A Christmas tale for the ages; at least for some of you

‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

 

In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

(Oh, wait; I’ve heard that before, must have stayed with me somehow)

-

Anyway. Heard any good holiday stories lately?

You might have missed this one:

-

An Irregular Family Christmas

(A fairy tale of epic proportions, soon to be an instant classic, like Raptors-Pistons 12/22/10)

They came from all over, from Roma and London (the one here with all the snow and the one there with all the snow) and Biel-Bienne and Ottawa and Vancouver and parts unknown. Oh, and don’t forget Toronto and Hazelville and Glencoe. And there’s one guy’s from Mars, I swear; and three or four are from The Planet Of Negativity. But there were no doofuses from government because they are all genuinely caring public servants who aren't all about obtaining power and doing whatever it takes to keep it. Honest.

A disparate group, indeed, of mixed ages and backgrounds and levels of commitment to the game and each other. A lovely collection as a matter of fact. And a hoot to be around.

Let’s eavesdrop:

-

The soiree begins:

“Hey, let’s put on some music?”

“Beatles? Best of John Lennon? Something from the 16th century? Joni Mitchell? The Best Of Southern Ontario 1980s Concerts?”

“No, no, no. A thousand times, no. If it’s not Roger Miller, it’s crap.”

“Wait, I have a copy of From Brooklyn To Toronto, a medley of carols.”

“Nooooooooooooo” a voice cries from the left coast.

From the other room, a serenade of saxophone music begins and everyone’s calm.

-

And since it’s Christmas Eve, there are no games to watch as the evening begins and no one can stomach an endless loop of Zany Things Chuck And Matt and Leo and Jack have said.

“Screw the music, let’s put on Seinfeld reruns.”

“Are you crazy? The best of Dancing With The Stars is on. Look! There’s Sarah’s daughter. And The Hoff. And Rick Fox.”

“Yeah, but none of them are Clyde Drexler. Thankfully.”

“Wait, there’s some obscure British drama on, let’s watch that.”

“I don’t care what it is as long as they don’t have those stupid low-angle shots from the other end of the action.”

All kinds of nods of agreement and the TV gets turned off.

-

“Let’s sit and talk basketball.”

“What? No more Super Family? Mighty Yankees? The Smelly Ford Focus? Come on, what do you think this is, a place to discuss the intricacies of basketball every day? Surely you jest.”

“Don’t call me Shirley!”

“Okay, Jose sucks. And so does Andrea. And how in the name of whatever deity you worship is Jay Triano still employed? Can’t they get a real coach?”

“I don’t know, let’s ask Doug. He’s over there with his friend Stella. And Super Dog.” “Wait, Super Dog’s making googly eyes at Seraphina. Let them be.”

“What do you want to ask Doug for? He doesn’t know anything and if he said today was Friday, I’d say it’s Thursday because I’m a contrarian and he’s a dope. And I’d say it often.”

-

And now they repair to the table for The Feast.

“What should we have?”

“How about some pizza from that joint in Phoenix. Or red meat from Barberians? Or seafood from the place just off the Vatican wall in Rome; I know a guy who can help us order?”

“No. I want waffles?”

“Grr. No pucks allowed.”

-

The repast arrives and it’s delicious, no bun-tossing, several bottles of a robust red and a vegetarian sample for those among them who don’t appreciate a well-marbled ribeye.

All of a sudden, there arose such a clatter that they sprang to the feet to see what was the matter.

(Hmm, that’s a pretty good line, I should trademark it.)

And as they got to the living room, there he was:

Santa Grunt!

The kindly old gentleman sat down, opened his bag of tricks and went over the gift list:

To Bryan Colangelo

The stones of a riverboat gambler so he can make life interesting in January and February with some blockbuster moves. Or the patience of Job to sit through a dreary season of personal growth

Santa Grunt’s kind of on the fence with that one.

To Andrea Bargnani

Consistent drive and desire and eight rebounds a night so Santa Grunt can get some peace and quiet.

To Jay Triano

A guaranteed third year on his contract. There has to be a reward for this, doesn’t there?

To Beat Grunts in Toronto

Someone – anyone – who showers quickly after games so they can make deadline and is a great quote daily and has a spark of personality. Please.

