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Long journey begins for Canada today

All right, time for some normalcy – or what passes for it – around these parts as there’s some actual basketball to talk about.

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Okay, so, game tonight in Vancouver.

Canada-China and while I’m not there, I’ll find some way to pay close attention because it’s a good jumping off point to see just where the Canadians about three weeks out from the start of the world championships.

I don’t expect perfectly crisp execution and I’m certain some issues will arise but at least the game – which comes after about a week long training camp only – will give Leo Rautins a chance to see what needs the most work.

And, frankly, I think they’re going to need work on all facets of the game.

This is a young group – very, very young relative to the other teams they’ll see in Turkey – and there are going to be speed bumps.

There are a couple of guys banged up – point guard Jermaine Anderson’s got a leg issue, Denham Brown’s got a bit of hamstring I understand – so it’s not entirely clearly who’ll play.

I’m pretty sure, when it’s time to start for real, that you can pencil in Anderson, Andy Rautins and Joel Anthony as three starters but the other two spots are very much up for grabs.

The four is a bit of an issue, it could be Levon Kendall (I imagine it should be tonight since he’s playing at home for the first time in about eight years and that’d be a pretty cool thing for Leo to do) but he’s still getting back from ankle surgery.

The other wing spot is either going to go to Brown or Olu Famutimi, I’d imagine, but I don’t think any decision has been made there at all.

This is going to be a very big summer for this team, not necessarily because he can make any significant noise at the world championships – I still say getting out of their first-round group should be considered success – but because of the foundation it will lay for trying to get to the 2012 London Olympics and because Canada needs some sustained appearances at the big events to be taken remotely seriously in the global picture.

Getting to the worlds once every eight years and the Olympics once every eight or 12 is not good enough; this program has to become a mainstay at those events and that journey really stars this week.

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Speaking of Canada, and I know this sounds a tad shillish, I think you should really make a concerted effort to get down the Air Canada Centre on Thursday or Friday if you can to check out the games against France.

I understand tickets aren’t all that pricey – less than $20 gets you a seat in the lower bowl somewhere and I think they max out at about $60 – and the games should be good.

Don’t come in expecting Lakers-Celtics, come in thinking you’d like to see what Canada looks like, how it matches up against a team some see as a possible medal threat in Turkey and just to lend some support to an organization I think is more than worthy of it.

There are always laments about the lack of games involving the national team in Canada and a concern that these kids are unrecognizable.

This is a way to change it.

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Okay, since we’ve got Toronto and New Jersey in London in the regular season, a pre-season game there n October and one in France as well, I’m sure there’s all kind of chatter about the NBA expanding to Europe.

And I guess David Stern kind of threw cold water on it in the conference call he did yesterday.

“As I've said many times, I think one franchise doesn't work; it needs to be multiple franchises in new buildings or good buildings like London, Berlin, Colon, Prague. We need more buildings. And we need owners, and frankly, we need good television, and we need a better economy. And so I don't see that happening any time soon, but I think it certainly is something that I and my successors will be considering.”

The NBA is an absolute leader in the globalization of its sports among the North American pro leagues. I don’t think hockey does nearly as well or have even close to the reach that basketball does (it being played seriously in, what, seven or eight countries over there?) and baseball’s a joke in Europe.

But all those things Stern said they need – arenas, multiple franchises and, most important, a robust economy – aren’t happening any time soon.

So it’s nice to have a game or two or three over there, I wouldn’t worry about a six-team division popping up any time soon.

What I would like to see first – and I have no idea how workable this is – is some kind of in-season club competition akin to football’s Champions League.

Maybe you do the top four or six from the NBA and the top two or three from, say, Spain, Greece and Russia – generally considered the better leagues over there although my friends in Turkey might disagree – and you let them do some kind of tournament.

And then you play the championship game on the Saturday of the all-star weekend.

As I said, I have no idea if it’s workable given the vagaries of scheduling and the availabilities of arenas and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

But it’d be cool, no?

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Man, it’s been slow, hasn’t it?

Not just here but everywhere around the league as everyone seems to have taken a couple of weeks to decompress and gird up for the long season coming.

Guess the only big thing to deal with – and it’s not really particularly big – is where Tracy McGrady lands.

And since we know it’s not going to be Toronto, not sure anyone here really cares an awful lot of about that.

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Hmm.

A look at the old schedule shows I’ll be Tennis Boy for a couple of days, which says more about staffing levels in our department than anything else.

Not entirely sure what that means, though. I do know Federer’s playing tonight so that ought to be cool and at least give me a subject for a story.

