Desperate times and the perfect place to chill

I love this time of year and not just because there’s fall baseball to watch, pennant races to follow and the last couple of weeks to enjoy before the carnage of the season begins.

No, I love this time of year because there’s an air of desperation in the air around the NBA and I get quite the chuckle out of it.

To wit:

Antoine Walker is working out with the Charlotte Bobcats.

And Allen Iverson’s business manager says his client may go to play in China this coming season.

Classic end-of-summer, no-contract, I’ve-got-to-get-a-job gambits by veterans who don’t want to give up the life.

I cannot imagine in a hundred years the scenario by which Antoine Walker, who is 34 and hasn’t been in an NBA game since 2008, makes any team this year and it’s rather comical to me that he’s trying. It smacks entirely of desperation for a guy who can’t – won’t – get on with his life.

The Iverson thing is pretty cool, too. Seems to me, it’s the business guy is like the kid who keeps uttering threats hoping against hope that they aren’t taken seriously. I guess Iverson, if he was willing to run entirely against everything he’s ever said would be comfortable in some secondary role with a team, would have some value as an NBA player but to throw out the prospect of leaving for China may not be the wisest of decisions. I’d think there’d be more than a few GMs who think, ‘well, see ya’ and the move might be counter-productive.

Anyway, it is a fun time of the year.

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I’m not sure how many of you saw this, it was kind of tucked away in the news section of Saturday’s hard copy of the paper, but it kind of gets me to one of the many digressions we’ll have over the next little while.

What’s the perfect sports bar?

So, how about a list?

Five Things My Bar Must Have

(And this excludes the obvious like relatively cheap beer and good food)

Good stools

Padding, a back for support and a bar across the legs at the bottom to rest your feet on. There is nothing worse than an uncomfortable stool where your feet dangle. Really.

Deep satellites

No, they don’t have to be able to land SkyLab or anything like that (esoteric long-ago space mission reference) but they need to be good. With all the various “packages” available to the regular consumer, I want to be able to go to my local and get something I can’t from my couch. Like live coverage of the world basketball semifinals and finals. Grr.

Smart staff

The last thing I want to do is sidle up to the bar, ask The Friendly Bartender to switch the TV to some specific event and be asked, ‘what channel is it on?’ At my place, everyone’s shift starts half an hour before they have to hit the floor so they can study the games on that day or night.

Plugs

This is entirely personal but because I’ve been known to spend a quiet couple afternoon hours sitting on a (hopefully comfortable) stool puttering around on some work, I’d rather not pester the staff (hello, BP Square 1) to plug my machine in behind some bar. The availability of wireless internet goes without saying, right.

Choice

I’m not entirely picky about the kind of beverage I like but having a list of possibilities is always good because the mood always changes. And I’d like them to be written down somewhere so I don’t need to ask a server to rattle of them off. Oh, and that list has to be accurate. I don’t want to see something, ask for it, and be told ‘oh, we haven’t had that in months.’

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I’m trying to figure out whether it’s Kyle Drabek or Walter Johnson pitching for the Jays tomorrow.

Guess they have to hope it’s not David Clyde.

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Here’s a leftover from the mail:

Q: Doug, with your recent trip to Turkey, coupled with the ongoing moans NBA players poke at having to play in Toronto, how would you rate the various cities around the league in terms of appeal (not basketball venues, but more in terms of architecture, culture, entertainment, dining, etc. Having been around the block some, I feel Toronto stands up quite nicely against the more desired locales and outright divine when compared to others.

Walter S, Toronto

A: Well, you’re absolutely right, it’s not No. 1 but it’s not No. 30 and I’d suggest it’d be in the top two-thirds for sure.

From what I’ve known of players, here’s what they like in a city: If you’re a visitor on a road trip you want your hotel to be in close proximity to good restaurants and shopping and, for the young ones, perhaps a club for the night before the game. A club, mind you, that will afford you some privacy and good company.

If you’re going to spend a season in a city – and scant few players anywhere in the league live year-round where they play – the things they look most for a vibrant social scene, luxury condos or apartments close to the arena and easy drive to the airports.

And since I’ve been lucky enough to have spent a considerable amount of time in just about every city in the league over the years, I’d say Toronto is for sure in the upper half of the pack.

Now, I’m not entirely into cost of living, ease of getting away quickly, convenient travel possibilities but those are the main factors.

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Speaking of mail, why not start.

Click. Write. Send. Entertain.

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Oh. From the bottom of my heart, I need to offer thanks to all of you.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu is a free agent, released by his club in Spain and not once – NOT ONCE – did someone suggest yesterday that he should come back to Toronto.

It made my day.

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What now? I don't know, you tell me

What now?

I have no idea and it will tax my creative abilities, I think, to get us through the next couple of weeks here.

Worlds are over – and I would have picked the USA to win, honest! – and media day at camp doesn’t arrive for two more weeks and if there’s a way to get a 1,000 words and a handful of marginally entertaining items here every day between now and then, I probably should get some award.

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So, did the best team win the worlds? Yeah, probably.

The Americans were full measure for their win, Kevin Durant was the best player in the tournament as it turns out (I still would have had Luis Scola as MVP if he’d taken his team to the final) and they did beat back all the opposition.

But having seen a lot of games in person and on the tube, I don’t think this means the Americans are head and shoulders above the rest of the world by any means.

It was a good win by a good team against good competition and I honestly think that when it comes to worlds and Olympics, you can never, ever suggest any team is going to have an easy time getting to the medal podium.

And it’s going to make future tournaments even better.

When I started doing this eons ago, there was never a doubt about who was going to win; no there is and it’s great.

This has been, I think, a very educational summer with regards to international basketball, the depth of talent out there and the style that’s played.

We haven’t really had a chance to watch it closely because of the absence of the Canadians from any truly significant tournament since the 2002 worlds and it’s been kind of cool.

Hope you enjoyed it.

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Okay, here’s the deal on what the American win at the worlds does for Canada.

Not a heckuva lot, actually.

Yes, the United States now becomes the first team to qualify for the 2012 London Games and I guess that makes it a bit easier for Canada to get in but, really, not a whole lot.

There are still only two – TWO – spots for FIBA Americas and seeing how there are teams like, you know, Argentina (the hosts) and Brazil in the region, it’s still a very, very, very long shot Canada gets there. The most likely way would be for Canada to get invited to the last-chance tournament that will be held next July and has the final four Olympic berths at stake.

