A little bit of trade and a whole lot of mail

Well, that was a heckuva Saturday, wasn’t it?

Anyway, we’ll have oodles more on the trade tomorrow morning when we get back to our usual fare but I will say this about it at first blush:

I do think it sets them up to do even more (I think the total of expiring contracts on the roster is about $25 million or something) and taking a flier on a young combo guard who would seemingly fit with the likes of DeRozan, Weems, Davis and Johnson isn’t a bad idea.

Peja? Who knows what he’s got left, he was relatively buried in New Orleans but this team is a horrible three-point shooting team so maybe he can help.

Anyway, more in the morning. Here’s this offering of mail and, no, I didn’t get to a lot that was sent in Saturday because other stuff came up but they’re saved and we’ll get to what we can in the next couple of days.

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Q: Hi Doug: I plan to take a leaf out of your playbook- my dad, age 98, passed away last week (great baseball Giants fan and he lived to see them win!!) Many have written and called to express condolences to our family. I remember your thanking each and every one who wrote in to you when your family had a loss last year - and I intend to do the same. You taught us about that.

Q: I believe that our team, lacking a superstar, will need great energy and focus to win games. How possible is it for a team sans superstar to in games in this league? Can you offer recent examples? Besides the obvious of playing extraordinarily effortful defence, what else do such teams need/do to win?

 

Charles N, Toronto

A: My condolences, my friend. May you have nothing but fond memories of a lifetime with your dad.

I guess the team everyone points to as a group without a real Alpha Male would be the 2004-05 Pistons and that’s a shining example of a team with a lot of very good players going all the way.

But I’m going to give you a couple more recent examples, too.

Like last season.

Take the Houston Rockets, without Yao, without Tracy, without a real high-profile stud and they did pretty well by playing as a unit

Take the Milwaukee Bucks, too. Yes, Andrew Bogut was pretty good until he got hurt but I don’t imagine you think “superstar” when you hear his name. That team defended, played together and had some pretty good success.

So it can be done by finding a group that buys into a system, truly plays together and is devoid of the monstrous egos that can wreck a team. It’s a tough thing to do but it can be done.

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Q: Hi Doug! It's been a long time but I have a favour to ask! A while back upon reader request, you provided a great list of basketball related books. I am wondering if you could do the same but this time, books that are aimed at young readers (ages 11-16).

I am putting together a list for some students and it would be really great if you could perhaps consult Super Son if needed (my students are in 8th grade). Even better, if fellow irregulars could help out that would be much appreciated.

If any of the recommended books cross over into different sports that's cool too.

Love the blog, thanks again!

 

Natalie M, Brampton

A: Man, that’s a tough one. I’m not sure I have a lot of specific titles here, although I do know there are several biographies out there – I believe there’s a really good one of Nancy Lieberman for any young women in your class, there are ones on Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan (can you tell my tastes run far more towards non-fiction) and there is a John Wooden instructional book (They Call Me Coach, I believe is its title) that I’d recommend.

Now, I can also point you towards the Scholastic Books catalogue and library (check out a wonderful Vince Carter tome!) because they have a series that might work well.

Okay, Irregulars. Fill the comments with help for our friend.

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Q: Hey Doug. I love the blog - required reading for any Raptors / NBA fan. Glad you take the time.

The other night Jay called a 20 second timeout with the normal "tap on the shoulder" gesture. It got me thinking - do you know how they came up with this. Other calls - traveling, most fouls, double dribble - have obvious gestures which make sense. But the 20 second timeout signal stumped me.

Not the most important question in your mail bag, but enquiring minds want to know.

 

Dave L, Kitchener

A: Okay, I asked a coach, a front office guy, a friend at the league and two or three colleagues and no one has a definitive answer. No one can even tell me specifically when it became the signal to be used.

One of life’s little mysteries but I’ll keep asking and see if anyone knows.

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Q: Hello Doug. Your award presentation to Mr. Bosh last week prompts these questions: How long do you reign as the Professional Basketball Writers Association Grand Poobah? When your tenure is up, can you be re-upped? Would you want to be? What perks would you lose? What headaches would you lose?

What's next in the life of a hard court beat grunt? Can sports writers make a run at their respective sport's hall of fame? If so, is that something you'd aspire to?

 

David M, Ottawa

A: The tenure is two years, which is supposed to end at the conclusion of this season but people have been convinced to serve a second term, although I’ve yet to have that discussion with anyone.

And I wouldn’t mind at all, it’s kind of fun dealing with a lot of different issues like relations between teams and the reporters who cover them on issues like access, seating and facilities.

