Of people, purses and all-time numbers good and bad

Lots of little things today as camp marches on.

It’s a red-letter day for the Heroes Of The Hardcourt, actually. The end of two-a-days is always welcomed.

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Remember Brian Skinner? Dude with the weird beard they had here for a very brief interlude way back in the day?

Well, might he be the guy that lands the Raptors Erick Dampier?

Skinner signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Bucks yesterday and word I’m hearing around the league is that Milwaukee is no longer in the race to land the veteran centre.

Am told now it’s down to Houston (24 minutes a night behind Yao) and Toronto (likely a starting spot and an increased role) and Dampier is supposed to be in town to chat sometime today.

Not sure what they’ll do with him, probably give him a tour of the joint and sit him down with Jay and the staff to go over what they want to do here this season.

I have no idea what his thoughts are – and I’m pretty sure he’s not going to do any media today – but you’d have to think that what’s offered here isn’t so bad. I know Houston would have a better shot at a playoff berth and it’s probably a team with more talent but if you’re 35 and looking for one contract after this one, why not go where you’re going to have more of a chance to make an impact?

I will say this, though: I think it’s pretty much getting to fish-or-cut-bait time for all concerned.

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Quite an interesting chat with Sonny Weems last night after the evening practice.

You see some of the results here but he also made a couple of other points that kind of made me think, yeah, this kid is growing up a little and more comfortable with his place in the city and the team.

We were talking about him and DeMar going out among the people to goof around and play ball and stuff and he made the point repeatedly that they’re just doing it because it’s what they do and not for any glory or fortune or whatever.

But he’s also wise enough to know that there may be those out among the people who have ulterior motives and he’s wary.  

 

“You just have to know where you can go and where you can’t go. That’s all it’s about. When you get outside your area and try to do things too much, you need to settle down.”

How do they know?  

“Our backgrounds. Coming where we come from, you can sense that’s not the place to be and this is the place to be.”

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I believe that one thing you shouldn’t do when you’re leaving a practice gym is go and pick up your European Carry-all (aka, purse).

But there was Alvin Williams, who should know better, sporting an over-the-shoulder number when he departed practice yesterday morning to jaunt off to some high falutin’ Henchmen meeting.

Of course he got grief from the other coaches and some of us and it will continue unabated. Wait ‘til he shows up wearing a shirt with a three- or four-inch collar sometime.

Said Jay after Alvin had wandered off to wherever Henchmen go:

“We’re trying to get him one of those clip-on ties so he can just do it a lot quicker and snap it on before he goes.”

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Don’t get me wrong, I loved all the bad shooter suggestions yesterday, they really got the list going but, to be clear, I was talking only about guys who’d played for Toronto.

No way I leave Bill Cartwright or Anthony Mason off my list. Or Reggie Miller for that matter.

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Cue the spooky music.

I heard on my early-morning coffee run that it’s 50 – FIFTY – years ago today that the Flintstones first hit the air and I get back home, turn on the machine and see that Stoney Curtis died?

Wow.

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Hey, Vancouverites?

All suggestions for ways to kill idle time greatly appreciated. Super Family and I were out there a year ago for a very nice vacation but this is a Grunt Trip and therefore there will be more nights free.

Let’s have ‘em.

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David Stern is not to be trifled with. And Ted Leonsis sure found out that the NBA is nothing like the NHL.

In what had to be the quickest fine ever leveled by The Commish on an owner, it took about five hours for Stern to dock Leonsis $100 Large for having the temerity to suggest NBA owners are after an NHL-style hard cap in their next CBA negotiations with the players.

Now, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Stern’s message was aimed at far more people that the new Wizards owner and if you thought there’d be any leaks as the talks continue, think again.

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We noted that Leandro Barbosa settled on No. 20 and, of course, it sent us immediately scurrying to the guide to see who besides him, Damon and Alvin wore that number. It’s Fred Jones and Carlos Delfino and it sparked a mini-debate over which was the greatest number in franchise history.