The Olympics are so, so hard to get into, some of us figure Canada’s destined to sit out the men’s tournament until it expands from 12 to 16 teams, which FIBA is pushing for in time for the 2016 Games.

Right now, the field is:

The world champs, one each from Africa, Asia and Oceania, two from Europe and the Americas and four out of the final qualification event.

So yes, technically, it’s a good thing, I suppose; in reality, it doesn’t really do a lot.

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Remnants of the mail and there’s more to parcel out this week:

Q: Doug. Thanks for good international hoops reporting plus as always travelogue experiences. Help us understand what you learned about the MAIN DIFFERENCES between NBA play and play at the world basketball championships? And, what can we conclude about HOW players play for their national teams vs how they play professionally ( e.g. Turk ). What might explain the differences: spirit, effort, teammates, native language, fans, coaches, int'l style of play?

Charles N, Toronto

A: Aside from the technical stuff – exponentially more moving screens, a lot of grabbing and more drive and kick to three-point shooters than you’ll see in a month of NBA games – there was one thing that really, really struck me: The passion.

Of everyone from players to coaches to fans.

I think because it’s a shorter tournament with so much at stake and representing one’s country means so much, the intensity level is so much more consistently high, it always catches me by surprise when I get to things like worlds or Olympics every second year or so.

That energy does not translate into a long, drawn out NBA season and it really is what makes the international game stand out.

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You know how I’m always saying there are no “new” plays and everyone runs the same stuff and it’s all about execution and reacting to what defences do? Well, I hope more than a few of you watched my Beloved Storm beat Atlanta in the WNBA Finals opener, a totally delightful game before a packed house with all kinds of drama.

Well, the game comes down to a final possession in tie game and what does Seattle run?

High screen-roll with Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, Bird comes off the screen, gets some space and drills the game-winner with less than two seconds left.

It’s the same play you’d see run in deciding moments of games at every skill level.

Game 2 goes Tuesday.

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So Super Wife’s about to celebrate Birth Week in the not-too-distant future (a concept I invented that’s now been co-opted by the entire dang family) and I’m terrible at gifts.

I’m always looking around for ideas out there in the big wide world and whilst prone on the couch last night, it hit me:

Lady Gaga shoes!

I was kind of watching the big MMVA’s last evening – I know, a total departure from form – and I have to say this without equivocation: I do not get it. I guess I’m not supposed to get it but, still, I really, really don’t get it.

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One thing we’re going to be all over here in the next little while is the national women’s team, which is in Europe in the final stages of preparation for their world championships that begin next week in Czech Republic.

They went 1-2 at a tournament in France over the weekend, beating Japan and losing to the hosts and to Belarus.

The loss to Belarus is the most interesting part of the thing, that’s a team that’s in the same preliminary-round group as Canada at the worlds and one it’ll have to beat to have a legitimate chance to advance.

But, as we know, any “exhibition” game ahead of a worlds is just that; it’s the same on the women’s side as it is on the men’s in that teams have a tendency to hold things back a little bit, especially against teams they’ll have to face when it really counts.

The women are off to Athens this week for a couple of games against Greece in their final tuneup.

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How ‘bout those Catch-22s?

Who? Remember back in the day when I kind of blew the reporting of the Greatest Dragon Boat Team Known To (This) Man and I got in the doghouse a wee bit from Super Wife, who finally decided to give this thing a read and noticed the error?

Well, I’m told (and I only witnessed one of four races) that they rowed paddled (she got me, again) to glorious victory in their division at the Great White North regatta on the weekend and, seeing how I like to eat and live and all, I better mention it and get it right.

Way to go, team.

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The mail is in; have yourselves a wonderful time with it

Hello, folks.

Here are some of this week’s queries, there are a handful left over that I’ll either do for tomorrow morning or at the first of the week since they mainly have to do with world basketball and what’s been going on. When they get answered depends entirely on how today goes; I’m thinking world semis, a quiet evening and, perchance, some much-needed sleeping in time Sunday.

Anyway, here’s a last crack at sending something if you’re so inclined. Hit the button here, type to your heart’s content and send ‘em in.

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Q: Doug, do you sense the irregulars generally share your interest in the WNBA? I certainly do. And like you, I cheer for the Seattle Storm. This is directly related to the playing style of Sue Bird, who I believe is the female equivalent of Steve Nash. This got me thinking about a water-cooler game called "If she were a guy...”

Here's how it goes: Q: Lauren Jackson? A: Dirk Nowitzki; Q: Diana Tauriasi? A: Kobe Bryant; Q: Angel McCoughtry? A: Paul Piece; Q: Cappie Pondexter? A: Dwayne Wade.

So, two quick questions. Do you think there's a critical mass of NBA/WNBA fans to make this game popular? And, more importantly, do you plan on blogging more about the WNBA finals once the Worlds are wrapped up? Thanks.

Owen K, Ottawa

A: That’s a pretty good game. Here’s one for you: Q: Cheryl Ford? A: Karl Malone.

Anyway, with the way the WNBA is moving – to ownership by others than NBA teams, to cities as stand-alone franchises – I’m not sure it needs the NBA fans as much as it did. It is the best women’s basketball in the world and on its own should – and does – develop a fan base. I’m not sure, sadly, that it would work here and I’ve heard no serious chatter about bringing a team to the area although I think it would be a perfect summer fit for Ricoh in some ways.

Anyway, I’m going to try my best to see as much as the final as I can and am sure there’ll be a comment or two but history would suggest there are scant few Irregulars who give a rat’s patoot.

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Q: Hi Doug. I'm curious about International Basketball, and who it is that influences their decisions. Specifically, I'm thinking of the brawl, where the players involved were, in NBA terms, slapped on the wrist for something that might otherwise have cost the athletes easily half a season of play.

Is there a group of senior basketball bureaucrats working for politics as much if not more for the game?

Perhaps you could explain why fighting in hockey abroad is frowned upon, while in basketball, it appears so openly tolerated (yes, three meaningless games suspension for throwing a chair at someone isn't going to stop it from happening again, in my eyes). Who is it that controls the image of International basketball, and why is no one holding their feet to the fire? Thanks as always.

Charlie D, Montreal

A: It’s not openly tolerated at all, although I think the FIBA sanctions in the Serbia-Greece game were quite minimal and could have been harsher.

