A gathering Storm and new electronic frontiers

Hey, you saw the Storm win the WNBA title, right?

Swept Atlanta in another great game and I don’t care what you’re impressions are of women’s basketball, the three games in this final – all decided by three points or fewer – were dramatic and intense and as good as anything you’ll see on any court.

No, there weren’t highlight reel dunks or brilliant isolation moves but there was competition at the highest level, great plays, drama and emotion.

What more do you want?

Now, one last point on this because I really think it sets the women apart from the men.

They’ve just gone through a tough season, an emotionally draining playoff final – win or lose – and you’d think some down time would be called for, right? Nope.

By my count, Sue Bird, Swin Cash and Lauren Jackson of the Storm and Atlanta’s Angel McCoughtry are all off any second to play for their countries in the world championships that start next week in Czech Republic.

That’s pretty impressive to me. I can’t imagine the boys doing it.

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Was that the balance of power I felt shifting? Ronald Dupree? In Toronto? The shuddering in South Beach was palpable.

No?

No.

Anyway, the breathless news that the Raptors have signed the summer league veteran should be taken for what it is. Not much.

He’s a guy with a one-year, non-guaranteed contract coming to camp with a team that has 15 guys (maximum allowable) with guaranteed deals already.

I guess there is precedent for the Raptors paying someone to go away while they keep someone unheralded (goodbye, Luke Jackson; hello, Jamario Moon) but there’s no indication they like Dupree as much as they liked Moon.

And, I’m told, there are no plans right now to bring anyone else in to round out the camp roster.

Makes entire sense to me, too. I could never figure out the need for 18 or 19 or even 20 guys in camp, especially when the roster is virtually set. Extra bodies take time away from the coaches working with the guys they need to work with, the deny regular groups at least some repetitions in drills and scrimmages and they always end up being waived anyway.

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Yes, that was a tweet from me yesterday, all self-generated unlike the ones that go out when this drivel gets posted every morning.

I have no real idea what I’m doing, I was kind of dragged kicking and screaming into it by a friend (Hi, Marissa!!!!) but we’ll figure it out as we go.

It’s @smithraps, I’m told, and I promise not to give you the minutia of my life and relatively boring existence although who knows if I’ll be able to avoid it. I figure it’s for tipping you off quickly to stuff that’s coming, little innocuous observations at such things like practices or training camp and stuff like that.

I’m kind of a slave to this machine at it is so this tweeting stuff isn’t going to consume more of my life, I hope. But if it makes the job we do here better and more thorough, I guess I have to.

Now, I’m told this is Follow Friday or something? So, get following, I appreciate it and I’ll try to make it worth your while.

One thing we’re not going to do, I don’t imagine, is change the way we do games. I know some folks out there in my business use twitter to put up snarky or funny comments during a game and even though that sounds right up my alley, the way we do things now with the in-game bloggy thingy is much more interactive and I’m not about to give that up.

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So, I’m watching the Storm do its thing and the one enduring memory will be Fish in a Snicker’s commercial.

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Let’s get one from the mail, which seems to be down a pint these days.

If you want to help, here’s your last chance. I’ll take missives, hellos and questions here.

Q: I admit that I'm a Delfino fan. Given his impressive world tourney, how would you rate the Delfino for Johnson/Weems trade? Would the Raptors do that trade today?

J L, Oakville

A: Carlos for one presumptive starter who’s younger, bigger and has some potential and a relatively dirt-cheap backup with some athleticism and promise? In a second.

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This is, for all of us, Must See TV.

It’s Sunday night, on TSN2 and it’s the broadcast debut of Steve Nash’s documentary on Terry Fox, Into The Wind.

I haven’t seen it, I did see that it got raves at its theatrical debut at the Toronto International Film Festival and even more than a day-long Seinfeld retrospective or something like that, it’s TV I don’t want to miss.

I don’t imagine you should ever.

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List time, sort of.

This was also in the mail and gives you an idea of where I’d go on something like this:

 

Q: Doug, What would your starting lineup be if you had to win one game using any player to wear a Raptor Jersey in an NBA game. What would be your 2nd team, not using any of the 1st team. Now, if these 2 teams played each other which would you expect to win? Ross K, Burllngton

A: All right, I’m going to go on the premise that it is the career work of the players concerned and not just their time with Toronto, okay? I hope that’s what you meant.

My first team would be:

Damon Stoudamire, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh and Hakeem Olajuwon and I imagine it would easily win a seven-game series against Alvin Williams, Damon Stoudemire, Doug Christie, Morris Peterson, Charles Oakley and Kevin Willis although if you’d let me, I’d use Antonio Davis over Willis.

You know what? Upon further review, I put Marcus Camby as my second-team centre.

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Comments

[The J]

I agree with Scott. Techinically Zo would be the second best centre. In fact, though I love Oak, JO might be a better second line PF. Alvin Robertson was once a solid player in the league (and a key to the team winning their first ever game), so he could easily bump out Christie or Mo Pete. And Mark Jackson atleast should be considered for his strong career (Damon's success was really short lived). But your 1st line is solid.
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So a new question for you: who would be on the teams if it was based on their Raptors career only, and how would the Raptors Career vs. Total Career teams stack up?

Blogger's note: That'll take some time; maybe the first of the week.

[The J]

Also, thinking of all these old players made me think of something else. Between T-Mac, Vince, Dee Brown, Fred Jones, Jamario Moon, DeMar Derozan and the young guns, we have had some real dunkers on this team.

[kiwi Andre]

After the world champs the WNBA players will play in the Australian or European leagues too before heading back to start a new WNBA season.

[Carl McMullen]

Hey Doug,

I know you just got that Twitter name out there, but how about this one: @Rapsmith !! You should change it...

Cheers!

[doug]

that's a great commercial...good old Fish, he's aged but not much relatively from his Barney Miller days as he looked old when he wasn't....I always liked Antonio Davis he's at or near the top of my all time fav raptors, just a old school player, that had size knew how to use it, a edge knew how to use it and just lead in my opinion by example and not someone i would think you'd want to cross either in the dressing room or on the floor

to me there are NBA fans and basketball fans...NBA fans go for all the glitz and glamour, basketball fans just love watching team play, actual plays being run, and just smart heads up basketball...hence my like of international ball, and the WNBA as I am a basketball fan...

@Lori, thanks apology accepted, am i a cranky old fart, no or not as far as i am concerned anyways..opinionated yes, the difference is this when i was 25 people would say he has drive, ambition...etc..as I just spoke my mind,went for it and never gave a dam....now that I am older (not old) i am thought of as cranky, living in the past, blah, blah,blah..my opinions haven't changed, just my age and with that others perception...it happens, i have been playing the new Halo Reach game and my nephew looks at me like i am from a different planet, I said i may be old but my god i am not dead...just like Doug using twitter looks good on you....twit on and show the younguns whats it all about....

[Josh]

The question was who would you pick to win it, and although talent would say McGrady the record would say otherwise.

On team 2 I can't believe anyone would take Damon over Rod Strick or MJax. I'd go Strick/AlvinW/Crusty Christy/JOneal/Camby