Not a lot of news so let's tell stories

Slow news day for the lads so we’re all over the map here this morning. Enjoy the journey.

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So I’m sitting here wondering whether Sam’s going to sit in the firetruck going up Yonge or down Bay for the parade this afternoon.

Tough call.

But, seriously, it’s going to be good to see the guy; the only thing is the Nets don’t have a shootaround this morning because they played last night and that will cut into the time to tell stories. Actually, with Sam, it’s more often listen to stories but it’s all fun anyway.

Say what you will about him as a coach but the guy loved to tell stories and talk; about politics, sports, golf, life, whatever struck his fancy and it was always entertaining.

I don’t want to get into the Xs and Os and stuff like that, I enjoyed Sam’s company away from the game more than I did every day trying to extract basketball news out of him. And, truth be told, I bet if you asked him, he’d tell you the same, that it was more about standing around jawing about life than it was going over the intricacies of the game.

Three moments:

One night Detroit’s in town and I find myself wandering Yorkville near the Pistons hotel hoping to run into a writer friend and perhaps have a cocktail and trade a story or two.

Well, Chris isn’t to be found so I’m giving up the ghost when I happen upon Sam and Chauncey Billups out for a walk. Turned into a really nice sojourn around the area listening to a couple of old friends catch up and talk about families, life, and the game. They didn’t mind that a grunt was honing in on their session and made a guy feel welcome.

And …

A bunch of us – assistant coaches, writers, media relations people, as I recall -- are out for dinner on the Riverwalk in San Antonio one night and we finally get Sam to join us. He’s not a big out-to-dinner-with-a-crowd kind of guy and when it’s over, it’s time to walk around and I figure maybe he and I go and grab a nightcap or something. Nope. He’s kind of directing the direction and we end up at some ice cream parlour for a cone and it’s a pretty cool night.

And …

We’re in Oklahoma City and after a morning shootaround, it’s time to walk up and see the memorial to the bombing and Sam’s on the walk with me, Stumpy and Eric and Jonesy, as I recall.

It’s a moving experience and we’re all kind of silent when we’re walking around a place where such evil was perpetuated on innocent victims.

Sam’s as choked up as any of us and as we’re walking out, he says something to the effect of: “Thanks for asking me to come; we need to be reminded that evil can grow anywhere in the world.”

Good guy, that Sam.

It’ll be nice to see him.

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Hey, remember the night in Denver when the Raptors were getting drilled?

(Oh, wait, that happens every time in Denver. Let’s start again).

Hey, remember the night in Denver when the Raptors were getting drilled and there was a little bit of chatter between Jay and Linas Kleiza?

You know how it started, right? It wasn’t really Jay that Linas was jawing at, it was a player on the Raptors bench and Jay was just getting involved a little bit.

I’ve seen found out that Linas had a bit of an issue with a guy he’d played against in college and had a couple of set-tos with in the NBA and it’s going to be quite interesting tonight.

The dude was The Hump and it could be something to watch for this evening.

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The HOTH had Thursday off so there was no real news; did talk to a couple of people but there was no update at all on either Calderon or Bargnani.

I know Jose felt better Wednesday than he did on Tuesday and if he came through Thursday’s workout all right he could go this evening.

Bargnani? Can’t say at all. I think with him right now, it’s going to be a little bit of rest and treatment and a day-to-day thing.

Wish there was something more definite but there’s not.

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Speaking of the Nets, want to know what’s going on with them? My all-time fave Dave D has moved on to the greater tasks – he’s a high-falutin’ columnist over there so we don’t get his excellent hoops reporting any more -- but they’ve still got the inimitable Fred Kerber covering them and here’s what he says about New Jersey today.

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The only thing I know about cars is that I know nothing about cars so when they started talking about sensors and bearings and shoes and pads and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, my eyes kind of glazed over.

Seems fixing up a Smelly Ford Focus can put a dent in a wallet pretty darn quick.

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Seriously, folks, there’s a dearth of mail over there in the in-box. Can you help a fella out?

Click here, do your stuff.

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I’ll tell you, this news about Yao Ming and a stress fracture in his foot is really, really sad.