To Jose Calderon

Good health, and a spike in the price of Spanish jamon. Oh, and the love and admiration of the guys who kill Santa Grunt for thinking he’s, you know, not the devil incarnate.

To Jerryd Bayless.

Rogaine? And the wisdom to realize the other guys in white or red can shoot, too.

To David Stern and Billy Hunter

The foresight to know not to kill the golden goose; and to make sure guys like Santa Grunt don’t have to write pucks next fall.

To DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson

May the Young Onez (whatever the heck that is) become this era’s Rat Pack. Oh, and consistently good play on the court, too.

To Solomon Alabi and Ed Davis

A Get Out Of Erie Free card.

-

And with that, Santa Grunt had to make his exit, off around the world to spread his own version of goodwill and good cheer to all the boys and girls who sit around breathlessly waiting for his arrival.

Either that or he had to go Christmas shopping.

But as he left – and he tried to go up the chimney but it was too narrow so he stumbled down the front steps – he turned with a twinkle in his eyes and said:

A Merry Christmas to all

And to all a good night.

(Oh, wait; I’ve heard that before, too).

You know what I mean.

 

 

A rather dull affair to send them off for the holidays

Well, that was a dud, wasn’t it?

I’m tying to think if there was a “wow” moment and I can’t come up with one.

You?

-

THREE POINTERS

Just worn down

Not sure if it was the cumulative effect of a lot of games, the nagging injuries or extended minutes but you could see some of the HOTH just wear down as that one progressed.

Jose, especially, struggled – the eight turnovers is his career worst game – and I think it’s directly attributable to the absence of Jerryd Bayless to give him some rest and the sore foot.

Jay had to use both Calderon and Barbosa on the court at the same time for far too long than he would have wanted and you could see play deteriorate as the game went on.

But since Jose was coming off two games where he had 20 and 12 and 14 and 15, I’m giving him a pass for a clunker.

-

Stopper? A so-so night

Julian Wright continues to do a pretty good job in his limited role as the defensive specialist on the wing and you all saw Jay go to him as soon as Tracy McGrady got going in the first half.

Didn’t work great – Tracy had 17 and was a huge factor – but it’s a role Wright should get more often, I think.

He’s got a way of being around the ball and making things happen when he’s on the court and I think they need to sacrifice some offence every now and then to let him go.

-

Someone coming?

Seeing the lineup decimated like it is, I’m wondering if Bryan might not be wise to go out and fill that 15th spot on the roster with someone.

Not necessarily a guy who’s going to come in and play regular minutes right away but someone who can at least help them have enough live bodies to practice and someone who can be available when games get out of hand to allow guys who need minutes off to get them.

I think I’d find someone and have him meet them on the trip that’s coming up.

-

And just a little bit more before I start the whole Christmas shopping process.

-

I see by Rick’s story here on the departure of Larry Brown from Charlotte that there is no mention of our man Oak.

But I was told last night by a couple of people pretty well connected o Charlotte that yes, indeed, Oakley is expected to join Paul Silas’s staff with the Bobcats.

That could be interesting in a “be careful what you wish for” situation for Charles. I wonder if the Bobcats – or any player in the league today – will take to his rather unique style. They don’t make ‘em like Oak anymore, I wonder if he’ll be able to get his points across without alienating anyone.

Hope so.

-

All right, I’m not sure if I’m doing a service or a disservice here.

But for all you Irregulars out there who wanted to get their hands on the Jack Armstrong-Eric Smith holiday crooning CD, here’s your chance.

I’m told if you click here, you can order it on-line and, yes, the proceeds are going to the Raptors foundation.

Best of luck. I haven’t had the pleasure of listening quite yet – I think I’ll wait until the original rush of orders is done, but am told by Jack that “it’s so bad, it’s good.”

Hmm.

Is that a good thing?

-

This is what the story says in Detroit this morning.

-

Kinda funny sitting in the stands before the game chatting with Darrell Walker when Tracy McGrady walked out of the locker room.

Those were a couple of rather strong-willed personalities back in the day when Darrell coached here and Tracy was a teenager quite full of himself.

Seems they get along all right now, both might have mellowed just a tiny bit, but it was one of the most difficult relationships around team for a long time.

