Some mail to get the week started

Hey, folks.

Sorry this is a tad late, the time seemed to get away from me all weekend.

And there are more than a few I didn’t get to but I will over the course of the next couple of days.

Have fun.

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Q: Doug: As a diversion from this Raptor debacle how about we go back to a food theme (especially prudent given the Curry dish we had last night gave us such indigestion). I enjoyed your "best pizza" piece recently. But, you know, guys are meat eaters, so steak has more sizzle and is certainly more stellar than pizza for the average masculine male. Where is the best, that you've sampled, steak available? I've tried The Keg but would like to try Ruth Chris. Most times, triple A Black Angus from Costco (marinated in soya sauce, olive oil and garlic) on my own grill at home does the trick. Your thoughts? Condiments/seasonings on your favorite steak.

Frank K, Orillia

A: Oh boy, an eating question. Cool.

I think you’re an Irregular who knows I’m as much about the company and the ambiance as the actual meal but I am all about hunks of red meat.

If I had to rank road and home steakhouses, I’m always going to put The Palm on the top of the list (the one in New York on 2nd Ave., I believe is a huge personal favourite, as is the one in Phllly) but after that, there’s a lot pretty close in order.

So, I’m going with St. Elmo’s in Indy, although there are those who say it’s only worth going for the all-world shrimp cocktail and then you should move somewhere else for steaks, and then it’s Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris and then my deck with friends and a cooler.

I’m okay with soya sauce but if you drizzle a bit of Worcestershire sauce and maybe some fresh garlic with basil it’s generally good.

And if you cook it any way other than medium rare, we’re going to have issues.

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Q: There seems to be a misunderstanding that athletes are "super beings" and don't get tired and worn down. I would imagine you often feel run down and you aren't playing a professional sport. When you "travel" with the team, you obviously keep somewhat similar hours to them. I wondered if you could comment on how you feel physically/mentally.

 

Jeff S, Ajax

A: I feel worn out, actually; and the four-gamers with a back-to-back are almost too much to handle travelling commercially. I’ll walk you through my weekend since you asked:

Thursday flight to Orlando, dinner with a friend, up Friday for a 10:45 Raptors shootaround and then the Magic kept us there until after noon before we could talk to Vince. Back to the hotel to write a Carter and then a 4:30 trip back to the arena and game stuff until 11. Too much adrenaline flowing to sleep right away so a couple of relaxing hours and then maybe three hours sleep before heading to the airport to get to Miami. Drop bag at hotel, hustle to Heat shootaround to see Bosh, back to room to write that one and then back to arena at 5 for the game. Post-game, same drill, done about 11, bed about 1:30, up at 5 for work and a flight home.

Tiring.

Now, I don’t have the luxury of charter airline travel like they do but they do have a lot of late nights that pile up over the course of a long trip. There are a lot of 3 a.m. arrivals at hotels and fitful sleep, some of planes, some in beds and your body clock just gets all screwed up.

I know it sounds like whining but it’s hard and when you hear them talk about being tired, it’s legit.

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Q: Quick travel question, Doug.

When you have short trips (Orlando to Miami for example) do you ever consider taking the train? Avoids some of the sitting around, going through security, etc. and many trains have internet so you can work en route if you want to.

 

Richard Y, Kincardine

A: I have taken the train in the Philly-Washington-New York corridor and it’s excellent. I know a few colleagues took it from Portland to Seattle (sniff, sigh, I miss the Sonics) but I’ve always driven that one.

In fact, I find a lot of times driving is quite relaxing. We often to Orlando-Miami (I didn’t this time because it was a back-to-back and I need to be at the Magic shootaround to see a guy) and I usually drive San Antonio-Houston if the schedule permits, Dallas-Oklahoma City and did Charlotte-Atlanta one time. Anything to stay out of airports.

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Q: Hey Doug! In your opinion, what are some of the silliest rules in the NBA rulebook? And why?

 

Mary L, Ajax

A: There aren’t all that many, actually.

The one that gets me is when they reset the shot clock to 14 seconds if it’s under than that when a defender kicks the ball, on purpose or inadvertently. Seems to reward an offensive team with more time more often than it should.

That would be the big one; the rest seem pretty much all right to me.

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Q: Hey Doug. Seems like I'm always recognizing a name or two in the zebra crew - how many NBA refs are there? Also, how does one get to be an NBA ref? Do they pull from the NCAA or work them out in the D-League before making it to the big time like players?

