Time to make a move and Canada Basketball's new look

All right, it’s getting to be fish or cut bait time for the Raptors, roster-wise.

And as we have though all along, the only decision they’ve got to make will be to keep one of Joey Dorsey or Ronald Dupree and the time’s about here to make that call.

Now, neither has been spectacular in the pre-season and we are talking about the 11th or 12th or even 13th man on the roster but, still, on a team lacking news, it’s what passes for it.

If it’s going to be Dorsey they keep, they have to waive Dupree by Thursday so he can clear waivers before the Raptors need to be down to the 15-man limit on Monday night.

If they’re going to keep Dupree, they’ve got a few more days to move Dorsey thanks to the way his contract is structured.

What it also does, in some way, is put some added time pressure on Bryan Colangelo. If he’s going to do a deal and needs one of those two guys as either roster fillers or cap ballast, time is of the essence.

Again, it’s not the biggest issue in the world but something we will keep on top off for the next couple of days.

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So, not sure how many of you have been at a game but there seems to be a new post-game tradition.

Buzzer goes, congratulations offered and the whole team gathers in a circle at midcourt. They say something to each other and then turn and wave to the crowd before leaving the court.

Cute?

I guess.

Seems it’s an “organizational” decision I was told, something the players were asked to do rather than something they came up with on their own.

I think some of them might be doing it grudgingly for one primary reason:

There will be nights after bad losses when the fans are, um, restless and standing out there as human piñatas might not be the most fun thing in the world.

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Maks and Brandy were pretty good last night, eh?

And how about Rick Fox and Cheryl showing up at El Segundo and the Laker practice facility to say hi to Kobe and Phil?

When worlds collide …

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Gotta love it when the kids grow up.

Alvin Williams, in his front office role, is off to some high-falutin’ NBA meeting in New York, I’m told; to talk about player development programs with execs from other teams.

Will keep away from a practice or two, I believe, but the kid’s getting on with life and becoming a big whig.

Good for him.

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Rather than me just throwing this out there, why not use an early submission to the mail:

Q: Hi Doug- So much earlier on re: Dampier. What's up? Is he just waiting for preseason to end before joining a team? Would he benefit us or is he to old, to slow and to expensive?

Doug L, Toronto

A: Funny you should ask. I was asking someone who’d know about these sorts of things that very question this morning and I’m told a decision should come “soon” and it’s probably going to be either Phoenix, Houston, Chicago or Toronto. There is no “favourite” nor is there a definitive order of preference.

And I still think he’d be a good fit and he certainly wouldn’t be too expensive see how all they can offer him is the veteran’s minimum of about $1.4 million.

But, hopefully, this saga ends soon.

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Dilemma time over here.

As you may recall, part of the gig in my PBWA duties is to sit on the committee that determines the all-star ballot you all can’t wait to see and the first of a series of conference calls to figure it out is this afternoon.

Now, there are a lot of people on that call who are brighter than I am but I do have some expertise when it comes to this team and that’s where the dilemma is.

As you also may recall, each team has to have three players on the ballot, even if the third, often the second, and sometimes the first, have no chance in Hades of making the game.

Still …

So, who gets on from here?

Bargnani as a centre? Yep.

DeRozan as a guard? Check.

And the third?

I don’t know either.

Wish me luck.

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Okay, the Canada Basketball moves, one last time.

I will reiterate what I said yesterday about Leo and Allison and that is that it’s not an issue of coaching – the teams finished where they finished on merit and talent – and having them back for maybe two more years is a good thing.

But the news is the other two hires and what it’s going to mean long-term for the game.

Renato Pasquali as technical director and Michele O’Keefe as director of basketball operations are, in my opinion, inspired hires that can only mean significantly good things in the development of the sport across the country.

Not sure if any of you remember this piece I did on Renato out of the world championships in Turkey but it kind of gives a glimpse of what he is and what he feels is important.

I think one of the things lacking in the sport these days is good, fundamentally-sound coaching for the young kids and if Renato can coach the coaches, it can only mean good things.

Michele? I’ve known her for years and I know how passionate she is about the game, bringing together the disparate sides from across the country and she has some very good ideas that should be implemented.

“I think one of the first things I need to do with the crew and the provincial sport organizations is find a system that works, that the kids play less games, train more but feel like their building to something. Not just to play for Canada but also to play for their future.

“The lure of the AAU is what the kids have now and we have to find a way to keep those kids home.”

Now, she’s not talking about every kid, there will be one or two who need to go south or somewhere else for whatever reason. It’s the middling talent that – truth be told – is little more than fodder for some prep school with little hope of truly realizing every bit of their potential who need to stay here and be a larger part of the growth of the game at the young level.

I said when Wayne Parrish took over as executive director way back in ’07 that I didn’t know if the job could be done but that they had the only man I could think of who could do it.

I feel kind of the same away about Renato and Michele.