Darrell’s a tough guy, he’d rant and rave back in the day, and a young McGrady didn’t take kindly to it.

And I love that Tracy takes his shots – verbally – whenever he can.

He thrives on the booing (and if that isn’t tiresome, I don’t know what is) and will always make his opinion known, as he did after the game.

“It’s not like I was like Chris Bosh in selling out the city like the city was horrible or something, making crazy comments about the city.”

Now, all he did was go home to play and, really, why would anyone blame him? He didn’t like the cold and had a chance to play around family and friends.

-

So, what’s everybody do for Christmas? Any really good traditions out there?

Not much here, actually. Super Son has a propensity to get up crazy early – although now he’s a big shot high-schooler I’m kind of hoping he sleeps ‘til 7 or 8 – and then it’s gifts, a big old breakfast that Dad cooks up and then, well, most years there’s a flight and since there isn’t one this year, it’s off to Niagara we go.

But other than that, nothing really special goes on here.

How about there?

-

Seriously, folks, the mail’s a bit low and since I’m still unsure what we’re going to do in these parts over the next few days, you better take this chance to click, write, say hello and ask away.

But there is this one:

Q: Two questions for you Doug:

With the plethora of technology available today, why do NBA coaches still use the clipboard during timeouts to draw up plays and show the players what is going on. Can they not use a small laptop, iphone, etc. to show the players what is going via up-to-date video or do league rules prohibit them from doing so?

Unlike the NCAA, I don't see too many offensive nor defensive team systems being run in the NBA. On defence, it's man to man with some zone thrown in and on offence, it looks like it's just isolated match ups and pick and rolls or pick and pops. Why is that the case?

 

 

 

Joe D, Mississauga

A: Coaches I’ve asked simply say a clipboard or dry-erase board is easier. Scribble plays on it, everyone can see it and you don’t have to worry about anything working slowly or anything like that. They do make use of video at halftime sometimes but, generally, that kind of technology doesn’t work courtside in the heat of a game.

And there are systems – watch away from the ball every now and then – but they unfold far more quickly than they do in the college game.

-

 

 

The Goods On The Game, Pistons at Raptors

Folks, hello.

Season's greetings to you all

A slow day but some healthy bodies

Some Raptors stuff?

Wish there was something of substance but it’s agonizingly slow around there these days.

Guess the big thing Tuesday was that, for the first time they can remember, there was a chance to actually get some practice in. It wasn’t full, but it was enough, sayeth Jay.

“We went four-on-four, which is about the best we could do so we have to patch them together and see if we can squeeze one more out of them before we get a little break.

“We’re having a hard time figuring out when the last practice was when we went five-on-five live but, to be honest, today was a good day for us. We went four-on-four hard, live and I thought we got some good stuff out of it.”

It was the other day when Jay was talking about practice and the need for it and what it accomplishes with a young team like he’s got. Some veteran teams can handle long stretches without getting any real work in between games; Jay feels this group needs to get into the gym almost every day if for no other reason than to sit and watch video of past indiscretions (and things they’ve done well).

-

Okay, I don’t care whether you’re playing basketball or tiddly-winks or Mighty Yankees house league baseball, you win 89 straight anythings and you’ve done something special.

That’s just what the University of Connecticut women have done, with No. 89 coming last night over Florida State.

Here’s the wire story to catch you up.

Now, all this talk of 89 made me think back to the UCLA Bruins who got to 88 way back in the day.

I can recall the loss to Notre Dame very well, as a matter of fact; I was a young punk sitting in the living room watching and while I wasn’t sure what was going on, I knew it was big. Very big.

And who knew that I’d one day run into a guy integral to that victory and get to talk to him about it.

Any idea who?

Answer later.

-

Want to know what’s going on with the Pistons?

Seems an awful lot according to this story about Rip Hamilton being accused of “quitting” on his team and now being benched.

Fun times, it seems.

And before you ask, there is nothing that Richard Hamilton can give the Raptors that would make it even remotely intriguing to even consider making a call, in my opinion.

His best days are behind him, by the time this Toronto team gets consistently good he’ll be even more done and it’d be a sideways step that would accomplish nothing.