The headaches? Really haven’t been any, actually.

Next? How about a nice relaxing life with a good coffee shop, an even better local and a big deck bathed alternately in shade and sun with a nice brick barbecue, an endless supply of red meat and catfish to grill up and a backup gas burner for those days when you’re in a hurry. Sweet? I’d say so.

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Q: Doug, I know you love lists, name five players currently playing that are sure fire Hall of Famers? My list would be Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, Ray Allen and Garnett.

Brian M, Barrie

A: Well, I’m certainly not going to argue with any of your choices so I’ll give you five more and you need to know that the Hall honours “international” players in a separate category:

LeBron, Chauncey, Pau Gasol, Jason Kidd and Nash.

(Yes, Kevin Durant, if he continues on this path, will be; it’s early)

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Q: Hello Doug. It becomes clear as we read your Trips Down Memory Lane Stuff that Sam Mitchell was a seemingly never-ending source of stories. So, following that line of thought, I am wondering if you'd give us your All-Time (and yes, 16 years is not really a long time, but it seems like there's been no shortage of unique personalities around here) Anecdote-Worthy Raptors. Now these aren't to be the sort of fellows you found gave good interviews because of their insightful, well-thought-through answers to questions. It's more the opposite I'm hoping for -the wonderfully wacky, damn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead type attitude. The ones who made you both laugh out loud and shake your head in disbelief sort of characters. And just one head coach, please. :)

Lorie P, London

A: Okay, I’m taking Oak out of this because he’s in a world unto his own.

Over years, you never, ever really knew what you were going to get from:

Carlos Rogers, who could spin any question into something about himself specifically.

John Salley, who pretty much always wanted to talk about off-the-court stuff rather than a specific game.

Rafer Alston once told us after a game in Boston – pretty much unprompted – that he might retire and was always a lot of fun to be around for stuff he’d say.

Jalen? Well, Jalen was a classic in his own right, the night after being taken out of the starting lineup when he offered that he was dressed all in black – “right down to my drawers” – was as good at it gets.

A fifth? Hmm. I’d put Jason Kapono on there. The few times he spoke, we were all anxious to hear what kind of joke he might crack.

And the coach? Stops and starts with Sam.

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Q: Hey Doug. Love the blog and read it every day. I was just wondering if the Toronto Huskies jerseys are going to make appearances this season. Does the home side have any better record when they do?

 

Andrew S, Sackville

A: There are no plans to resurrect those cool uniforms, it was a one-year thing to “celebrate” 15 seasons of existence.

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Q: Hi Doug.I've seen almost every game of the Raps this year, and, with the exception of Washington, they have had a chance to win every game. Even though their record is terrible I much prefer watching games this year to last. Regardless of the record, this team is exciting, and they have competed in 11 of their 12 games. I have two questions.

Do you think this years Raps team is more fun to watch than last year’s team?

What are your top five most exciting teams to watch ever in the NBA.

Thanks!

 

Jeffrey M, Saint John

A: Definitely more fun. I’ve been telling people for months that this team would be fun to watch but not as successful. And I think that’s been proved.

All-time? That’s really, really hard.

But I’ll go with Showtime Lakers of the 80s, the Seven Seconds or Less Suns, the Denver teams under Paul Westhead, the Bird-McHale-Parish Celtics teams and let’s go with Havlicek-Russell Celtics who perfected the fast-break.

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Q: Doug - enjoy your blog - and esp in game coverage - Question - I am coming to see the Atlanta game next Sunday. Visiting two daughters - with wife and boyfriends - adds up to 6 tickets - got decent ones - i hope- so what would you suggest to make the $700 + investment the best experience- please don't suggest going to opera - did that last time on daughters birthday - her first choice was to go to game - that was a year ago last spring and they (Raptors) were so bad I didn't want to reward them ( and what's different now a cynic would say ?)- and the opera was good ! - anyhow - when to show up for warmups etc - and what i could tell the kids to watch for (and appear to be the wise old man) etc - appreciate any comments.

 

Bill J, Chatham

A: I always suggest people get there for as soon as the doors open – I believe an hour or 90 minutes before tip – so they can see the end of the individual warmup process and see what guys do to get themselves ready.

And I don’t know where your seats are but I also think fans need to try to watch some action away from the ball on each possession to see who’s setting what screens, where defenders are helping from and how set plays unfold.

Have fun.