And the controls are with the central board of FIBA.

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Q: NBA Jam (the smash arcade game from the 1990s) is relaunching. Each team has a roster of 3 or 4, plus 1 or 2 team "Legends" as reserves. The Raptors only "Legend" is reportedly The Chicken - which is absolutely cool, by the way. However, I was wondering, if you HAD to pick two players and designate them Raptors "Legends" (excluding Vince who is on the Magic's lineup) who would they be? Mighty Mouse? Oak? Garth Joseph?

Mike J, Toronto

A: Excluding Vince? Well, on pure talent it’d have to be Bosh and Stoudamire. Although I guess you could make a case for Oakley.

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Q: Hey, we're not getting any live coverage of the World Basketball Championships over here either...but I digress.

You mentioned how countries such as New Zealand get far better public monies to support their programs, but also mentioned an integral aspect such as coaching (I think officiating could be thrown in there as well) as to why some countries fair better than how we, in fandom, would like Canada to fair.

With that, any chance Jay takes all the lessons he's learned over the last few years with USA Basketball and shares it with the powers-that-be in Canada Basketball? I'm all for Leo sticking as coach, but Jay's experience has got to be put to use for Canadian basketball. Any chance of that happening, or have bridges been too badly burned?

Thanks again...and if you think traffic is tough in Istanbul or Rome, I invite you to take a trip around Cairo at just about any time. Wild stuff!

John D, Cairo

A: Oh, no, the bridges haven’t been burned at all. In fact, Jay sits on an advisory committee with Canada Basketball and I’m sure they will pick his brain a lot when it comes time for a debriefing once the summer season is over.

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Q: Hey Doug, love your work. I wanted your opinion on something. Before the World Championships next to no one was following the Canadian men's team. After their performance, half of Canada seems to be piping in about how inept they are.

My philosophy is if you have not followed them all along do not slag them. The finish they had was not unexpected, and while we hoped for better we know it’s part of a long term plan that I think Wayne Parrish has done a masterful job in implementing.

Your thoughts?

Sean M, Toronto

A: I think there was a lack of knowledge about the team – and its opponents, the game worldwide and expectations – that was entirely fair but not unexpected. We want our teams to do well, the two wins over France were fool’s gold and when unrealistic expectations aren’t met, the vitriol flies. But I also think some accountability is a good thing, although perhaps from the general populace this time around, it was misguided.

This was a baby step and, for many, the first time they’d ever thought about the national team program, maybe next time out of the gate people will, um, temper their enthusiasm a bit.

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Q: Hi Doug. Glad you made it back safely. Do you think the performances of Barbosa and Kleiza at the Worlds bode well, as expected, or worse than expected for the Raptors? The basketball press generally seemed to find both of them to be pleasant surprise for their respective teams but I'm not sure how that translates to the NBA.

On an unrelated note, given the importance of moving screens in the international game should we expect to see Kendrick Perkins (the NBA's greatest active practitioner) on Team USA eventually if he recovers from his knee injury?

Mike D, Toronto

A: I think it bodes well, both showed they can do some things at the international level that might have been suspect from their NBA past. Specifically, Kleiza handled the ball well and showed some post moves and, Barbosa, while still lightning-quick, slowed down at times to be more efficient.

I think with Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis on the roster and their propensity for setting moving screens, we should now refer to the Boston Celtics as a “European” team.

And the winners are ...

All right, we’ve got it all set up for what some people are seeing a dream world championships final and we may as well break down the semis right away.

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United States-Lithuania

I have to admit, I’ve kind of come around on the Americans a bit, they seem to be able to just enough of whatever it takes to win and while I’ve still got Luis Scola as my tournament MVP, Kevin Durant has been quite unbelievable. That said, I still wonder if they shoot the ball well enough frequently enough to withstand a really good team, which is what Lithuania is. The key may be their guard play and that’s where I think Chauncey Billups has been invaluable; he just has a certain calm about him. There is that whole thing about size, too.

As you may recall, I saw an awful lot of Lithuania in my week in Izmir and they were awfully impressive. It is, of course, the Linas Kleiza Show most of all and what you should watch for as a Raptor fan is his somewhat surprising ball-handling skills, much better than I recall. And Lithuania made, I think, it’s first eight three-pointers against Argentina and if they shoot like that, well, I don’t know that the Americans can survive. Lithuania also has some size in centre Robertas Javtokas, who really could have a big game.

This one’s almost too close to call.

So I won’t.

Okay, I will.

Lithuania by two.

Turkey-Serbia

There just seems to be a sense of inevitability to this Turkey team, some kind of destiny. They are unbeaten, backed by that rabid crowd you’ve heard so much about and they are, according to people who have seen them more than I did and whose opinions I respect, the best defensive team in the tournament. They seldom give up big runs or many open looks and once they start running, the crowd gets into it and they’re almost unstoppable. For the most part, Your Favourite Hedo has been quite average (20 points in the round-of-16 game was his best by far) but there’s a sneaking suspicion that he’s got a good game in him still.

Serbia? Well, they’re young and unproven and quite the surprise semifinalists in a lot of ways. You have to like guard Milos Teodosic, thought, he’s got big-game written all over him and that huge three to beat Spain was a clutch, clutch shot. Nenad Krstic has been really good but Turkey’s big and young and strong up front, I don’t seem him having that huge an impact.

As I said, there is just a sense that the Turkish team is going to do something special.

I’d say playing for a gold medal is pretty special.

Turkey by eight.

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So I had a little chinwag with some Raptors people yesterday and I’m quite sorry to report there is nothing going on.

Actually, am trying to coast a bit through work so I’m not that sorry but I imagine some of you are.

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Know what’s silly?

Making quarter-final losers at the world championships play games.

Yes, Spain and Slovenia and Russia and Argentina play today with the losers playing tomorrow and the winners playing Sunday, all so they can have some kind of “ranking” of the last eight teams.

Trust me, as a guy who sat through far, far, far too many relegation games following Canada in Toronto, Athens and Indianapolis, the last thing a team that’s been eliminated wants to do is play two more games.

The intensity level is practically non-existent.

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Mail? Yes, please.

I’m thinking mailbag tomorrow and maybe a worlds thing Sunday morning or a mailbag tomorrow and blissful sleep Sunday morning.

Click. Write. Send.

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Speaking of mail, let’s get this one up and out of the bag now.