-

So you folks have given me, through the comments, Boney M, Bruce Springsteen, The Pogues, Mel Torme and The Waitresses (although I have to admit I’ve never heard of them/her/it) as the Alternative Christmas Carols best.

I’m not sure I can top any of those.

But (and forgive me if any of you sent these in, I didn’t go back and check every comment) here are five more you might want to google or youtube sometime today.

Happy Christmas (War is Over), John Lennon.

Run, Run, Rudolph, Chuck Berry

Blue Christmas, Elvis.

 

 

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee.

And I guess if you’re my age, the Do They Know It’s Christmas Band-Aid fund-raiser has to be on the list.

Sound good?

-

John Shumate scored two huge buckets in that Irish win over UCLA way back in ’94 and he was an assistant in the first year here.

-

I’m trying to figure out what we’ll do here over the next few days, what with Christmas coming on a Saturday (it is this Saturday, right?) and all.

So, let’s put out the call for mail now, maybe I get it done really early and can post it Boxing Day morning before I fly, which will allow me to shut this completely down for a few hours Friday.

Click here. Write words. Send ‘em along.

-

Speaking of mail, here’s one I plucked out of a very, very short pile.

Q: Here's an Andrea question for you:

Does anyone see some similarities in Andrea's game (as his inside presence improves) to Kevin McHale? When Andrea does reach the peak of his career, will people be more likely to compare him to KM instead of Dirk?

Also, not a question, but a couple of reminders for non-traditional holiday songs:

No Doubt with "Oi to the World"

The Pogues with "Fairytale of New York"

Of course there are also the 'in-betweeners' like Springsteen with Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and/or Otis Redding with White Christmas and Merry Christmas Baby

 

 

Jeff R, Montreal

A: Oh, no. Oh, no. No, no, no. A thousand times no.

Kevin McHale had a level of toughness and nastiness and more low post ability that Andrea can ever imagine having.

-

Sad news.

It’s like 6:20 a.m. here when I’m typing this and I’ve just been informed by Super Wife, who knows my love of old sitcoms, that Steve Landesberg is dead.

Arthur Dietrich was a classic!

So was the show.

Seriously, Barney Miller has to be in the Top 10 of all time.

Which makes me think another list is in order in the next few days.

-

Ever since he got the gig, Jay’s been harping on four key games each season that tell him, and us, how mentally tough a team might be. It’s the one right before the Christmas break, the one right after and the ones that bookend February’s all-star break.

Well, he’s 2-0 as a coach going in to Christmas, with wins at the Clippers in ’08 and at Detroit in ’09 and he’s 2-0 coming out of the holiday, too.

Not too shabby.

-

 

 

 

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.

-

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.

-

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.

-

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.

-

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).

-

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.

-

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.

-

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.”

-

 

A list, some news and all kinds of fun and frivolity

A bit longer than usual but that just means there’s more to enjoy.

Right?

-

THREE POINTERS

A lesson learned

Remember the other day when I talked about Jay being miffed by lack of hustle and effort at the end of a quarter. (It’s right here at the top of this one in case you missed it).

Well, they seemed to have got the message.

End of first quarter Sunday, Andrew Bynum scores with 3.1 seconds left and instead of lollygagging the Raptors get the ball in quickly, Bayless goes end-to-end and even though he missed the shot, it had to make the coach feel good.

-

Welcome to the bigs, kid

Injuries and foul trouble and already thin front court forces Jay to go deep into the bench and there’s Solomon Alabi on the court in the first half of a close game against a great team.

And he’s got to guard Andrew Bynum (who is HUGE) and Pau Gasol (who is GREAT) and the kid didn’t do too badly. I guess the best thing you can say is he didn’t hurt them at all but I know he’s only going to be used in the case of dire emergencies and, please, don’t think that off six minutes of one game he remains anything but the fifth big man on the roster.

-

Tale of two halves.

DeMar DeRozan

First: 0-3 FGs, 4-4 FTs, 0 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 1 assist.

Second: 6-9 FGs, 7-7 FTs, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 0 assists.

The kid’s okay, but he’s sure not there quite yet.

-

More? Sure.

-

Here’s a wee bit of news if you like.

No, Peja Stojakovic wasn’t on the bench Sunday – as he’s been every day since he got here – for a good reason.