Me? I go with 20, but it’s a close race with No. 15 which was, well, you know the one guy and Vince Carter, too. Third place? How about No. 13, which was Doug Christie, Jerome Williams, Mark Jackson and Mike James? That’s not too bad, either.

Now, as I’m sure you figured, we quickly went from “best” to “worst” and that’s when things got interesting.

What do you think? Is No. 55 – Rafael Araujo and Acie Earl (who for the longest time held the franchise single-game scoring record) worse than, say, No. 9 (Tony Massenburg, Sharone Wright, Roy Rogers, Kornel David, Rick Brunson, Pape Sow and Maceo Baston) or, for instance, No. 25 (Oliver Miller in one of his many incarnations, John Long, Lloyd Daniels and Aleks Radojevic).

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Remember way back a couple of weeks when I said I didn’t know if any of the pre-season games were going to broadcast and that I hadn’t heard that they would?

Well, it’s not been announced yet but you might be able to see up to six of them.

TSN or TSN2 are allegedly doing the ones in Vancouver and Montreal and Raptors TV is going to have the four at home.

That’s a whole lot of suspect pretend basketball games to whet your appetite for a suspect real basketball game season.

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Mail?

Yes. Please. Here.

Long flight tomorrow and need something to do on it.

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I believe my new favourite Blue Jay is the kid who wore the eye-black moustache as a tribute to his manager last night.

Tres cool.

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Comments

[The J]

Seeing as Yao misses a ton of games each year, I would imagine Houston would be just as solid an opportunity for Dampier as Toronto. Plus, if they are smart they would limit Yao's minutes and that would help Damp as well.
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For #15 you got Garbo and Vince, but you forgot Amir wears 15 as well. Let's hope things go better with this #15 then how things ended with the other two #15s.

[Matty-Pix]

Article about Dampier's chances of flying north:
http://www.nbadaily.net/mainstory.cfm?articleid=145

I can see it.

[doug]

I think those fines Stern levies against owners aren't exactly paid...it's not like Leonis sits down and writes out a cheque to Stern and the NBA the accounting boys take care of that part and Leonis suffers no direct monetary hit....Dampier is not a useless piece just not a totally useful piece...but he buys time allows BC to focus on another missing piece....so he's a short-term stop-gap solution...I for one wish him the best but I hold my breath as far as Yao goes , as I have seen feet injury in the past without a great outcome....see Bill Walton, as there just big men, the tourque, pressure on their feet just is tough to overcome due to the weight, constant beating.....so Brad Miller may be a back-up but if Yao suffers a setback they need another center and Dampier would serve well in a tandem.....

I like when people wear their packpacks across their chests as it stops me from getting whacked on the head with a backpack that is on someone's back as i am sitting on the subway....so please all go ahead where them across your chest...

[The J]

Also, the fact that DeMar is from Compton and is still alive tells you he knows where he should or should not be!

[Chris]

Dear Doug,

I used to read your blog every day, mainly for the potential breaking news stories and behind-the-scenes information. However, your snarky responses to readers' comments and questions, poor grammatical and spelling skills, and lack of breaking news stories have driven me to abandon your blog.

I understand that the Internet is a place where conventional spelling and grammatical rules are often not enforced. But perhaps a little bit of proofreading before you make your posts public would help. After all, you are a professional journalist.

I'm not writing this simply as a complaint. I think you would increase the number of people that read your blog if you weren't so defensive and grumpy when you make comments. Oh, and enough with Super Son and all that. I get it - you're proud. But this is called a Toronto Raptors blog (I know that because I just read it at the top of this page).

I know you'll probably have an unfunny quip in response to my post (e.g., good riddance or you suck - yes, those are unfunny), but I won't be around to read it.

Anyway, I hope you consider my comments as constructive criticism. I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm trying to make your blog a better place (I know you don't need my help).

All the best!