Q: It's been fun (as available) watching the World Championship games. A combination of TV and internet streaming for me so far, so I feel I've been able to see a somewhat decent cross-section of games.

There have been two things I've enjoyed recently that are different from the NBA game.

First... the officials seem to "let them play". I know the NBA rules and FIBA rules are somewhat different, so it's hard for me (relatively new to FIBA watching) to tell if it's different rules or just different interpretation. Regardless - I've enjoyed it.

And I'm also really enjoying the FIBA ability to knock the ball off the rim. It seems to get everybody more involved._

Kate C, Toronto

A: The whole refereeing thing has been one that’s been a topic of conversation for the entirety of the tournament. I didn’t think it was too bad in Izmir but a couple of people in other cities said it was atrocious.

Yes, they do seem to “let them play” a bit more, lots and lots of moving screens, which I really don’t like because it’s something akin to blocking in football and watch when a guy has screen set on him, he always – ALWAYS – holds the guy rolling to the basket, which is never called and takes away some of the movement that makes the game so good.

As for the goaltending? I kind of like it, too but wonder how it’d translate to the NBA game, where the sheer overall athleticism of the players might make it almost too hard to score inside.

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Remember way back in the day when Super Son dragged his cranky old man to the grappling? Well, it’s back again and so are we. Whoop-dee-damn-doo!

I wonder if Lord Athol Layton will be there?

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Yeah, we’re down a pint or two here today, it’s one of those slow, slow mornings and there’s still a wee bit of jetlag hanging around.

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So here’s the deal.

If you want to watch any live weekend action from the world basketball championships and don’t have access to ESPN you’re, well, you’re screwed.

TSN2 will have the USA-Russia quarter-final live this morning at 11 a.m. but after that? Squat.

The semifinals, which go at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, won’t be on TSN2 until 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday night and the gold medal game, which goes at 2:30 p.m. Toronto time on Sunday, won’t be shown until 6 p.m. Toronto time, again on TSN2.

Kinda sucks, no?

Not sure which of the ESPN franchises will be showing anything, the early rounds have bounced around ESPN3, ESPN Classic and ESPN2 although I’m pretty sure the real ESPN will have the gold medal game live.

Looks like perhaps a weekend on a stool somewhere.

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Cue the spooky music.

It was 38 years ago – to the day! – that Russia beat the United States in the 1972 Olympic basketball final, as controversial a finish as there’s ever been to a basketball game on a global stage.

The final three seconds were played three times, as I’ve mentioned, before Aleksandr Belov made the game-winning shot (click to ‘Gold medla match controversy’ here, it’s pretty incredible) and it is almost a contentious an issue now as it was then.

Anyway, long story short, there was a Raptor connection to that infamous incident (there seems to have been a Raptor connection to a lot of things, doesn’t there?) and maybe that’s why it’s in my mind a bit.

Jim Brewer, an assistant back in the Lenny Era,, was on that team I remember talking to him about it in, wow, it must have been ’02 on the 30th anniversary of the game and I recall him telling me how utterly robbed the Americans felt.

Like the rest of his team, he refused to accept the silver medal and I recall asking him whether he ever regretted that. I got a fast, and emphatic, no.

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Anyone in the Toronto area notice that it’s, um, brisk out in the morning these days?

Guess that whole summer thing’s done, right? Makes the drive for the 6:30 a.m. coffee and the whole typing on the front porch with Super Dog shortly after a tad cool.

Grrr.

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So apparently someone out there has assessed the Raptors a ‘D’ as an off-season grade and I’m getting all kinds of e-mails and comments about it.

Let’s see:

In effect, they traded Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Antoine Wright, Rasho Nesterovic and Patrick O’Bryant for Linas Kleiza, Leandro Barbosa, Julian Wright, David Andersen, Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi.

That’s three starters and a couple of others for a guy who was in Europe last year, a backup guard, a raw youngster, an oldish big who seldom played in his one year in the league and a couple of kids.

Of course it’s a ‘D’ but, you know what, it doesn’t really matter. You can call it an ‘F’ or an ‘E’ or whatever you like but they’re still going to play the games, win some, lose some and when it’s all said and done next April, we’ll see where they are.

And anybody who says she or he can tell you with any amount of certainty where that may be is simply blowing off-season smoke up your butt.

But it’s what we do. Some of us.

Do I think that’s a playoff team? No, probably not. Not today. But, you know what? How many of you thought last year’s team was? See. It’s not an exact science, which is why sports is so great.

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Spain by 10?

Really.

Kinda like Spurs by 12.

Only different.

Spectacular game, though, wasn’t it?

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Okay, we’re way, way low on mail, which isn’t surprising given the dearth of, um, issues but if you’ve got something, I’d be glad to hear it. Or at least glad to read it.

You know the drill.

Click. Write. Send.

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You know, of course, that Milos Teodosic, who hit the game-winning shot for Serbia over Spain yesterday, and Nenad Krstic, who has been his team’s best player night in and night out for the past four games, were the two guys suspended for that pre-worlds brawl with Greece, right.

Not sure what that means but …

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I hear the kids are back in town.

That’d be some of the Raptors rookies, a couple of assistant coaches and the start of this whole zany grind really is around the corner.

There won’t be anything official or anything for us to write about until camp starts, really. It’s about a month between the start of practices and the start of the season and there’s no way I’m going to blow story ideas in mid-September that I’m going to need in mid-October.

Anyway, what goes on is they work out privately, maybe do a little scrimmaging but, under league rules, there can’t be any structured workouts until training camp officially begins.

But there are some guys here, more will be in over the course of the next week or so and will be going on around the gym.

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Someone mentioned there’s an NFL game tonight?

Hmm.

Guess it is fall.

Can’t say I’m a huge fan of the gridiron – a Super Bowl party’s always a good thing, I guess – and I certainly don’t get all the fantasy leagues that everyone I know seems to be in. Guess that’s a sign of age, or disinterest, or a lack of knowledge I presume.

Think the last time I was lnvolved in anything like that was in one of those “survivor” pools or whatever they’re called, where you pick a team to win each week but can only pick one team one time over the course of a season.

Had to be about five seasons ago (hello, Four Sagats!) and, as I recall, I was on the sidelines by about 3:30 p.m. on Opening Sunday.