He’s back in New Orleans seeing doctors to get a second opinion on whether or not there’s something wrong with his knee.

He’s had an MRI here that showed no structural damage but the swelling’s still there and he’s going to get checked out some more.

And you have to trust me on this:

There is no buyout in the works.

The Raptors want to explore all options – him playing, whatever trades might pop up if he gets back on the court and shows a level of fitness – before they even entertain that thought.

And I’m assured by people who know that any buyout will not happen until after the trade deadline.

-

This was left over from the mail because it took me a while to get an answer.

Q: Please answer my question Doug! Thanks! :)

Can a player be called for a charge if time has expired (example included)?

For example, say the Spurs are up by 1 pt in the 4th quarter and Carmelo Anthony of the Nuggets is driving towards the basket for a layup. Before time expires Anthony releases the ball from his hands towards the basket. As the ball is travelling through the air towards the basket Anthony continues to move in a forward direction and runs into Manu Ginobili of the Spurs, but he only runs into him after time has expired. The ball goes in the net. Is it possible for the refs to call a charge on Anthony after time has expired (therefore negating the basket), or should Denver win the game because even though Anthony committed a charge, he only did so after time had run out?

In reality Anthony actually committed the charge with time left on the clock but I would like to know what would happen in this hypothetical situation.

 

 

Ashley H, Toronto

A: Sorry it took a few days but I got it.

Thanks to a friend on the Raptors clock crew, I was able to get this question directly in front of an NBA official and the answer is:

Yes, there can be a charge and there would be no basket.

One of the phrases I got as part of the explanation is that the ball is alive until a shooter returns two feet to the floor.

Now, whether an official would make that call is another question; and it would undoubtedly involve the use of instant replay to see if time had indeed expired but there you go.

-

In Los Angeles, they say this about that.

-

List time, and a digression for the season.

So, what do we have, six days ‘til Christmas?

That gives you five nights to watch movies, right?

Well, I’m thinking these would be the five movies of the season I’d have cued up to go, in inverse order:

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

I’m the only guy I know who’s been to the Dr. Seuss Memorial in Springfield, Mass., so I’m thinking I need to put this theatric release on the list. But as TV shows go, Burl Ives Jimmy Durante in Frosty is the classic.

Miracle on 34th Street

I know it’s the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah but this is a Christmas movie. A classic.

It’s A Wonderful Life

Now, some astute Irregulars will know that Jimmy Stewart starred in what I think is the best movie ever (hint: A stunning Grace Kelly) but this is a great one, too.

We’ve all run into an Uncle Billy, right?

A Christmas Carol

Bill Murray should be castigated for doing Scrooged because anyone who messes with the Alastair Sim original deserves condemnation.

White Christmas

Bing. Danny. Crooning.

I’m telling you, a glass of wine or something of that ilk, kids in bed and a fire burning and White Christmas on Christmas Eve is about as good as it gets.

Trust me.

A fun digression, no?

-

Stevie Boy was at the big tilt with cameras everywhere and he’s done his usual bang up job.

Take a look at these.

-

So, the trades.

You can probably make the case that the Saturday deals were win-win-win in many respects.

Washington gets out of the Arenas contract (never again can we say a player will not be traded solely because of his contract) and can move on with the John Wall era.

Phoenix gets a big they need in Gortat, a wing defender in Pietrus and, I’ll say this right out, if anyone can make that Carter fellow into something close to what he was, it’s Nash. And if he can’t, Vince is a four-month rental with only a partially-guaranteed contract for next year.

Orlando? Well, Orlando might be a train wreck or it might be a very fun team to watch because they won’t defend much but they might score in bunches. Sure, they’re weak up front and if Howard gets in foul trouble in any game it might be a disaster but what the heck. I’d much rather have a GM who makes bold moves than one who doesn’t. If that team faltered, and it was faltering, Otis Smith was going to get fired; he may still but at least he will have gone out with guns a’blazing.

-

Okay, one last personal digression.

Not sure if there are any of you up in the Milton area but if there are, Super Wife passes this on (and I know where my bread is buttered) about a Christmas toy drive led by the One And Only Tiger Jeet Singh (and that’s a name from my grappling-fan past) for Sick Kids Hospital.

All you have to know is that every time I look at Super Son, I thank someone for Sick Kids and Dr. Rutka and his staff.

