Good carols, bad distractions and Reggie's trip to Florida

In the absence of anything big, some little things to get you through the day.

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I guess there is no real answer to one of the dilemmas that’s kind of bothered these guys the last two seasons, one that came up yesterday when we were talking to Jay and Linas about the decision to put Kleiza back in the starting lineup.

A lot of his woes early in the year, we’re told, came from poor health, his Achilles tendons were acting up, and it limited what he could do, according to the coach.

“He had no bounce to him. Tendonitis in both Achilles, a long summer and just had no bounce at all. If you have no bounce in the NBA, you’re going to be in trouble, guys are going to exploit you.”

The part that caught my attention? The part about the long summer and the impact of playing for Lithuania at the worlds and how it contributed to the slowish start.

But there seems to be no one answer to a situation that always pops up.

Last year, as we know, they let Turk off the hook during training camp, he got out of shape and never really recovered.

This time around, they rode Linas as hard as anyone during camp and the pre-season and it caught up with him a couple of weeks into the season.

I guess it’s always going to be a case-by-case situation and no one can know how anyone is going to react. And if you’re looking forward to next fall, remember that the European championships are in Lithuania, they are as big as any tournament anywhere in the world at any time, and there are going to be a couple of Raptors who’ll likely be involved.

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Oh, from our department of “Where Are The Injured Guys Now?” we bring you this: Reggie, I’m told, is down in Pensacola, Fla., are the Andrews Institute, the same training facility he spent so much time at last summer when he got himself into the best shape of his life.

He’s still really early in the rehabilitation process – he only had his surgery on Dec. 1 and they said it might be eight weeks at that point – but the fact he’s familiar with what the Florida people do and saw how much success they had with him last summer makes me think he’ll do a good job coming back from this injury.

So that’s why you didn’t see him on the bench the other day; not sure when he’ll be back, either.

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I’m going to steal this one from the list of lists I’ve got stored away for a rainy day:

Q: OK, list of the moments of an NBA game you could easily get along without.

(Although maybe we've already been there, I don't remember)

Giuseppe C, Vicenza, Italy

A: Oh boy, this could be fun.

Here’s five:

Music during play

It might be the single most dreaded part of the “entertainment experience” and drives me batty. Let the game be the damn game.

Timeout “contests”

Some of them might be marginally entertaining every now and then but, truth be told, most of them sap whatever energy there is in the crowd right out of it.

Hugs. Too many dang hugs

Yes, I get that teammates like each other and want to encourage each other and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

But seriously, it’s like some Pro Sports Receiving Line when they take to the court and it’s mind-numbing to me.

Pre-game dancing

Look, I’m all in favour of the June Taylor Dancers, they do a good job, add something to the night and seem to be generally nice people. But the whole routine of player introductions and then a little dance number? Over the top.

The Script

I honestly think there needs to be more flexibility in game-ops; there never seems to be enough spontaneity to the game and what goes on when and I think fans are short-changed because things have to be done in a certain order.

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Okay, I’m only concurring with a guy who brought this up one day recently when we were standing around talking about broadcasters so it’s not my great comment but it was reaffirmed when I was listening to the Heat game last night.

Don’t you half expect the Miami play-by-play guy Eric Reid to introduce a Tea Time Movie with The Matinee Lady?

One of my favourites:

The Waltons Rip Off A Welfare Office

Starring: Ryan O’Neal, Nolan Ryan, Lloyd Nolan, Nolan Bridges and Upchuck The Nosey Tapeworm.

I tell you, if there’s a Slauson Cutoff in Miami, that’d be a classic.

(First in with the name wins a nifty prize, or at least my enduring respect).

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You know how banged up these guys are, right?

No Amir, Sonny, Jose, Andrea, Reggie or Peja at work yesterday and Linas only made it through half the workout.

No wonder, then, that when we were finally ushered into the practice facility – where normally we’d see ‘em all working on drills spread out over the entire floor – there was one single solitary guy on the court.

Andrea working on free throws and stationary jump hooks to save his knees and ankle.