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Want to know who'll win? Read on

Well , it would appear the east-to-west jet lag takes a wee bit longer to get over than I recall. Sorry this is a bit later than usual but we’re getting back to some level of normal around here, if such a thing exists.

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This didn’t seem to make the paper or the website so you’ll get the first crack at a look at the quarter-finals:

Wednesday

Spain vs. Serbia

The defending world champions from Spain are like a train gathering speed as it rolls through the tournament; really slow start but they’re going full bore now … It’s guys like Sergio Lull and Juan Carlos Navarro, hardly household names on a team with Marc Gasol. Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio who are doing a lot of the damage … Serbia edged Croatia in the round of 16 and is anchored by Nenad Krstic, who is the key in a post-oriented offence … Solid guard Milos Teodosic was a non-factor in win over Croatia and will have to have a big game.

Spain by 10.

Turkey vs. Slovenia

There’s something about 15,000 singing, chanting, screaming fans that can create a homecourt advantage almost second to none and unbeaten Turkey is rolling … Hedo Turkoglu shrugged of a so-so start to the tournament with 20 points in a rout of Greece France and Turkey seems pre-ordained to play for the medals … Slovenia, which includes a handful of ex-NBAers is good but holding off the onslaught of the Turks in an overwhelming atmosphere is likely too much to handle … They do have a balanced roster so maybe one guy can step up.

Turkey by 15

Thursday

United States vs. Russia

The Americans haven’t played a game that’s been remotely close in almost a week … USA had best three-point shooting game of the tournament in playoff-opening rout of Angola and if they keep that up, they’ll be tough to beat for anyone, the question is if they can against a good defence … Russian 7-foot centre Timofey Mogrov, who’ll play for the Knicks next season, could have an impact against smallish Americans … Lots of drive-and-kick stuff from Russia, which stands a shooters’ chance of pulling off a major upset.

United States by 18

Lithuania vs. Argentina

It’s been Linas Kleiza, Linas Kleiza, Linas Kleiza for Lithuania, he had 30 point in a round-of-16 win over China and as the Raptors forward goes, so goes his team … 7-foot centre Robertas Javtokas is back and looking good after suffering an ankle injury in the first game of the tournament … Luis Scola of Argentina has been an unstoppable force – he’s got the inside track on tournament MVP now – and his 37-point game against Brazil in knockout game was a gem … Time-hardened Argentines also getting great play from Carlos Delfino.

Argentina by two.

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Thank goodness I got home in time.

The WNBA final starts on the weekend and I can really get to cheering for my beloved Seattle Storm.

It’s them and the Atlanta Spirit Dream in the best-of-five final that starts Sunday and if there’s a better basketball day than the worlds gold medal game and the WNBA final starting, I’m not sure what it is.

Seriously, the worlds game will be something not to be missed.

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So my man Chris Sheridan says the game Luis Scola had for Argentina against Brazil yesterday was one of the best individual games he’s ever seen internationally in person and it got me thinking.

How about me?

Now, I will preface this by saying I also didn’t see Oscar in his prime (just a few times at the end of his storied career), nor did I see Arvydas Sabonis when I’m told he had amazing athleticism as well as the best passing skills a big man may ever have had.

But I did see:

Zeljko Rebraca in the gold medal game of the ’98 worlds in Athens. He was, in a word, incredible. I seem to recall he had, or almost had, a triple double and was dominant all night

That memory might have been clouded by time but I recall it being unreal.

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Back to women for a minute, if you don’t mind.

Our national team is off in Europe getting ready for their world championships which begin later this month in the Czech Republic.

They play a couple of tuneup games in France starting tomorrow and a couple in Athens after that before the worlds.

Timing made it difficult for me to do much on them in their final stages of preparation but we’ll get that rectified now that things are a bit normal.

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I’ve struck out, so far, on finding any kind of establishment that might have a good enough satellite to find the world championship games that don’t involve the United States and that really bites.

But the search goes on and we’ll let you know what comes of it as soon as I can.

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Okay, I think I actually have to stop by my office, find out what they might have in store for me and try to figure out how we augment coverage of the Raptors this year since we’re less than three weeks away from the start of camp.

Oh joy, oh joy.

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Getting back to normal and clearing up some mail

Okay, I’m not entirely sure what day it or what time it is so I think it’s going to be an easy morning.

Some items of general interest, lots of mail left over from the trip and the memory of an eight-hour flight home from Zurich spent sitting next to a crying, fidgety seven- or eight-month-old who was in THE VERY NEXT SEAT and wailed almost the entire time to expunge from my mind.

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So much for high drama in the round of 16 over there, right?

Turkey drills Greece France easily; Spain rolls, Russia has no problems at all with New Zealand (I was a bit surprised at the margin of victory) and, really, only Serbia-Croatia was much of a game. I fully expect Lithuania to kill China in a couple of hours but the next one – Argentina-Brazil – should be a doozy.

I need to find a spot to see that one. We’ll go over the quarters here tomorrow once I get life back to some sense of normalcy.

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Anyway … 

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I am all in favour of the Zurich airport, if it matters at all. Good restaurants, good shopping (if you’re so inclined) and big enough that wandering around hither and yon for about seven hours didn’t seem, you know, repetitive. I would go nuts if I had to be penned in at Pearson for more than, say, 45 minutes because once you’ve walked by Pizza Pizza, Starbucks and Tim Horton’s, you’re petty much done.

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Last kick at the Turkey travelogue, okay? I have to admit I much preferred Izmir to Istanbul for the time I was there. Sure, there wasn’t nearly as much history, of course, but there was something about being a five-minute walk from the relaxing Aegean, the people seemed a bit more friendly and it wasn’t nearly a hectic.

Don’t’ get me wrong, Istanbul is amazing but we were staying in what could be compared to something like a Marriott Courtyard about a 25-minute ride from anywhere you’d want to go with nothing in our neighbourhood. 

And the sheer crush of people at the bazaar, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia – even on a drizzly Sunday morning – was almost too much to take. Guess that says more about me than the cities, but there you go. I am, however, entirely glad I got to see both.

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And now, the leftover mail. Sorry for the delay, just couldn’t find a good day.

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Q: Okay Doug, here's a Canada Basketball question for you. To what do you attribute the seeming superiority of Australia's and New Zealand's basketball programs in relation to Canada's? These are two countries of similar or less population than us. They are located well away from the epicenter of the basketball universe, making it far less accessible for them to benefit from the development expertise that is available to Canadians. And both have major sports that would outrank basketball for national popularity. What's your take?