So … Yes, it’s a personal plea but sometimes that’s what I do.

-

The Goods On The Game, Lakers at Raptors

Good afternoon.

Full house, quality opponent, maybe a fun day?

Here you go, the weakly, er, weekly mail bag

Good morning, everyone.

Lots of good stuff in here today and I know I’ve missed a couple (things kind of got a bit crazy Saturday afternoon with the trades that cost me a couple of hours of mail time) but there are lists and other questions still around that I’ll parcel out during the week.

Have fun with this, as always.

-

Q: Hey Doug - a blog and a basketball related question:

On a couple of occasions during the IGBT you've shared some of the rude or less than intelligent comments you get. If you have 4 different people named "Bob" sending in comments, do you have the ability to distinguish between the three sending in genuine comments from the one annoying one?

What is the proper etiquette if you see a Raptors player or coach out in public? I saw a Jarrett Jack the day after a good game in a coffee shop and as I was leaving I simply said "good game last night" and he replied with a "thanks". Another time I saw Jay Triano as I was walking through the PATH but he looked like he was in a hurry so I didn't say anything as he passed by.

What is proper etiquette when you see a particular Mother Star Grunt out in public? Thanks Doug and Happy Holidays!

 

Andrew S, Toronto

A: I’m not able to distinguish between commenters using the same name by any technical manner but I can tell who’s who by tone and content and it’s often very easy to distinguish between two or three people. And the use of the “ban” button is quite fun, it keeps me from reading some slop and getting more frustrated by the minute.

Etiquette? It’s pretty much a case of common sense and respect. If a player is eating or out with his family or obviously doing something important, I think they should be left alone. But a respectful hello or good luck or nice to see you is generally appreciated; what isn’t appreciated is an interruption of obvious personal time.

And I guess that’s the same for me but I’m pretty open to hellos, how are yous and the like.

-

Q: Hey Doug! Just a quick question regarding the injuries plagued by the Raptors. It seems like the Raptors can never catch a break (no pun intended) with these injuries every year. I was wondering if this was normal throughout the league, if this is a reflection of training or conditioning (hire some assistance perhaps?) or just the effect of a bad team?

Mary L, Ajax

A: I think it’s just part and parcel of the NBA. I would imagine if we pald much closer attention to a lot of other teams, we’d find all kinds of them with nicks and scrapes and soreness that equals Torontos.

-

Q: Do you think the HOTC should press a bit more? It seems with their "yute",_( apologies to Joe Pesci and Fred Gwynne) they could attack the dribbler.

Among the scribes, who would you say is the best baller? Did journalism get in the way of Canada having another Nash? Or Nash Rambler.

 

Bob E, Kanata

A: I think picking up guards or trapping at half court is a good strategy every now and then simply as a change to catch them off-guard. I think it gets shredded if used consistently because NBA players are, you know, good and will beat it.

I don’t think there’s anyone on the beat now with any semblance of game left; we miss the legendary M Grange ™ who has taken his talents to the early morning.

-

Q: Hi Doug. Your blog and column has become a daily routine. Most of the time I just read the blog and the questions posed, this time I had a questions that I could not find answer for.

I noticed that starting Dec. 15th teams are able to start trading players that were signed in the off season/summer. I didn’t know this type of rule existed, but I believe its fairly known amongst the journalists and serious followers. Stating that:

How do you stay on top of the rules? Has it simply become second nature or is there a little black book that you refer to from time to time.

I tried searching, but came up empty. I wanted to know if you were a basketball follower/reporter prior to you writing about the HOTHC? Or simply were put into the role for The Star during the teams inception? Maybe you shed light on this.

Thanks!

 

David M, Toronto

A: A lot of it is second nature that comes from having done this for a 16 years but there are also research tools available to members of the media that get skimmed over each year as an annual refresher course.

Me? I’ve been all over place, actually, and did the first two years of the HOTH for The People’s Wire Service here before being summoned to Mother Star. But there’s been some dabbling baseball, football and what-have-you over the course of 30 years.

-

Q: Hi Doug. Does "going small" refer to height, weight or both? For example, if the Raps played Ed Davis and Peja at PF and SF would that be "bigger" or "smaller" than a lineup with Joey Dorsey and Kleiza at PF and SF?