 

Ryan M, Ottawa

A: As I’ve just learned by using an Excel spread sheet I didn’t even know I had, there are 60 officials and six others who are “fill-ins” for refs who are injured or take time off.

And they generally come from the D League ranks; there are scant few who move from the vastly different college game to the NBA. And most, if not all, of the new guys learn the ropes at summer leagues as well.

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Q: Hi Doug. Some say the NBA is experiencing a sort of Golden Age of point guards right now. Just for the sake of discussion, if you were to remove Jose and Jarrett from the equation, looking around the league, which point guard possesses the talents best suited to the type of team we're developing?

 

Lorie P, London

A: A bit younger, I’d say Steve Nash without question but you can take anyone of a handful of them. The ability to create as well as score is huge in my books so if I had to pick one, it might be Chris Paul. Or Deron Willams. Or Tony Parker.

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Q: Hi Doug. First off, do you choose your menu based on geography? New Orleans = jambalaya, Philly = cheesesteak.

Secondly, if our Raps are only going to win 20 games this year I still need some positives to take from the season. What are some the positives that you will take should the team finish with one the lowest win totals in franchise history? Sorry for the clumsy sentences.

Please understand that I love my Raptors...but I'm also a Leaf fan and a realist.

Thanks Doug!

 

Norm S, Kincardine

A: Any discerning diner will sample the local fare, won’t he? Mexican in San Antonio, barbeque in Memphis, the two you mention and cheese products in Milwaukee. It’s a must wherever there’s something regionally-specifically.

You want positives? They need to see improvement in kids like DeRozan and Johnson and they need Ed Davis to learn the NBA game; that’s what you need to look for.

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Q: Good morning Dougie Doug.

Can you please clarify a team foul (as opposed to a personal foul) and how they are counted against the team?

 

Simone S, Toronto

A: Simple answer: The only fouls that don’t count as team fouls are offensive fouls and technicals.

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Q: NBA 101 question: As suggested the rookies go the D league, Barbosa decides to get some work done.

In this case they are down to 12 players. Can they sign another player? And then what happens if any other player gets sick/injured?

As they say just wondering.

 

John P, Vernon Hills

A: No, they can’t sign anyone; kids in the D League and injured players still count on the roster. If they get a series of injuries and are in danger of not having the minimum of eight players available for a game, they can petition the league for a special roster exemption to add a player but that’s only for as long as guys are hurt.

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Q: Hi Doug, with all this talk about lack of a finisher to take the last shot in the dying minutes of the game and to take his man off the dribble. I don't quite get what makes the final play that much different. These guys are professional athletes and they have plays that they run all game long. Why would they throw all that away and just depend on one guy to take his man off the dribble for the last play? I'm sure that it takes certain amount of confidence and self believe to make a good play in the dying seconds, but I would imagine that any self-respecting athlete would welcome the challenge if presented with it.

 

Peter F, Mississauga

A: It’s not so much as an individual doing it all. What you want is a guy able to break his man down to draw other defenders and perhaps create for others on the court. And, yes, most players would welcome it, not many can actually do it.

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Hi Doug. Maybe you have answered this question some time ago, but how do visiting teams arrange to practice in a host city once they've already played their game. I believe I read that they'll stay in Miami to practice before Tuesday's game against the Wizards. Are visiting teams at the mercy of the home team's generosity in this matter, or does the league have any say if the home team, for whatever reason, is being difficult and puts up some resistance (not that I imagine that happens that often).

Thanks for keeping up the good work, and being your even-keeled self in print.

 

Marc Z, Ottawa

A: It’s almost entirely a case of reciprocal agreement; the guys who arrange the practice schedules deal with each other all the time and if you need my gym one time, that’s cool, as long as I can use your gym some other time. The league doesn’t get involved.

Now, the “visiting” team only gets a gym when it’s outside the “home” team’s usual workout times and if there’s a huge conflict a road team will find a college or something to work out at.

Generally, though, the teams work hand-in-hand the few times a year it’s necessary.

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Q: Hi Doug. What's the policy for stopping the game for an injury? I noticed that Jared Jack seemed to be trying to convince the ref to stop the game when Monta Ellis was hurt the second half of the game yesterday and I from what I thought the play went on until a normal stoppage.