Richard E, Toronto

A: I attribute it to three factors, each equally important.

First, the funding level is far higher – especially in government money – there than it is here and money is the gas that runs the program.

Second, the existence of a solid club program for kids and a professional league for them to aspire to cannot be discounted.

And, thirdly, I think sometimes the absolute worst thing for basketball in Canada is the siren song of the behemoth to the south. I think too many of our kids are sold a bill of goods about opportunity and coaching and delusions of grandeur perpetuated by people with their own self-interest heart rather than the kids.

 Sure, there are exceptions but I think the overwhelming majority of Canadians drawn to the States are dawn there because we believe the hype we see so much of. I don’t think that’s the case in either Australia or New Zealand.

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Q: Now that Canada has been eliminated and the games are getting good, does that mean that none of the games will be broadcast on Canadian TV? Raptors TV has really dropped the ball on this one.

Matthew M, Toronto

A: I believe it does although I also know FIBA likes to use its worldwide broadcast rights as a huge money-maker and has been known the past to set a price simply too high to pay. But my search is on for a local that has a good enough satellite to get something from somewhere because watching the quarters, semis and final on a computer screen isn’t something I want to do.

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Q: Hello Doug, it's nice to have b-ball that matters again ! Speaking of the Worlds ... What does the national program do/provide, to continue player and team development, between the World Championship tournaments?

Joe U, Markham

A: It runs “seasons” for each of its eight main programs each summer – development teams, cadets, juniors and seniors –that gets them training camps, exhibition games and either qualification events for world championships or world championships themselves. In the winter, it’s much harder because so many players are scattered around the globe but they do things like run clinics and camps and, last spring for instance, they arranged – with the help of the provinces – to have senior men’s team assistant coach Renato Pasquali conduct a handful of clinics across the country that were as much about coaching the coaches as they were about coaching the kids.

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Q: Hi Doug. First off great blog. Secondly, one player who's been impressive thus far in the tournament is Hamed Haddadi of Iran, currently on the Grizzlies. Honestly, it seems like he has made great strides to be a good player, and from the first game, Tiago Splitter couldn't do much to stop him. He's 7'2 with a soft touch and good skillset and he's still young (25). What's your thoughts on him and is there any chance he can be a BC "project"?

Behzad R, Waterloo

A: I think he’s a long, long, longshot to ever play a meaningful role with an NBA team and I think there’s as good a chance of you being a BC “project” than there is of him coming to Toronto. He’s a pretty good player internationally, yes; whether he’s anything more than a bit player in the NBA is doubtful.

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Q: Hi Doug. Can you recommend a good basketball coaching book for young coaches?

Jeffrey R, Brampton

A: Wow, that’s a tough one. I know that a lot of good American college coaches, like the late John Wooden and Dean Smith, have done books that you might be able to find. And I do know there’s a lot of good stuff in a book Jay Triano did a year or so ago that might be a good jumping off point. As for names and where you might buy them, I’d have to point you to Amazon or Chapters or somesuch but if you search for those authors, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

A little looking back as the trip draws closer to an end

Not a lot of basketball here but what the heck.

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Now, that’s what I was talking about.

I’m sure there were some good games in the preliminary round here but I haven’t seen one better than Spain-Greece.

The fans were crazy.

And that was just in the media seating area.

You know that old “no cheering in the press box” stuff? It goes out the window at things like these.

I saw guys from both Spain and Greece leaping out of their seats with each big basket, moaning with each missed shot and generally behaving like, well, like fans.

It’s rather typical of events like the worlds and the Olympics but it takes a game like Saturday’s to really bring it to the fore again.

And, at this one, I saw something I hadn’t seen before. That would be the woman in the mixed zone where we do our interviews crying uncontrollably. I’m wondering if her credential got ruined by the tears.

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Know what they don’t have over here?

Laws against texting while driving or using hand-held phones while behind the wheel.

And I know this because you’ve not gone quite white like you do when a cabbie is trying to merge on to a highway that apparently has no on-ramp or speed limit and he’s steering and changing gears and typing on his phone all at the same time.

We made it, though. Not sure how, but we made it.

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It always makes me smile when I see Garbo play for Spain because – three or four times here, four or five times in Beijing a couple of years ago – because his burning desire to suit up for his national team was in no small part of his divorce, amicable though it may have been, from the Raptors.

He was going to play in Beijing come hell or high water and the Raptors didn’t want him to. He got his buyout, he played, he won a silver medal and, I tell you, you cannot see a iota of difference in his game from the time he was in Toronto until today.

So I had to ask Marc Gasol when I was talking to him – Garbo didn’t venture back out to chat after the win over Greece – what the guy means to the team.

“He is kind of the soul of this team he’s been here so long; he’s one of the captains and he’s always shown so much courage and dedication to this team and what we want to do.”

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A list, if you don’t mind, as I take my leave

Best thing I saw

The Blue Mosque, hands down.

Best thing I ate

Iskender kabob at a street-side café in Izmir. Oh, and there was this good fish carpaccio.

Cool things

Seeing the Bridge to Asia, that splits this city in about half, with some of it in Europe and some in Asia. Not a big deal but one of a kind.

Worst thing I ate

A sandwich bought from a window in an Istanbul of some undetermined meat byproduct with some kind of sauce that was a two-bites-throw-it-away lunch.

Turbulent times

It wasn’t very evident in Izmir but here in Istanbul, you cannot get away from the politics of a national referendum being held next Sunday. Now, I have no great interest in Turkish politics and certainly don’t want to suggest I know anything but I’m told the vote is to curb that power of the judiciary and military here. I’m not going to go into all the nuances or specifics but the Yes side is everywhere here. There is a park about a kilometer down the road from the hotel that’s hosting a gigantic rally in support of the “Evet” side (which is yes).

A thing I won’t miss

Traffic. I’m talking traffic with a capital ‘T’ and the only place I could compare Istanbul to is Rome and I’m not sure which is worse.

Most relaxing moment

Sitting on a bench on a beautiful morning with a coffee in hand staring out over the Aegean. It didn’t get much better than that.

Second most relaxing moment

Floating along the Bosphoros the first night in Istanbul with colleagues from Toronto, New York and L.A., three hours of

An international gathering

One night in Izmir, thanks to our close friend Safa The Volunteer, a gaggle of writers headed out to a dinner to sip an Efes or six and watch USA-Brazil.