Mike D, Toronto

A: I’d say it refers to both and to the usual positions played by the players involved.

In your two instances, I’d say Dorsey-Kleiza would be “smaller” than Davis-Stojakovic, although we both know Joey plays bigger than he is.

-

Q: Hi Doug: I must say that I get far better laughs reading your blog etc than I do from any comedian these days. Oh for the days of Johnny Carson and Rodney Dangerfield. Anyhow, question. I know you respect players and coaches private time but for someone like Sam who was out of the business did you keep in touch with him, pop in to say hi when in Atlanta, have a soda at the drug store etc. Seems Sam was as much friend as professional contact or am I just way off base. Oh and a 2000 Focus, Doug??? You must have a way with the car gods to have that still sitting up and taking nourishment.

Richard B, Mississauga

A: Carson and Dangerfield? Two of the giants, true giants.

I did keep in touch with Sam, a couple of phone calls here and there mainly; a text every now and then. Usually just idle chatter but I would call to get his take on some NBA issue every now and then. There are a couple of oldies but goodies I’ll keep in touch with that way.

And if by “nourishment” you mean “money out of the pocket” is sure is sitting up and taking it.

-

Q: Hi Doug. 14,600 people attended an NBA basketball game Friday night in difficult economic times to watch the home side, who are an absolutely horrible team that has no playoff hopes and have won exactly one playoff round in their history, against a Nets team who were dead last in the NBA last year and may accomplish an extremely rare "daily double" and your reaction was one of surprise at what I assume you felt was a relatively small gathering?

I am wondering if you care to change your opinion after 24-48 hours of reflection or perhaps could you please expand on why you feel 14,000 people attending a game between two of the league's worst teams is a surprise?

Thanks, enjoy your blog

 

Mike D, Cambridge

A: Most because it was small relative to what they’ve drawn this year, about 2,000 below average and that caught my attention.

Yes, it was a game between two scuffling teams but so are so many around here these days that having one attract a smaller than usual audience was noteworthy to me.

-

Q: Hi Doug. Read your blog today where you talked about"orange" being a code phrase for zone defence. Just wondering if you ever get any grief from the Raptors for mentioning stuff like that (maybe they don't want the opposing teams to know their phrases).

 

And hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.

Sohail G, Collingwood

A: No, not at all. If I can hear it, everyone on the other team and the scouts sitting courtside can hear it and everyone in the NBA will know about it within days.

Of colours, comments and small crowds

All in all, a pretty entertaining game, wasn’t it? It wasn’t Lakers-Celtics but if you get a close game in doubt until the final seconds, what more can you want?

They should all be so close.

-

THREE POINTERS

Raising some heck

I know a lot of you saw this on the TV because many in-game Irregulars mentioned it but the Jay explosion at the end of the third quarter wasn’t triggered at any one player.

What he was so miffed about was that, after Devin Harris makes a jumper with 3.9 seconds left, the Raptors all lollygagged up the court instead of sprinting and maybe getting a good shot since 3.9 seconds is more than enough time for a pass or two and something better than the off-balance, halfcourt heave they got from DeRozan.

He let them know in no uncertain terms, greeting them before they even got to the bench. Not sure if it had a huge impact on the way they started the fourth quarter but they knew he was ticked.

-

Colour co-ordinated

Jay’s standing in front of us screaming “orange, orange, orange” every now and then and I wonder if he’s talking about Sam’s shirt because even he knows mine was mauve.

Nope.

Seems “orange” is the code word for Toronto playing zone defence and we heard it an awful lot Friday night.

-

Hobbled, but effective

I know the 32 points and nine rebounds were mighty impressive, but what caught my eye about Andrea on Friday was the way he battled defensively on Brook Lopez in the post.

Lopez, who seems to have regressed tremendously since last year for some unknown reason (he looks way slower and far less decisive with the ball), simply couldn’t bull his way to the basket because Bargnani banged him and battled him. Quite a good game, actually.

And the big finish? Bargnani got loosened up, he said after the game when he was talking about his knee.

“It doesn’t feel good so I have to do therapy. I have to keep working on it because it doesn’t feel good. Once it gets warm, it gets better; it definitely gets better during the game.”