If that is what Jack was trying to do, my opinion of him just went higher (since I think the Raps had the ball at the time). I'd much prefer to watch a team that doesn't try to capitalize on (what appear to be) serious injuries.

 

Owen C, Toronto

A: It’s a judgement call and refs aren’t supposed to stop play but what generally happens is the decision is taken out of the refs hands by players exactly like Jarrett, who either commit fouls or turnovers or something to get a whistle. And now with coaches being able to call timeouts, that’s another avenue for getting a game stopped for an injured player that takes the decision away from the officials.

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Q: When a trade like the Raptor-Charlotte deal falls apart are there longer-term consequences? Would Bryan tend to hesitate to deal with a GM who doesn't appear to have the full backing of his organization? Would it just be "oh, well, would have been nice, let's move on" situation?

 

Bruce H, Whitby

A: There really aren’t any long-term consequences because general managers need to have short memories. No sense limiting themselves when trying to make deals they think will improve their team.

They may be more careful about telling players and agents that deals are done but they’ll still talk to guys they’ve deal with before.

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Q: The Raptors trade exception with the Miami Heat (Re: the Chris Bosh trade?.) Is there an expiry date on this? Also they own their first round pick this year now as well as Miami's correct

 

Kyle B, Etobicoke

A: Yes, they have Miami’s 2011 draft pick and the trade exception lasts for one calendar year from the time of the transaction. The Bosh one would run out July 9, 2011.

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Q: Doug, this is a question more so about the theory of building the Raptors rather than the draft. If you had the chance to draft a franchise small forward or franchise point guard for this team, which would be more beneficial - assuming the players are equal? Do you believe it's better to build a team around a small forward or a point guard, or does it matter?

 

Evan G, London

A: Personally, I’m not sure it matters but if I had to make a choice, it would be a point guard.

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Q: Hello Doug, and thanks for the blog, you make following the HOTC more enjoyable.

I know you don't like to comment on other writer's work or opinions, but given Toronto sports fans love of schadenfreude, thought that you might like to comment on Jason Whitlock's article on foxsports.com. While suggesting that Bosh be traded 'cause he isn't tough enough, he says 'Is Bosh a homeless man’s Dirk Nowitzki, a perimeter big man who put up inflated scoring and rebounding numbers because when visiting NBA players cross the Canadian border they put far more effort into acquiring condoms, loonies and a strip-club champagne room than their on-court assignments?

“On the NBA circuit, Toronto is White Vegas, where jungle fever is celebrated by local strippers and escorts 41 times a year. Toronto is a great city to put up numbers and build a rep.'

Any truth to that statement? Do you think Bosh could be in danger of being traded again this season?

 

John G, Toronto

A: No, no truth. It was a ridiculous statement that suggests Toronto’s the only city in the league with strip clubs or something. And the entire premise that Bosh inflated his numbers at home against hungover opponents is flawed since he was as good, if not better, on the road.

And there is, in my opinion, zero – less than zero – chance of a trade this season, base-year compensation issues notwithstanding, no way Miami grows that tired of him that fast. The thing we all need to remember is that Chris is an excellent basketball player and they’ll figure it out.

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Comments

[Mo]

Hey Doug,

I remember the play with Ellis on the ground. For some reason, it looked to me like Jarret was screaming at the ref for a 3 second count, since Ellis was down in the lane. Doesn't sound like Jarret... did I just misread his lips on tv?

Blogger's note: Think you misread

[Lorie]

Morning Doug, and Welcome Back!
So, now that you've tantalized our tastebuds with your choices of Best Pizza and Best Steak, for many of us the perfect epicurian experience reaches its crescendo with something very very decandently chocolatey. If one were to ask sweetly, and to add to your reputation as a bon vivant and gastronome, could you do a "Most Divine Desserts" list?