Wish me luck.

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Old mail found to get you through a slow day

I’m going to take the easy way out this morning since yesterday was dead slow in the basketball world and most of it was spent marveling at the Morrow fellow.

I have to tell you, that would have been an A1 weekend at the ballyard, no? A million homers Saturday, the one-hit shutout Sunday? Can’t imagine much better.

Anyway, on a week where Birth Week ends today officially, I’m Tennis Boy on Tuesday and Wednesday (that ought to be a hoot) and finish up with the big national team games here against France on Thursday and Friday, here’s the old mail I found to get us through the morning stuff.

I know there's more mail in there, saw it at the end of the day yesterday and I'll get to it when I can. Promise.

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Q: Simple question: Why is Jose Calderon so hard to trade? By now, it's no secret the Raptors are trying very hard to move Jose and having little luck. Yes, Jose is a bad defender, is over-paid and is too careful with the ball, but he is a low-mistake point guard who can take care of the ball and shoots well. Surely, there must be a team who wants him?!

Kate M, Ottawa

A: I’m not sure he’s “so hard to trade” at all; there is a fair bit of interest out there – I know for a fact Indy’s called a few times – and it could be just a matter of the Raptors waiting at a lull time in the summer to get the best offer.

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Q: Hey Doug. I have a question concerning Rookie contracts. I was under the impression that the contracts were standardized based on where the player was taken in the draft - top 3 guys make more than bottom 3 sort of thing. Yet we read that rookie players are in contract negotiations or working things out. Barring a hold out or extenuating circumstances like Rickey Rubio, shouldn’t rookie contracts require very little negotiating/time to complete?

Ryan M, Ottawa

A: Actually, there’s a 20 per cent “negotiating” window upwards in rookie-scale contracts. It’s generally a given that the player will get it but sometimes – as was the case in Memphis, I believe it was, earlier this season – teams try to get out of paying the extra. It’s rarely a sticking point, though.

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Q: Hey Doug. Quick question. With all the young guys the Raps have now, there seems to be a strong friendship forming with the core guys. Do you recall a time when the Raps a core group of guys who worked well together on the court and off it?

Thanks.

Zack B, Singapore

A: I do. The group of Vince, Alvin, Muggsy, Dell, Oak, AD and Kevin Willis was pretty close; as was the 2007 team that had Darrick Martin as its ringleader.

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Q: Hi Doug. I'm a recent transplant from Mississauga living in London UK (as of January 2010). Each morning I still read my thestar.com/sports including your blog. I need to stay true to my roots.

Just read your note on Raptors/Nets O2 Arena.

HOW DO I GET TICKETS?!?!?!

Omair R, London, UK

A: You’ll wait until after the actual schedule is released on Aug. 10 and then wait to see what’s up.

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Q: Hey Doug. You mentioned that Amir was the only guy in town and that he came in for some weights and shooting. I'm guessing by the "only one" you mean that he was there with an unknown workout buddy/rebounder to spot him and pass the ball back after shots. My question is if the Raptors have staff around to do that stuff or if Amir just brings a friend or someone he pays to assist him? Either way, how can I get that job?

Paul C, Brantford

A: It’s been my experience – and was the case with Amir this week – that they have friends who are in town with them who hang out in the gym doing that kind of stuff. If worse came to worse, I know the hard-working souls on the back-of-house staff would be called on to help out.

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Q: Doug, not so much basketball related as it is a question about local newspaper reporting. In the Miami sports sections I've been reading, the new Big Three are being lionized. There's nary a criticism. Countless Championship rings are being polished, the Hall of Fame awaits, and one would think all three had taken a Ghandi-like vow of poverty for giving up what's really a pittance of their salary to make this NBA "miracle" possible. At the same time, the Miami media are criticizing fans and media in other parts of North America (particularly in Toronto and Cleveland) for being blind to this and not seeing the awesome virtues of these virtuous, professional gentlemen and for having the audacity to question their desires and motives.

Given the differences in reactions, my question is, how much are sports reporters influenced by community feelings and sentiments. (A Miami sports reporter that said something negative about the Heat would probably be tarred and feathered.) Do editors or publishers "guide" reporters slants? After all, the goal is to sell papers.

Joe S, Kingston

A: I don’t know if it’s “guiding” really but there is a tendency for some columnists and reporters to get caught up in the emotion of something as substantial as what transpired on the Miami sporting landscape this summer. Not saying it’s right or that it happens all the time but it does happen.

But I also don’t think true professionals care much about being “tarred and feathered” and in fact, some quite relish it.

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