-

What else is going on?

A wee bit of stuff.

-

Sam, Sam, Sam.

Part snarky, a bit caustic, some introspection and some laughs.

Was good to see him.

A couple of the top hits?

So, Sam, did you have any regrets when you were saying some of things you said?

“It was kind of amusing at the time and then Mr. Tanenbaum would call, he and Richard Peddie would call me in the office and kind of get on me about it and I didn’t think it was so funny then.”

But, Sam, have you changed?

“You sit back and assess your life and kind of relax a little bit and you realize that that 4 1-2 years went by like a blur. I can think back to conversations I thought I was having with people but my mind was on basketball, it was constant. And you realize what a grind it is when you’re the head coach and you’re trying to get to a certain point. It’s a grind and you almost not become aware of what else is going on in the world, like tunnel vision. But when you step away from it for a while, you kind of get a different perspective and you’ve got to have balance.

"You have to have balance in your life.”

Um, okay, but what’s balance?

“Just conscious of everything else around you. Understanding it’s your job and it’s important but you have to have balance and I think with balance, it makes you a better coach. You have to look at things different. You have to look at the things other than just looking at what’s going on with a player on the court, you have to kind of have a feel for what’s going on with them off the court. That’s going to help you deal with them as a player and a person better.”

Ah, Introspective Sam. Maybe you got that when you were doing some TV?

“You have to actually know what you’re talking about when you’re throwing out numbers. It gave me a better appreciation for how little you guys actually work.”

-

I know there was no Vince and it was two teams with bad records playing against each other a week before Christmas but the underwhelming crowd of 14,623 made some sit up and take notice.

Not the smallest of the year – that was 14,127 for Golden State on a Monday night – but still …

Wonder how the Lakers will draw here Sunday for their only visit?

-

What’d Fred write about that one?

Here it is.

-

And what’s up with the Lakers?

Check here to find out.

-

You fine Irregulars did a fine Irregular-like job filling up the mailbag yesterday and I’ll give you one last shot to get more in today.

Click, write, send, and here’s an early one with multi-parts:

Q: The Bayless/Jack trade seems to be a good one from the Raptor perspective.

Why on earth would New Orleans make this deal? Considering how Peja played a lot of minutes last year and considering the value of his expiring contract, why would NOH agree to include Peja in that deal?

Jay Triano appears to be quite a bit more blunt and ornery when discussing the team. Dropping swear words on TV, providing curt responses and other, let's call it un-Canadian descriptions, leads me to believe that this is by design. Do you think Jay has adjusted his appearance before the media? If so why do you think he has done so?

When evaluating a player's performance, I presume you canvass the views of coaches, scouts and other players. How would you go about evaluating a coach? What is the consensus on Jay's performance as coach this year?

 

 

Alan G, Toronto

A: The Hornets, from all I’ve heard and been told, thought they were getting the best player in the deal in Jarrett and that he’d be a better complement to Chris Paul than Jerryd was.

I think Jay has taken a more stern approach with everything this year, us, his team and the staff. I do think it’s partially by design, I think he finally feels this is a group he can coach and say anything to without having to worry about one star player; it has carried over to his public persona. And maybe he heard the incorrect knock that he was “too soft” and decided to show the public what some of us have seen before.

And I’d go about evaluating a coach in pretty much the same way, talk to people who work closely with him asking and getting honest opinions and by personal observation. The consensus is that he’s doing a good job getting a lot of out of a young roster less-skilled than many others.

Take Wednesday’s game with Chicago, for instance.

At one point, on the court, where Jerryd Bayless, Sonny Weems, DeMar DeRoza, Ed Davis and Joey Dorsey.

Know what that is? Take Bayless out and it’s July’s Raptors summer league team.

-

The best line of Friday and Sam’s return actually came from Jay. After shootaround, we’re talking about The Return and someone asks Jay whether Sam treated the coaches and players with the same comic disdain he showed for some of us:

“No. He respected us.”

Badda-bing.

-

And with that, I’m off to collect the Smelly Ford Focus and pay a king’s ransom for its release.

See you tomorrow.

-

 

 

The Goods On The Game, Nets at Raptors

Good evening ladies and germs.

All set?

Good. Let's go.