There were guys from Canada, Spain, Serbia, Romania, the United States, New Zealand and Turkey.

Lots of stories, a couple of cocktails and some fun.

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I owe the gold street vendors of Izmir an apology.

Apparently, those mussels I was talking about the other day, the ones that I thought were simply baking in the night heat, are in fact cooked, stuff with rice and quite tasty when you sprinkle a wee bit of lemon on them.

Oops.

I’m still not trying street mollusks, though.

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Hey, what are the Raptors up to?

Oh, wait. That’s my job.

Let me check.

Um, nothing.

Still deathly quiet.

Just thought you’d like to know.

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I need to make this clear to the people who are still killing Canada for losing to Lebanon last week.

Yes, perhaps they could have won the game with a better fourth quarter but you do realize that just because you’ve never heard of Lebanese basketball doesn’t mean it’s bad.

You do know that Lebanon had more NBA experience on its roster than Canada did, right?

Two guys who’d been in the league to one, right?

Anyway, it just gets to this point: There are countries out there that you may not think of as “basketball” nations but that doesn’t mean they can’t play the game.

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This was not me, honest.

There’s a guy I know pretty well who took what he called The Walk Of Shame out of our hotel yesterday, wandering down the highway to, yes, McDonald’s.

He reports the Mega-Mac is like nothing you’ve ever seen with four – FOUR – hamburger patties.

So the fella decides to Super Size it (I guess the movie and inherent marketing mess it created hasn’t played here yet) and he says he got about a litre of coke and more fries than he could eat.

And four – FOUR – patties.

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Hey, I found out where we lived in Istanbul.

It’s in the Zeytinburnu region on the southwest side of this huge city, right on the Bosphoros.

Or as I call it, the Don Valley For Ships because as I look out my window, I can count 45 freighters or fishing vessels parked in the water.

Very odd.

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Okay, I have no idea when I’m going to get back here because I have one of the oddest travel-work days of my career ahead.

Have the Turkey-France game that starts at 9 p.m. here, will probably be done writing about 1 a.m. my time. Then there’s a cab to airport at 2 a.m. for a 4:30 a.m. departure and a three-hour flight up to Zurich.

After seven hours in Zurich, which is an hour time zone change from Istanbul, it’s about nine hours back to Pearson and if I’m at all functional when that’s over, I should win some award.

So maybe I’m back Monday morning if the Zurich airport has good wireless, maybe I’m back Tuesday morning from the comfort of Casa Doug as Super Son gets ready to begin his high school career.

Wish me luck.

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We are in for what could be an exceptional week

Holy crap!

This joint is huge.

Freaking huge.

I’m hearing everywhere from 20 to 25 million people in Istanbul – it’s virtually impossible to get an accurate count is what I’m told – and the place just goes on and on and on and on.

It’s kind of flat where we’re staying – and I have no idea where it is except it’s certainly not in the heart of the city – and the coolest thing I can see are dozens and dozens of minarets from the various huge mosques in the distance.

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Basketball?

Yeah, there’s basketball and this should be a huge week and if I’m only going to be in town for two days of games, I’m glad I got these two.

Croatia-Serbia and Spain-Greece tonight should be outstanding and seeing Turkey in Turkey against France tomorrow should be electric.

Let’s see who might win this thing, shall we?

Here’s how the four groups of the round-of-16 break down:

It’s Serbia-Croatia and Spain-Greece and I really think Spain comes out of that one; they seem to have figured things out and, yes, Greece is great but I’m sticking with the world champs.

Then it’s Turkey-France and Slovenia-Australia and I’d be stunned of our friend Hedo didn’t get his home-country team out of that gang of four.

I talked to a couple who saw Turkey in person in the first round and they tell me Turk’s not putting up any kind of numbers but he’s playing pretty well as the de facto point guard. Soon as I get the Turkish word for “ball” I’ll pass it on.

On the other side of the draw, it’s USA-Angola and Russia-New Zealand on one side and there is no way I see the Yanks losing to any of those teams. There are certainly teams here that can, and will, give the United States a huge scare and may beat them, Angola, Russia and New Zealand are not among them. That’s like a free passage to the semis.

The other side of that draw’s tough, though.

Lithuania-China (and that’s a freebie for my good friends of Lithuania) and Argentina-Brazil is almost too tough to call. I’d give the edge to Brazil right now, mostly because their coach used to coach Argentina and that might be the only difference.

A Lithuania-Brazil game? Too tough to call right now.

So, what we’re looking at is Spain-Turkey in one semifinal and the USA against either Lithuania or Brazil in the other one and if that’s not a great day of basketball, I don’t know what is.

I know there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands who’d love nothing more than a Turkey-USA world championship final in Istanbul because the intensity would be insane.

I’d love to see it, too, and I could envision it happening quite easily.

But I can also see a Spain-Lithuania gold medal game, too; and a Turkey-USA game for bronze. That’d be neat.

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So the very first guy I ran into in the lobby when I was checking in was an acquaintance from Croatia.

He reports that Roko Ukic, who still has plenty of supporters back in Toronto judging from the e-mails I get, is banged up pretty bad with a sore ankle and my buddy doesn’t give Croatia much chance against Serbia tonight.

“Maybe five per cent” is the word I got.

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I can’t begin to explain what the traffic’s like in a city this size; it’s like a free-for-all on streets crowded with parked cars, pedestrians, bicycles, scooters and the odd scared-to-death foreigner.

But what I cannot get over is fact that for all the cars honking and driving wherever they want and the utter disregard they seem to have for anything like lanes, there aren’t any accidents.

I’ve seen maybe one in the week I’ve been walking around here and in Izmir and it stuns me. There should be carnage every 20 metres or so.

But there’s not. Nothing.

Wild.

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On a trip like this, it’s never easy figuring out what, if any, souvenirs you need to bring back home.

T-shirts? They're nice, I guess, but pretty routine.

Jewelry? I’m not sure I’ve got the taste to pick out anything really nice and I can remember coming back from Barcelona in 1992 with what I thought were really nice earrings that ended up being used, I believe, as paperweights on a desk so that’s out.

I’m sure there’ll be tea or some spices back from this trip (don’t tell Customs, they might get irked) but other than that, I usually draw a blank.