It was comical. I know there were other guys in the weight room lifting and some were getting treatment and bunch of them did practice but to get in and see one lonely guy on the whole court was hilarious.

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Hmm, Christmas seems right around the corner (it must be, I saw huge traffic headed into the mall parking lot last night, am sure it’ll be cleared by the time I go Thursday) so that must mean music.

And if you’re looking for a fivesome of old, traditional carols to listen to, I don’t think you’d go wrong with these:

White Christmas.

Silent Night.

Joy To The World.

O Come All Ye Faithful.

And if you don’t listen to Bing Crosby and David Bowie do Little Drummer Boy, you may have Irregular status revoked.

Tomorrow? The “untraditional” ones.

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Best line of Monday comes courtesy of E. Koreen.

They’ve got this nifty new backdrop, in front of which we now need to conduct post-practice scrums so that the corporate masters can be served, and it just goes with the whole “sponsorship synergy” thing that seems to make the world go around.

So as we wait for someone to walk over and stand in front of it so the TV cameras can get look in their background, Eric suggests, in reference to some over-hyped corporate contest designed solely to promote the MLSE night club:

“Why don’t we just do this in front of the Mancave?”

And I’m sure right now someone in marketing is thinking: “Hmm, not a bad idea.”

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Comments

[Bob Wesley]

Hey Doug,Season Greeting to You and your loved ones.Why didn't Sam Mitchell get honored or at least be recognized at the Nets game?

Blogger's note: Not something they routinely do for coaches.

[Alvin]

you guys forget how exciting it is in the playoffs when teams are down by 5 points and the timeouts come at the end of the fourth quarter... it's an essential part of the game. Even so, no matter how long that last few seconds on the clock take, it never EVER drags out as long as baseball seems to drag on! I say the timeouts are fine the way they are.

[Big Ken]

Doug: I couldn't help but notice that the Raps looked like a determined college team playing against the Globe Trotters. The lakers (give em credit) didn't want to embarass the home team. Don't get me wrong, I'm a true blue Raps fan, but, when the Lakers second unit can score something like 57 pts, and hardly break a sweat, then we should be thankful for the professional way that Phil utilized his team. Lakers over Heat in 6! BTW, your one line comments are so Sam Mitchel esk. Keep em coming!

[LeeZ]

Doug, I think that poster who suggested you start outing some of the players may have been on to something! I mean, you could make it a weekly feature. This week: Lebron James. I can already see some potential ad campaigns he could do to capitalize on his being outed by you: I'm Lebron James, and I'm taking my talents to Cape Cod! And since Shaq called Chris Bosh Rue Paul, I'm thinking CB4 is an obvious choice for Week 2. It'd really liven things up 'round these parts! Oh, and he wanted you to spread some rumours too. Hmm, that shouldn't be too hard...Confirm or Deny: José Calderon eats small puppies for breakfast. You know, that sort of thing. For shame, Doug, that you've been so derelict in your reporting. And thanks, poster!

[dipset]

I too agree that the music during game play is very annoying however I would put that at number two behind.....Plays/fouls a player would get cuz he "earned it" due to reputation or popularity. I think it ruins the game the lack of integrity. A foul is a foul, a travel is a travel,PERIOD.

[MC]

Doug,
May be one for the mailbag or answered before. Although I read the blog everday so it may have been awhile ago...
Does the GM have to consult the player involved in the trade? What if the player refuses to go to his new team? Does he just sit and lose his wages? Will it render the trade null? Are there "no-trade" contracts in the NBA? What would happen if the player sits for the whole season is he held under the terms of the contract still? Has any player ever refused to be traded and didn't get paid?

Thanks for the info. Have a great Christmas...it's all about the super family.

Blogger's note: I'm going to move this over to the mail

[Tony]

@ Mr. Cook! Kudos!

That was amazing!
Love that duo

[Wallace]

Hi Doug,

Regarding the noise levels and music, etc. during the game, do you see this at other NBA arenas, or is it the attempt to placate fans in a non-basketball town like Toronto. When I'm at a Raptor game, I notice fans screaming wildly for a crappy free t-shirt or a slice of rubber pizza....the actual game seems to be an afterthought.