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Mail? Sure, let’s start the process.

Click. Type. Send.

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I don’t know how it’s all going to pan out or whether he can keep it up long-term but Reggie Evans was channeling his inner Oak yesterday with the long, rambling, working-man-blue-collar-drive-your-truck quote that’s in here.

And on a team starved for colourful quotes, I’m hoping he becomes something of a go-to guy for us.

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Comments

[Sammy]

Hey Doug. For the all star ballot, what do you think of Klieza as forward. I think he has a lot to offer, and he will have a great year for us barring injuries.

[Andy C]

seeing as it's Alvin Williams first year as a Henchmen someone should get him a Dora Tie.... a clip on Dora Tie :P

i elect the grunts to pool there funds on this

[AT]

Doug,
Do you think if Dampier opts to go to a team other than the Raptors, that we will hear something from BC as a plan B soon after wards?

Blogger's note: No, but I'll try to find out what he's thinking

[Dallas]

Doug, I thought Wright had a guaranteed deal, are you sure you didn't mean Ronald Dupree?

Blogger's note: Yeah, got that fixed. Thanks

[SteveG]

Yea that third choice would be hard Doug.

I would assume most would say Kleiza or Amir, but they would be just based on expectations! I guess one of Jack/Calderon could be thrown in, but who knows if they'll even be around these parts anymore?

I guess you could even make a case for Barbosa, since he's sure to be in the top 3 of scoring on this team..

Goodluck indeed!

[FPB]

Morning Doug, regarding the gathering at the end, sounds like our beloved Black Stars during the FIFA world cup. They gathered and prayed at half time and at the end. It preaches team spirit I guess (hello Suarez!). I thought we needed to cut Dupree and we have 15 man roster, no?

Blogger's note: They have 16 guys and 15 spots, someone has to go

[Anon]

Doug, Dorsey's contract is still guaranteed for a little over 400k, if he is waived by Nov. 1st, and fully guaranteed after. Also, Dupree is terrible, Dorsey isn't. This isn't really a tough decision. Dupree was brought in as training camp fodder.

[Mike D.]

"If they're going to keep Dupree, they have a few more days to waive Dorsey". Whoo, you really had me going there; for a second I thought you might be serious. What a comedian......oh, you're NOT joking?

[Drew]

Hey Doug...
Nice piece today...I wanted to comment on what your wrote about the kids going South...

“The lure of the AAU is what the kids have now and we have to find a way to keep those kids home.”

Now, she’s not talking about every kid, there will be one or two who need to go south or somewhere else for whatever reason. It’s the middling talent that – truth be told – is little more than fodder for some prep school with little hope of truly realizing every bit of their potential who need to stay here and be a larger part of the growth of the game at the young level."

In my opinion...the kids are leaving because the infrastructure is not yet here to support youth basketball at a high level. The kids wanna feel the "love" from Canada Basketball from a young age. They want to see the Canada Basketball people at the games...talking to them and building rapport. Kids will always seek to go Stateside because of the higher level of competition, NCAA basketball and as a Country we do a poor job or promoting and taking care of "our own" players until they get Stateside. Right now the young players are getting offers left, right and center(record numbers playing prep ball and NCAA ball) and they are not gonna wait around to see if Canada Basketball will come calling. Hopefully though they will eventually return to play for their national squads going forward.
Again, Canada Basketball has to be highly visible at high school and rep games, tournaments and other local events and not just want to lure the kids after their gone away!
They need to "connect" with the youth from a young age and not just be this "beaurocracy" that they hear of that they don't feel a part of. I cover the Rep/AAU/High School scene here in Toronto and don't see enough(or any at all) "Canada Basketball people/posters/logos at these events. C'mon Canada Basketball, put your money where your mouth is and get in the gyms so the kids look to staying in Canada as a viable alternative to going Stateside.

[Lorie]

Oh crap! I totally forgot about DWTS yesterday! But, it's October, and there's not much gets in the way of my enjoying playoff baseball. Good to know, though, that you've got our (cultural) backs covered and you'll keep updating the dance doings for all of us ball fans. (And Rick Fox is dreamy, but I think you might have taken a wee bit of pleasure in watching Cliff Lee take it to Andy Pettitte and the Yanks last night.) Not sure what I think about each team having to have 3 players on the All Star Ballot. Don't you think it diminishes the integrity of the process a bit? You know the whole quality vs. quantity thing? Why not just 1 or 2 players from a team if that is all that (say, you) think in your heart of hearts is really deserving?

Blogger's note: I guess it diminishes it a bit, but realistically, none of the "thirds" has a chance to start, and it gives teams a chance to throw up a "vote for ... " thing on the screen at each home game.

[WSG]

Third spot for the All Star ballot? Too easy. Kleiza. And maybe, while you’re thinking about this, consider Barbosa instead of DeRozan. Cheers.