Blogger's note: I shall; and it will be dominated by chocolate

[Derek S]

Morning Doug,
As a result of all the injuries in the past couple of games, players like Julian Wright (and Dorsey to a lesser degree) have played some significant minutes, and (in my opinion) played pretty well when called upon. Do you think they've played well enough to warrant a regular spot in the rotation, or will they be relegated back to the bench when everyone's healthy again? While Julian's offense hasn't always been "great", defensively he's looked really solid, and on a team with so many defensive breakdowns, I'd take that trade-off most nights, unless the other players are having trouble scoring. Similarly, Dorsey has been "almost" as good as Reggie in regards to rebounding production (albeit in a small sampling), but he's "a little bit" more of an offensive threat than Reggie.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Morning Doug,
Welcome home. Really nice story on DeRoz. His pace for the process of 'arriving' seems to be both speedy and steady, and he could be that go-to guy when the game's on the line soon enough.
We watched the Young Gunz go to work in Florida, and I'm hoping BCo does nothing to break them up. While DeRoz and Sonny do share many of the same traits, neither one seems particularly expendable, especially on this thin roster. They do a great job of pushing/supporting each other. I'd think losing one might hurt the other's development, at least for awhile, and mostly psychologically, which is no small factor in sports. I have no trouble at all picturing a starting five of Jose, DeRoz, Sonny, Amir and Bargs somewhere down the road.
Any reports on whether those 'flu-like symptoms' are spreading, or are a few players in quarantine right now? And what's the status on injuries? Thanks. Cheers. And get some sleep!

Blogger's note: No updates yet; they're in Miami and I'll check later

[pain777pas]

Morning Doug,

Not to bad a weekend for the Raps. Just not enough players nor energy in tank to take on Miami. What do you think of Derozan's play this weekend? He was the suprise. Jose needs to play like he did in the Miami game. The man has the tools and the smarts. I just don't know what is motivating him showing CB he should have stayed or wanting to not get traded or what. Back to Derozan. Good shooting percentage and getting to the line. Fantastic for the second year player and all with Weems on the starting line up. Doug, what is Jay gonna do now? Does he continue with the Weems Derozan combo or does he let Kleiza go right back in. I'm now considering your suggestion of moving Kleiza to the 4 and putting Weems Derozan and I'll say it JOSE CALDERON in the backcourt. Look I liked Jack's mindset more than his skillset as a point. Jose when playing right is just a good pg period. He traded buckets with Arroyo and DID NOT TURN THE BALL OVER ALL THE TIME. My goodness Jack drives me crazy with the bad passes. Doug, shouldn't Triano do what he's done this weekend. Dorsey when Andrea's tired 36-38mins for him. Derozan and Barbosa will be a coin toss depending on matchups. Weems, Kleiza and Reggie will just have to split minutes. 35mins yes 35 with Jose or more if necessary. The guy could get 10 assists a game easy and should be good for 12-15ppg. What do you think Doug? Yes, winning cures all.

[Boko]

The NBA rule that drives me batty is advancing the ball to mid-court on the inbounds (at any point in the game). It seems to be a reward for what, calling a timeout? Say what?!

[LeeZ]

To the poster who asked about silly fouls, I think the worst foul call, bar none, is the charge. Not that there shouldn't be a charge foul on the books, but rather, in the way that it's interpreted. Back in the day, if the ball carrier ran into someone, it was called a charge. And rightly so. But over the years, it has morphed into the defensive player going out of his way to draw the charge by stepping into the ball carrier's lane at the last possible second, accompanied by all sorts of flopping and play acting. It's gotten ridiculous, actually, and interrupts the flow of the game, taking away some of the offensive flair and creativity from gifted offensive players. If I were in charge (no pun intended), I'd have it revert to the old days. Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, Doug, your headline writer got a little carried away on your article this morning, no? ; )

[Pipit]

Doug, will Wall most likely miss the Raptors game tomorrow due to an ankle sprain?

Blogger's note: No clue whatsoever

[Pipit]

Doug, what can you say about Andersen's skill set? I observed that Triano has taken a liking on this guy since he's the first one on the bench to substitute Andrea. It's obvious that this guy is soft in the defensive side and has minimal post up skill. The team already has a lot of players taking the outside shots and this guy can only do one thing and that is to take jumpshots.

Blogger's note: He's a jump-shooting big who will be replaced in the rotation by Ed Davis eventually, I believe. And he's the backup centre so he'll always replace Bargnani when he needs a blow

[Justin T]

Isn't it possible that Jack was screaming for a 3 second count in order to draw a whistle so that Ellis could be attended to? You said yourself that players try to draw a whistle to stop the play.

[Matt]

Doug if you haven't been to Barbarian's Steakhouse on Elm St, here in Toronto you are missing out! Fantastic food and the ambiance galore, feels like the place has been there since Confederation.