I think you know what I think of Yao. I love to watch him play, every time I’ve ever dealt with him he’s been accommodating and gracious and to have seen how he handled incredible pressure and demands during the Beijing Olympics was something I won’t soon forget.

He was more in demand than any athlete I’ve ever seen and he made appearances everywhere, more gracious than anyone probably should have been.

I just feel bad for the guy.

We’ll have some more on him as this story develops but right now, it’s just kind of sad.

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Let’s get one out of the mail anyway:

Q: It's December 15th today, and you mentioned in your blog that today is the day that the rumours really get going. My question is this:

When do the rumours that you hear turn into stories that you write? How many sources do you need, or is it just a matter of hearing the right things from the right sources. How does the process work for you, is it something that you get to decide on your own at this stage in your career, or do you run it by the "bosses" before publishing (to the web or otherwise)?

 

Peter L, Toronto

A: You always like to have at least two sources, independent of each other, for any nugget of news that you might be trying to develop. And there are some “sources” you tend to trust more than others, of course. If I hear something from a high-level exec or a trusted agent, I’ll treat it more seriously than if I read something on the internet or am told something by someone I know not to be entirely in the loop.

And, yes, anything I write with sources attached is shared with my bosses before it’s published anywhere.

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You think the malls will be crowded this weekend? Or should I wait until Thursday or Friday to shop?

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See ya.

 

 

 

Raptors Q&A with Doug Smith

Join Doug Smith at noon as he takes your basketball questions. Use the comment button to submit your questions.

Saw that one coming a million miles away

That was kind of predictable, wasn’t it?

Best thing about it was that it was so predictable the Angst-O’Meter around here didn’t go off the charts.

Thanks.

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THREE POINTERS

A game of numbers

We all know from reading the intro to this lovely collection of unrelated points that it was the youngest starting five in Raptors history, right?

Need more confirmation?

Well, we all think of Derrick Rose as a relatively young player still, don’t we?

Rose has started 180 games in his NBA career; if you add up the totals of Bayless, DeRozan, Weems, Johnson and Davis, they total 179.

(Yes, I double-checked the math, I think I got it right).

Anyway, starting such a young group was certainly not anyone’s aim when the season began but things being what things are, it was what they were forced to do.

Ugly, at times, wasn’t it?

But that’s not the point either, really. This season was always going to be about developing youngish kids and letting them get a taste of what it’s like night after night. That was a tough lesson but maybe an invaluable one in the future in a couple of ways:

Maybe some of the young ‘uns will learn what it takes to win consistently in the NBA and will be fine in the future.

Maybe some of the young ‘uns never quite get it and Bryan moves them out.

Interesting either way.

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One ticked point guard

The guy most ticked off – or at least the most vocal about it – was Jerryd Bayless, who dumped this on the assembled media horde after the game.

“It’s embarrassing. It’s just embarrassing. I don’t like it and I’m not used to it and it’s not something I’m going to stand for. We have to get better, it’s plain and simple. We just have to get better.”

Now, I’m sure there were other HOTH equally miffed who just didn’t get a chance to verbalize it but I guess it’s pretty good that Bayless did, maybe he morphs into the vocal guy on a roster that’s pretty full of silent relatively silent types.

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Hmm, what else?

I’m trying to come up with a worthy third point and, truth be told, it’s not that easy.

Oh, right. How about Ed Davis?

Except for getting schooled every now and then by Carlos Boozer – not unexpectedly, of course – the kid had a pretty good game and the best part may be that it was his second in a row.

Learning how to handle back-to-backs, and having some semblance of energy on the second game, is one of the most difficult things for an NBA rookie to do and we’ve seen Davis come out strongly on the consecutive nights this week.

Now, he still has a long way to go but flashes are there and I know the coaches were privately impressed with the way he handled himself this week.

I also know they’re going to keep hammering him to be better because I keep hearing that he’s more than willing to put in hard work if someone’s pushing him; like a lot of kids, if you cut him some slack, he’ll take it.

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More? Sure?

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So Sam comes back tomorrow and I’ve got a couple of pretend dollars to wager that he doesn’t pull a Mo Pete and go kiss the logo at centre court.