[GM]

* I agree with @Alvin. The time-outs are fine with me. In fact, they increase the tension, not decrease it. Now we've got time to wonder what the offense and defense will do, who might take the shot, who will be guarding whom, etc. If some non-NBA fans say it's the reason they don't watch, they're not being totally honest. It may be one reason, but if they did away with those time-outs, I'm sure the non-fans would use some other excuse. I went to a CFL game this year and I couldn't believe how many stoppages of play there were, often between downs on one possession. They'd trot out somebody from the crowd for some lame competition. It was ridonkulous.
* I thought the music during play was only while the ball was in the backcourt. As soon as it crosses the timeline, the music stops. Am I wrong? Maybe it plays any time for the home team but only in the backcourt for the visitors? I don't know.
* The Script! Yes! That one complaint is the answer to all the complaints about game ops. If they weren't so tied to the script, they'd be able go by feel. When the game is a stinker and the crowd is dead, they can do all their rah-rah stuff; when it's actually a good game and the crowd is into it, they can relax and let the game do all the work.
* Can I keep my Irregular Status even though I don't like the Crosby-Bowie version of Little Drummer Boy? I love the tune, just not their version. To me, the best version is by Lou Rawls. Another great one is Ray Charles doing Rudolph, which I usually can't stand but he makes it swing.

[Steve G]

about 6 or 7 years ago, I was with some Raptors Game Ops folks who claimed they had originated the 'music during the game' thing. I don't know if that's true, but I was surprised that anyone would be proud of that.

a few years ago my lady (a total non-sports fan) went to a Raptor home game and an LSU/Florida game within a week of each other. even she realized about how much more enjoyable the NCAA game was:
- no screaming PA announcers or noise meters
- a band instead of canned arena anthems

I guess I'm old school, and obviously in the minority, but I'm actually there to see a game, not to experience what it would feel like to live inside a video game

[elwyn jennings]

I stopped attending live games because of the noise.

[Christa]

Bruce Springsteen singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is my favourite.

Apropos of the IGBT from Friday night, did you see the front page of Monday's Entertainment and Living section of the Star? Lavender is the new "it" colour for men! You're a visionary, apparently. A visionary in mauve. (Do you have enough pull at the MotherShip to MAKE them write that article???)

[J]

@Pipit, who asked, "what do you think the main reason why in Raptors history that the team is not involved in blockbuster trades, in acquiring superstars (not wash-up superstars) or even superstars calling out that they want to be traded in Toronto":

Considering the Turkoglu/Marion four team swap was pretty blockbuster, I suppose you mean the deal has to be both a blockbuster AND involve an actual superstar. What was the last blockbuster trade involving an actual superstar for *any* team? LBJ? Wade? Carmelo? Howard? Paul? Bryant? Durant? Duncan? Nash? (And if we go out on a limb here, Rose or Roy?) Of the above, LBJ was traded for essentially the same thing as Bosh was. Nash was traded once, before he became a superstar. The rest have never been traded (draft day doesn't count).

Of the superstars who are no longer superstars, Shaq was traded for in 2004 on the downswing of his career so he falls under the has-been exception. Garnett was traded for in 2007, also on his downswing (had one good year before tailing off a bit). Kidd was traded for in his prime in 2001 for Marbury. If we reach some more, Gasol to the Lakers, but that deal was only a "blockbuster" from one end of the deal, and before he arrived in LA, he was seen as an all-star but not a superstar. Even if you count Garnett and Gasol, that's only *three* sort of blockbusters for superstars in the past 10 years, if not past 15 (and I'm pretty sure you're not holding the fact that a brand new expansion team didn't acquire a superstar with their expansion-filled roster against them). Why did none of the other 27 teams acquire superstars, hm?

And I take it neither Carter nor Bosh count for players wanting to leave (because of their crappy returns), or else you wouldn't ask the second part, so again, what teams have traded away an actual superstar without being ripped off? Surely not Phoenix nor Memphis? So only Minnesota got anything close to a blockbuster for their superstar, and you're wondering why the Raptors haven't joined the club?

Some questions answer themselves, no?