[MikeB]

Hey Doug,

You missed it. Jarrett was calling for 3 seconds when Ellis was injured in the paint.

[GM]

No way Jack was calling for a 3-second call since Ellis was in the backcourt, wasn't he? You can only be called for an offensive 3 seconds if your team has the ball in its front court. As for defensive 3 seconds, your team probably has to be, uh, you know, defending.

I don't mind the 14-second reset on a kicked ball. It used to be a complete reset. If you didn't have any reset, you'd see the defense intentionally trying to kick the ball on any low pass. But one rule I'd like to see changed has to do with the new technical fouls. It seems to me the new 'respect for the game' T's are in a different category than regular T's. So I don't think a player should be in danger of being tossed out of a game if he collects two techs for simply showing the palms of his hands. If they insist, those types of actions can still be techs, with the opposing team getting one shot and the ball, but I don't think they should contribute to automatic ejection. Save those techs for egregious actions.

[Dan]

Doug,
Speaking of NBA rules, wasn't Kobe's pass to himself off the backboard yesterday vs. Phoenix a violation? Do you know if this is acually allowed in NBA, FIBA, NCAA?

Blogger's note: If I get a chance, I'll check out; this is far more suited to the mail

[Mo]

Ok, the other people replying got me curious about this, so I found it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUZAlN7anBg

It's very clear... Jack was YELLING at the ref for the 3 second call.

GM - The raptors were back to defend at that point, so a defensive 3 seconds.

I guess he didn't know if the injury was serious or not, but still... Jack should have handled that differently.

[GM]

You can definitely hear someone yell "3 seconds! 3 seconds!" but there's evidence it's Jack. Could be someone from the crowd. Jack is pointing him out to the ref as the ball crosses midcourt. Presumably he would know the seconds don't start counting until the ball crosses the time line. It may very well have been Jack, but the evidence doesn't prove it one way or the other. Someone would need to ask him or another player who was there.

[doug]

I have to agree with a earlier poster the whole charging rule is just become to complicated...it's a judgement call as it is, then to have the little free zone just makes it all the more complicated and needlessly...it's not so much the "silliest rules" it's the inconsistent way infractions are called...like we have seen for a abundance of travelling calls then nothing, or 3 in the key (which can be called on almost every possesion) or this new Tech rule...as last week and Rivers had a point, Nate robinson was t'ed up so quickly but then a few minutes later Lebron just went on and on after a foul call and nothing...even Reggie Miller commented on it and how that's the problem with it...a rule obvioyusly can't be enforced fairly but also don't have "rules" on the books if there not used or called consistently....like Palming or carrying the ball, its so common but yet seldom called..

[James]

Hey Doug,

I asked a serious question about Jose Calderon and his playing time, etc and you just shunned the question yet you seem to love to answer questions regarding pizza, and what you like to eat when travelling on the Road. Why complain about a light mail bag when you only answer food related questions? Are you trying to get a gig on the Food Network or something?

Blogger's note: I just searched back a week to see a serious question from the e-mail address you supplied here and there's nothing

Reader's Note: Less food; More Basketball.

[GM]

Oops, I meant there's *no* evidence it's Jack.

[James]

That must be my computer acting up Doug. I will re-post said question later this week. Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

Blogger's note: I'll be looking for it; no problem at all

[JHP]

Doug

Totally off the wall but is Kobe in an ad for some computer game (Black Ops something?) :-)) Maybe the keen eyed readers can clear this up.

Blogger's note: Had same conversation with someone when we were in Florida and we're not sure

[Steph]

Kobe is an add for the game "call of duty". Here a link to the commercial.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/kobe-bryant-stars-in-new-_n_780327.html

Blogger's note: We thought that was him, but were looking across the room at a TV

[GM]

It's amazing how few comments you get after the Raps play relatively well. Man, had one of those games been a blow-out, all the negative nellies would have been out in full force. What gives?

[doug]

yea it's a excellent commercial...well done there are cameos throughout...it's a good game to play in of itself the commercial...as there is Kobe, jimmy Kimmel and a few others...try and name them??..plus some are just ordinary joe's and jane's....excellent commercial, excellent game

[Lorie]

Yeah, yeah, the commercial for Call of Duty Black Ops is pretty good, but c'mon, the best part is listening Sympathy For The Devil. Some tunes just never get old.