Until …

And I’m wondering if I can get that home somehow because it’ll be the coolest thing Super Son owns.

And Dad might like it, too.

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Now, I’ve seen Asia and I’ve seen Europe but it wasn’t until last night that I saw them both just by turning my head.

Yep. As we floated along the Bosphoros on a dinner cruise with a handful of buddies last night, on the left was Europe and on the right was Asia and it may not seem like a big deal but for some reason it was.

And the Bosphoros Bridge sure ain’t the Garden City Skyway.

For a dude who likes bridges a bit, it was pretty damn cool.

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I’ve got a Travel Day From Hell coming up so I’m thinking doing the mail during an interminable layover in Geneva on Monday might be a good way to pass some time.

So I’ll give you two more kicks at the can.

Write, entertain me, click here and send.

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Okay, it’s getting to be almost noon here, think it might be time to strike out among the people and see what I can find. Tomorrow’s the Blue Mosque and everything, today’s just an adventure in the local area so I can get my bearings straight.

 

 

 

So long, Izmir, it's been nice knowing you

 

Okay, well, that’ll be it for Izmir, I guess.

By the time a lot of you get around to reading this – which is the first thing you do every morning, right? – I should be solidly sitting in Istanbul, getting ready for a couple of days of what I hope is good playoff-round basketball.

Izmir? Nice city, really nice along the water, really cool with little alleys and small streets up away from the sea. Would I come back? I don’t know. I don’t imagine so, there are so many other things to do and I don’t imagine there’d be a work thing that would cause a return so this probably it.

Lots of stuff in here about the city; suffice to say for now that it’s pretty cool.

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I am only spending two days in Istanbul – I had the option to stay longer if Canada had made some noise in this tournament – but I think I got the good two days of four of round-of-16 playoff action, or as FIBA calls it, the eighth-finals.

Spain-Greece on Saturday is by far the best of the first round playoff games and for a guy who picked them both to be in legitimate medal contention, seeing one go home will be crushing. I know there will be a large number of “great” games over the next week but that one’s going to be special.

We’ll have more on each of the games somewhere on this site today or in the paper tomorrow (it’s what I’ve got to write when I land in Istanbul) but I don’t think it gets much better a Saturday double-header of Serbia-Croatia and the Spain-Greece.

Toss in Turkey-France on Sunday and this should be a doozy of a couple of days.

Now, the only reason those games worked out is because of the zany Kiwis, right? That same team that so many of you thought should be easy pickings for Canada went out and beat France in the final preliminary round pool game, throwing all of Group D into disarray.

And if that doesn’t underscore the fact that there are good teams out there representing countries you don’t think should have good programs, I don’t know what will.

Anyway, enough basketball, let’s get to some stuff.

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One of the things I was warned about heading over by people who know was that it was probably a good idea not to eat the food being sold by street vendors.

Not to say that it’s all bad, but why take the chance, right?

Well, as Gumby (he’d be the lone Toronto grunt on the trip) and I were walking to the fair last night, there was a cart guy selling the most sickly looking hot dogs I’ve ever seen.

Sayeth Mike: “Wanna try?”

Replyeth me: “Not if it was the last food on earth.”

And if that was bad, not 100 metres up the street, there were a gaggle of dudes selling – get this – bags of what looked awfully like raw, close mussels. Off a table. With no ice. In about 25 C heat.

Yeah, right. Funnily enough, didn’t see anyone rushing to buy ‘em up.

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You did notice, of course, that only three teams out of 24 are leaving here without a win.

That’d be Jordan, Tunisia and …

Can’t remember the other.

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Speaking of food …

If you’re ever in these parts, I think you’d do well to order the following:

Iskender kabab, which is grilled meat served over grilled bread with a nice tomato sauce, yogurt, rice and the omnipresent flatbread.

Either of the sandwiches that would seem to be staples of the diet, a grilled meat with a nice salty cheese served hot on a bun with pickles and the same meat, I think, served cold with tomato and a thin, kind of hot pepper.

Oh, and if you’re at 100 Per Cent restaurant on the Konak Peir, the fish carpaccio is to die for.

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So, at the Halkapinar Arena, the media work room is this cavernous joint about 20 metres from the court that’s rather, um, spartan. Rows of tables, about four TVs showing games from other cities mainly, and a rest area that comprised about four couches around a low table you’d see in my living room.

And the, er, hospitality, area was one corner of the big room with a small fridge that was usually out of bottles of water and a table with a couple of vats of hot water and some instant coffee.

But I did hear the oddest thing in there yesterday.

Piercing the relative quiet – it was before Canada-Spain, which was the first game of the day – all of a sudden the familiar sound of the theme song of the Andy Griffith Show (you remember, Gomer and Andy, Aunt Bea and the gang) starts up. Seems they have goofy ringtones on cell phones over here, too.

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Got some mail?

Please.

You know the drill … write, click, send.

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Okay, one last kick at the Canadian team and then I think we need to put it to rest until they get around to making a decision on the coaching situation, and I don’t see that coming until October.

This is the fourth worlds I’ve been at and never once has Canada gotten past its preliminary round group.

There was a loss in a huge game to Greece in Toronto in 1994, the team that went to Athens in 1988 was a dysfunctional a group of mainly self-absorbed kids looking for jobs the next year rather than wins that I can think of, and the one in Indy in 2002 was the first one that Canada played without Steve Nash and they finished 13th of 16 teams.

So it’s not like this trip undid all kinds of great history.

But, and this is an honestly held opinion, there is a greater feeling of optimism about where the program is going than was ever felt after either of those other tournaments.

It’s not going to be easy, no question about it. The kids who are the future of the program – the high schoolers who’ve yet to do anything except build reputations – have to develop and they have to want to play for their country, which is the single most important part of this equation.

It’s all well and good to talk about their talent and the fact they are on lists of potentially good players drawn up in the United States but unless they can see this national team program as something worthwhile, something that will be a good experience with a professionally-run organization, it won’t mean squat.

That’s why the relationships that are being built now by Wayne Parrish and Maurizio and Leo are as important – if not more important – than anything else they do.

The sense I have right now, and this is from casual conversation with a lot of people around the game, is that people are thinking that playing for the national team is something they want to do.

The profile of being at the worlds can’t hurt and, the five losses notwithstanding, there does seem to be more promise at the end of Canada’s run in this tournament than there was at the end of any of the other three I’ve had first-hand experience with.

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