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Q: Hi Doug. At the end of last season, I recall something about Bargs going back to Italy for the summer to work on his rebounding (and maybe also his help defense, but definitely his rebounding).

Do you know what this consisted of? Care to comment on the results thus far?

Thanks

 

Duke L, Toronto

A: He went back to Italy to play for his national team and work on all facets of his game, primarily rebounding and some post offensive moves. He’s not a great rebounder yet, that’s for sure, but I think you can see a much wider variety to his offensive game, a different level of confidence and I think the summer helped him a lot. He was the focal point of what his team did and while it’s apples and oranges to compare lower echelon European national teams to NBA competition, it did help in some ways.

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Q: Why not increase the all-star ballots?

I figure that much of the voting is done on the net, and like it or not, it is a popularity contest. So why limit the number.

Write-ins seem silly if it is as easy as adding more players (I realize that no matter how many players are on it, someone will say "You missed ____ " but six players per team is not undoable.

 

Bruce M, Winnipeg

A: Increase? I think it’s too big now. I’d go with 18 forwards and guards and maybe 10 centres tops. I imagine the reason they have so many, and need so many from each team, is so the teams can flash pictures on the scoreboard at games and say, “vote for our guys.”

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Q: Hi Doug. What type of offensive system do you personally prefer? A strong half-court slow paced offense or a fast run and gun offense? The half-court slow paced teams are boring but usually do better in my opinion then the fast paced teams. There tends to be less sloppy play with less turnovers and I find with the run and gun offense it is sometimes hard to get back and focus on defense. Phoenix always had a good team but never quite made it in the playoffs. Where as teams like the Celtics and the Spurs are usually always very successful.

A coach basically has to work with what they get in a team, and I do think the current Raptor squad is better suited for a run and gun team since we have so many players that like to push the ball forward. But I don't think that is good for long term success, and I hate to admit this but I do blame the GM for assembling this kind of a team.

What do you think?

 

S S, Newmarket

A: I don’t think it’s ever either/or; I think you could make the case that the Spurs under Tony Parker ran a wee bit and the Lakers back in the day were sure up-tempo (although in a different era).

Is this perfect? No. But Phoenix, a team you cite, was, what?, a Stoudemire suspension from maybe winning the west?

I think everything evolves and while this team may not be entirely suited for the style you contend is best, with a couple of tweaks and adds and improvements, it could be. It’s all part of the building process.

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Q: Hi Doug. I have a non-Raptors question for you.

Matt Devlin mentioned on the last broadcast that Doug Collins was severing some symptoms from a previous concussion. Was that something he received as a player and is now coming back to haunt him? Also didn't realize he was the #1 pick the year he was drafted.

Thanks for keeping us up on all the Raptors news.

 

Ron D, Ottawa

A: No, Doug had a spill this fall or summer, that’s where the post-concussion thing comes from and he had to miss a game earlier this season because of it.

Oh, yeah, he could play a little bit, no doubt about it.

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Q: Keep up the great work - love your blog. My question is retrospective - I'm sure maybe you've already discussed this.

Back when Colangelo brought in Reggie Evans, he seemed to think that with the particular group back then, Evans would bring a lot to the table in terms of grit and rebounding. The Evans we see now sounds like the Evans he was describing. Sans injury last year - how do you think last year’s Raptors would have done with this year’s Reggie?

Looking forward - other than contract ending this year - why move Reggie if we'd lose that grit and rebounding now?

 

Regards,

David M, Toronto

A: The easy answer is better; they wouldn’t likely have been among the worst rebounding teams in the league if you’d played Reggie alongside Bosh and Bargnani but, on the other hand, would Amir Johnson been able to emerge as a fourth big instead of third.

It’s impossible to quantify it, and we don’t really know how or if Bosh and Evans would have meshed so let’s “different” rather than “better.”

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Q: If we look at defense as a combination of strategy, talent, and effort, how do you think the Raptors this year compare to last year in the 3 categories?

I went and looked at the record and noticed that last year their defensive shot percentages were ok (they actually shot a higher percentage themselves, both in 2s and 3s) but they allowed a huge number of 3 pointers. I am suspicious that is attributable in part to the "defend the house" strategy last year.

From your descriptions, Jay seems to have learned a lesson there and is now focusing on the ball, which implicitly gives more attention to the 3 point line.

 

Jim R, Toronto

A: I think the lesson he learned is two-fold.

Threes will kill you if you don’t defend them well and that put an emphasis on getting out on shooters that may not have been there last year for whatever reason.