[chris]

Doug - finishing where they did based on merit and talent is fine, but its pretty obvious that Leo is an inexperienced adn raw coach (as much as he knows basketball).

Don't you think they could have done better? ie...putting Leo in another role that's closer to his strengths and getting someone on board who's, you know, ACTUALLY been a coach for a bit. Correct me if i'm wrong, but i think Leo's coaching resume is as long as his Canada Basketball career. In other words, he had none previous.

Blogger's note: The guy has coached internationally since 2005. That's half a decade. It's not a coaching issue.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Hi Doug,
Is it just because of printing schedules that the All Star ball has to start rolling this early? And is it just because of fan votes (hello T-Mac and Yao again!) that a printing schedule even exists? Would you be in favour of moving All Star votes into the hands of NBA players, coaches and execs? That would speed up the process (no need for printing at all), make it more, um, informed, and wouldn't it also eliminate all this sheer speculation? Speaking of which, Kleiza.
Cheers. Go Raps!

Blogger's note: Yeah, printing and administrative stuff; they've actually pushed it back a couple of weeks this year to give us a bit more time. And, nah, may as well leave voting on starters to fans, they enjoy it.

[Dan w]

On sep 15th you wrote "Dampier is not an upgrade of any significance over what they have, he’s a big and slow on a team that wants to be big and quick and multi-dimensional. A horrible fit, actually, who’d do nothing substantial to improve the team.

Just curious what change your oppinion to him being a good fit.

Blogger's note: The temporary loss of Davis and the lack of any other moves.

[Tiger]

re: the kid’s getting on with life and becoming a big whig.
And here I thought the whigs disbanded about 150 years ago, but I see a new bunch have been hailed as the "fastest-growing mainstream political movement in the nation".
Not sure how that helps the Raps, though.
nyuk, nyuk, nyuk...
So, when is the draft?

[Andrew]

Linas Kleiza should be third on the ballot.

[Mr. SS]

I mean yeah why should this be a hard decision? Cut Dupree! Dorsey is a bonafide rebounder and hey would in my opinion be (since either of them is gonna get much burn) a better practice player than Dupree. KEEP DORSEY!!

[kelsey]

Raptors keep Dorsey tough body and seems to know his role, havent seen enought of Dupree but I dont think he has impact.

Love the Reggie quotes as well.

Canada basketball needs to keep steping up to keep Canadian basketball fans looking forward to something.

I forgot to make a point from Sundays game. I not a basketball expert, but a good arm chair coach/gm. I honestly cant see this raptors team going on any runs with Jose as starter. I dont mind the guy but he really cant fight thru any screens. I know Nash is hall of famer, but it must of have happened 5 straight times. He just gets caught behind. Then with Bargnani its just going to get really, really bad..

As for someone yesterday thinking its gone, I will bring the ugly words out. This "Euro connection" on this Raptors team has proved to be a serious failure and it will continue. Klezia is good, but really should be a 4th option not 1st or 2nd on a NBA team. Just like if they kept bringing guys in from a specific US College and failed, I would brand the same thing. So people dont get all warped up in Euro connection, it just happens 2 of the Raptors highest paid and under achieving players are Euro's and last year there was 3 of them of this status.

Sorry truth hurts!!!!!!!

[dribbles]

Wow...tough gig picking 3 potential all-stars from this team. Personally, I'd go with Bargnani, Kleiza and Barbosa. I don't think DeRozan is there yet.

On Dorsey vs. Dupree, one good reason to keep Dorsey is that Evans may not stay a Raptor for very long if BC is able to package his expiring contract in a deal. Dorsey can fill that role decently as far as I can tell, and with a team that's thin in the frontcourt (I mean physically thin), if Evans goes down at all with an injury, it would be nice to have Dorsey as an option on the bench. Of course if Dampier signs here, that point may be moot. I'd still prefer Dorsey anyway.

[pain777pas]

Dorsey will be able to bang with Andrea in practice. Keep him, right Doug?

Blogger's note: That's one thing in his favour

[Jim Rootham]

Something tells me that Alvin didn't really become an 18th century politician.

[AJR]

Doug,after they shipped out TJ a while ago, you suggested that Calderon could be an All-Star.

I don't think the word "All-Star" and the name of any other player on the Raps has ever been mentioned in the same sentence.

I'd go with Bargs, Kleiza and Calderon.

[Chi of Steel]

I agree with Dribbles above for Toronto's selections: Barbosa, Bargnani, Kleiza

[Andre]

third spot should be barbosa or Kleiza.

That wave thing, don't European teams do that after games? in all the highlights i always see them going to the middle of the court, grouping together and waving or clapping...

Weird. They better not do that at the next game.

[GK]

The fact that the gathering at the end of the games is an "organizational" decision makes it insincere. I wonder if Mr. Peddie and Mr. Colangelo would be willing to do the same on nights when they are blown out by 20 plus points? Perhaps Triano could join them.