[Dave T]

John,

I knew there had to be a reason, and it makes sense although I'm not certain that that's the prevalent reason I see people doing it around the Carleton University campus.

But what do I know? I guess I'll switch my "most-ridiculous-fashion-statement-that-I-don't-get" to be wearing "stylized" rubber boots in the middle of a hot sunny day without a cloud in sight. Everyone have their galoshes?

[doug]

here's something on the Flintstones some good clips...brings back memories

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/30/flintstones-50th-anniversary_n_745266.html

[Dee from Sauga]

I know you don't like talking about rumours until you have confirmation from a legit source but it looks like BC's going after Diaw again. Why would he go through it if it didn't go through the first time?

Blogger's note: Let's just say looks can be deceiving

[Ryan]

Lebron just played the race card as the reason why people don't like him anymore.

I'm sorry, but clearly this guy must be living in a bubble.

Blogger's note: It was actually his business manager, not him

[Sam]

Chris - your world seems to be black and white - a little personality is a good thing - Humour even better -

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I saw Diaw play in Toronto for the Canada/France World Championships warm up AND HE WAS FAT. Why is this rumour resurfacing that Coangelo is taking another look at Diaw? Didn't we all breathe a sigh of relief when he didn't end up coming the last time? And who would be going to Charlotte in return? I'm not sure if I see adequate value coming back if the Raps ship Calderon to the Bobcats.

AG, Toronto

[Steve]

Choppety chop, start-and-stop sentences that make little sense.

This post borders on unreadable.

The decline of The Star continues.

Blogger's note: What. Do you. Mean. By That. ?

[Phil]

What do you think the chances are Stern will fine James for claiming all of the people in Cleveland are racists?

Blogger's note: Since it wasn't James, probably none.

[Phil]

""What do you think the chances are Stern will fine James for claiming all of the people in Cleveland are racists?""
.
"Blogger's note: Since it wasn't James, probably none."
.
LeBron James appeared on the CNN program "Primetime" on Wednesday night and the NBA superstar said he believes race was a factor in the negative feedback he received after "The Decision."
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CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien mentioned that James's brand and name were "tarnished" because of his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in such a public fashion and asked if race played a role in the backlash.
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"I think so at times," James replied. "It's always, you know, a race factor."
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Maverick Carter, a 28-year-old who is one of James's closest advisers, said race "definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure."
.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/30/lebron-james-race-racism_n_745186.html

Blogger's note: Yeah, saw that; the original story I read had only quoted Carter. I don't imagine Stern will do anything.

[Nick]

The Dampier signing reeks of the same stink that the Turkoglu signing had last year:
Yes we are weak upfront and Dampier has a "reputation" as a serviceable defender. Realistically, when was the last time he shut someone of consequence down and at 35 how capable is he of performing that regularly for us now.
Turkoglu filled a hole last year on the perimeter and was brought in to be our closer in tight games. Looking back at it now, was it realistic to expect that of him when he was already into his 30's and not flanked by stars at 3 of the other 4 positions.
If Dampier is brought in to be bench relief at the 5 and in spot defensive matchup duties, and for the league minimum...Great! If we're expecting starters minutes and a significant nightly contribution...Yikes!

[doug]

why are people ripping on the grammar today...its not War and Peace,,,it's a blog, people are busy, points are made in simplest of terms and move on....what a ridiculous argument....don't like the blog move on, or how Doug structures it move on, it's not a captive audience....Stern will never, ever fine the players that are buttering his bread, he never stepped in when the Heat were obviously tampering, never stepped in when James and ESPN had the embarrassing "Decision " show, so he won't now...just the leonis's and the owners does he do anything about and thats all b.s.....

[Mark]

I know it's probably not worth acknowledging those comments critical of the style of the blog and so forth... but I really like the writing style, it feels like I can come over after reading the detached journalistic articles of the paper in to a familiar-feeling community. Cheers to all the other regulars. I wish people would stop leaving comments about how they are going to stop reading, and that goes for every blog everywhere ever.