And I think he learned that with this roster and this talent – Weems, DeRozan, a healthier and more confident Calderon and a good rebounder in Evans – they are better suited to apply some pressure on the ball and defend the perimeter more aggressively.

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Q: Doug you claim that BC wouldn't take back the trade that sent Hibbert to Indy. Either you're so far entrenched in the BC love fest or your Bball knowledge isn't what is should be. I hope it is the former, As I understand that saying something bad about BC may get your courtside seats revoked. Hibbert is a young, big, double double centre which is exactly what most teams covet 17pts, 10 reb and 3 blocks with 2 years experience! You've been coddling Bargs saying "big men need time" and it's his 6th year! I can guarantee you that if you went to the Pacers and offered Bargs for Hibbert (salary figures notwithstanding) they would decline. Thoughts?

 

James M, Toronto

A: Well, since you asked and are obviously not a regular reader, I asked Bryan that very question for a story that appeared a few weeks and he was unequivocal that he’d do it again.

And well he should be.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to take a shot and that’s what they did with Jermaine. Took a shot.

And, yes, Roy Hibbert is putting up pretty good numbers this year, no question about it.

But I’d do it again, and so would the GM.

Hindsight, as they say, is a wonderful thing.

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Q: Why are Jazz players consistently the Rodney Dangerfield guys of the NBA? They get no respect. Paul Millsap, whose omission from the All-Star ballot was an admitted gaffe, is referred to as "Ronnie Milsap" in your blog. And you're an expert.

I gotta tell ya, it's tough for us Jazz fans.

 

Cam L, Burlington

A: The Ronnie reference was a joke, yeesh. And since a lot of people I talk to think Deron Williams challenges Chris Paul as the best point guard in the league, I’m wondering about the Dangerfield aspect of your question. It probably hurts them that they don’t get a lot of national TV exposure but people who know the game know they’re good

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Q: My son is on a bicycle trip around the U.S. between BA and law school next year, and was at the game in Washington Tuesday evening. He bought two tickets on-line for all of $15 on a website through which season ticket holders can sell unwanted tickets. Half the seats in the building looked empty on TV --- are the Raptors that lousy a draw, or are there NBA franchises in the same boat as Phoenix, Nashville, the Florida teams, Anaheim, etc. in the NHL?

 

Nick M, Winnipeg

 A: There are obviously teams in the NBA struggling at the gate – Sacramento’s one, Detroit’s another – but that’s got as much to do with the economy as the product.

The Raptors, historically, haven’t been the greatest of road draws and it’s particularly so this year with a team devoid of any recognizable names.

So, I guess “lousy” would be a word you could use.

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Comments

[john doenscurt]

billups definetly will not make the hall of fame....10 outta 10 experts will tell you that

Blogger's note: You've conducted the poll? Can I see the results?

[pooks]

Wow, the irregulars exceeded my expectations!

This was amazing, THANK YOU everyone for your input. I can't wait to search and read these titles. You've done your part to help develop the minds of our young people so again, on behalf of parents, students and educators everywhere, thanks so much.

Thank you Doug, for allowing this little bloggy thingy to be used for this purpose.

-Natalie

[Danny A]

Doug - Billups but no Dirk? Come on! Dirk is a no-brainer.
(And don't say you were excluding internationals if Pao made your list!)

Also, I'd think Pierce would have as good a shot as Billups at this point, n'est pas?

Blogger's note: Who's had a more successful career? Dirk or Billups?

[botaz]

Timeouts - for a full timeout the official extends both arms out all the way (like a kid would imitate a plane) to signal a full timeout.

fro a 20/30 second timeout - depending on the league - the official taps both shoulders. the visual difference is the difference between a full and half/partial timeout for the scorers table and both benches to see how long it is because it may be too loud to hear their voices.

Over time these signals become shortened or modified so you may just see them tap a shoulder now but the difference visually is for the official scorer to know what type of time out the official is indicating with the length of extending the arms and tapping the shoulders being roughly the difference in length of the time out.

[Mohammed]

A mention for Pau Gasol but no Dirk? Deron Williams and Chris Paul both HOF level talent in my humble opinion as well

[Duke]

Bball books:

Fiction: when my brother and i were kids in the early 80s we had a book called 'Basket Fever' about a high school team in the states, culminating in the 'big game.' it's sort of a 50's cheesy hardy boys style book (and no doubt long out of print) but we both really enjoyed reading it as kids. you could likely find it online somewhere.

Non-fiction: i also enjoyed 'Steve Nash: the making of an MVP' by Jeff Rud.