[Skiff]

"Me thinks, if Dampier has anything left in the tank he's a huge addition as three positions get upgraded..."

Hilarious. Why do people think that someone who hasn't done anything in over 5 years and could barely get off the bench will suddenly turn into something he's not?? Why does everyone lap this stuff up. Dampier is a wash out, which is why he's even available for the Raps to take a shot at. Don't bother...we'll be terrible this year and give a young guy big minutes. Stop ptretending that this team will be doing anything other than competing for one of the top 5 draft picks.

Man, it's starting to sound like Leafs fans around here!!

[The J]

Why would Stern even consider fining James for saying "It's always, you know, a race factor.". It's just an opinion, he does not specifically call anyone racist. It's also not unreasonable to say that race plays some small factor in the hate he has received. Brett Favre keeps the media hostage every year with the I'm retiring/I'm unretiring drama, and yet he sees minimal hate, and is still considered a "golden boy". Not to mention that Dan Gilbert's angry letter comes across as a person who saw himself as "owning" Lebron. Plus if you read the comment sections of many Lebron articles you'll read hate fill comments, and like internet cowards often do, you'll some racist comments pop-up. So perhaps there is always "a race factor", even if it is quite small.

[B Francis]

Doug,

Huge fan of your blog. When the calls from Raptors Nation came out for Dampier, I believe you went on record saying something like "a big, slow centre is exactly what a you, athletic team looking to run DOESN'T need". You've since seemed to have changed your tune...What's changed?

Blogger's note: Not sure how badly Davis is hurt, thin front line; not a great fit but not a terrible one under the circumstances.

[Boko]

Chris, I read Doug Smith every day of the year. The only other Raptor site that I can come close to say that of is 'Morning Coffee' on Raptors Republic, except for the 3 months they sadly take off every summer.

Doug, aren't there any other Raptors who's contract is not guaranteed? Dupree?

I welcome Dampier, but the rumour that Diaw is a focus of BC's concerns me. 1) If Boris wouldn't be in shape to represent his country, what makes us think he'll both lose weight and get into condition to play for us? 2) Which of DeRozan or Kleiza gets sent to Charlotte? 3) I'd rather keep DD & LK!

Blogger's note: I'll repeat an earlier note: Don't believe everything you read

[marc in panama]

Hola Doug,

Dear LeBron,

This backlash you personally and your brand is experiencing isn't a "you know, race factor" it's "you know, a jackass factor"

Doug, best of luck this year covering the Raptors! Love. The. Blog.

marc in panama

[Van Nostren]

"You really need to learn to write in complete sentences.

Blogger's note: Why?"

What are you seven!!!???. You do it because it is proper grammer. When you study your profession in higher education and handed in a paper with half sentences you would fail. When interviewing for a position if your resume and or portfolio are written in half sentences you would never get the job. Also, you don't talk in half sentences so why write that way! It's called the lazy getting lazier.

Blogger's note: Thanks. It's actually "grammar" but that's cool. (And that was a complete sentence). I also don't believe ending a sentence with !!!???. is correct either.

[David Morton]

I have a signed Araujo jersey if anyone wants a classic...not!

[Dee from Sauga]

btw - I love how you have people like Van Nostren ripping you about your blog. Seems like anyone can act like a tough guy when they have a keyboard in front of them but cmon...It is what it is I guess. I also love how the one guy, Chris said he wouldn't be following the blog and stated one reason was for your lack of proofreading. Give me a break. I'm no English major but I'm also not a dick. I take the info I need from whatever site I'm on and move along. These people are such pricks. More power to you Doug for your restraint. No ones making them read your blog, they decided to jump to the site. Unbelievable. I'd have choice words for these dorks but I'd prefer the exchange be in person and would love to see if the tone of their typing is reflected in the tone of their voice. douchebags.