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Can someone tell me if it’s a good thing when the yellow “ABS” light and red “brake” light come on in a Smelly Ford Focus while you’re doing 110 going down Hwy. 427 to the arena after getting off a plane from Charlotte?

Guess the shimmy-shake in the back end and the limping home on road shoulders and service streets to steal, er, borrow, Super Wife’s car would probably mean no, right?

Guess I’ve got a date with a mechanic today.

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Here I was wanting to chat with my man KC last night to see how things are going in Chicago and get his take on the Bulls and, perhaps, set up a post-game soiree at this little bistro he and I (and dozens of other visiting writers) like to visit.

Well, that sure didn’t work since he didn’t see a minute of the game because he was in the back working on the Noah-has-surgery story.

But friends being what friends are, when KC hollered across the room that he was about to have to write a game story off a game he didn’t see, he got some help.

Bulls good.

Raptors not so much.

 

 

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And with that kind of insight ringing in his ears, this is what he came up with.

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Yes, I spoke with Chuck. Quite briefly.

Yes, he’s doing well.

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Let’s drag this one out of the mail, shall we?

Q: Hey Doug. Notice these shoe commercials with all the retired athletes in them? It got me to thinking. How sweet would it be to have an NBA retirement league where all the 40+ players get together to show how they've still got game. I think the league could be missing a huge cash cow here. Imagine watching Malone, Jordan, Miller, etc lacing them up and going at each other at half speed. I'd watch that. I bet any nostalgic basketball lover would watch it. You could really cheese it up by having the broadcast split screen moves that they attempted now, and how they did it back in their prime. I'm sure someone has thought of this, no?

Colin K, Ann Arbor

A: I imagine some entrepreneurial type has thought of it and had the idea dismissed out of hand because (a) those guys are so beaten up, a lot of ‘em couldn’t get up and down the court and (b) if they could, maybe no one would watch the NBA.

Oh, and they used to do something like it on a smaller scale at all-star weekend with some kind of “legends” game that usually ended with a lot of winded old guy clutching various strained muscles and joints.

And that was still better than the rookie-sophomore game.

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Now, some of you Irregulars may know that there have been times when nights have ended in with Jack Armstrong – and others – warbling the night away.

You couldn’t hear it unless you were at the next table but that’s all ending now.

Jack and Eric Smith, two of the good guys, are cutting a CD tonight (if “cutting” a CD is the right term, I’m more a “cutting an album” kind of guy) and I’m thinking it might be an excellent stocking stuffer.

It’s 13 Christmas carols, it’s called From Brooklyn To Toronto and it’s only $5 with all the proceeds going to the Raptors foundation.

I can tell you that Jack’s got some pipes, I can’t vouch for Eric’s musical talents but this could be something very cool.

They’ll be on sale at games Friday, Sunday and Wednesday if you’re interested.

And now that I’ve given them this huge plug, I’m hoping I can be a Doo-Wop Boy next year.

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Yes, we will be here at noon to answer any and all questions you may have, or at least attempt to.

But if you miss it, don’t forget about the mailbag just waiting to be filled. You can click here and type to your heart’s content.

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The Goods On The Game, Bulls at Raptors

Hi, folks.

Ready to go here?

Disappearing players and a big day for rumours

Quite the dull night, wasn’t it?

Kind of a boring game, not much to write home about but there was enough to write here about.

Like…

THREE POINTERS

A bad look

No, not the orange Bobcat outfit Rufus The Stuffed Animal was wearing.

It was when I looked down on the court and saw Leandro Barbosa, Julian Wright, Linas Kleiza, Andrea Bargnani and Ed Davis on the floor together.

For some reason last night, it just didn’t work. Julian didn’t have his greatest game, Linas and Leandro had their struggles and we know that Andrea was scuffling most of the night (we’ll get to more on that in a second).

It was one of those nights when Jay was searching for something, as he is wont to do and I’m quite all right with it most of the time, but this time it just didn’t work.

I’m thinking it’s a frosty day in May before that fivesome is trotted out again.

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Andrea’s tough night

Oddly detached was the way I first described Bargnani’s rather bad effort and I think that’s pretty suitable.

Two plays in particular:

There’s a loose ball under the basket right in front of the Toronto bench and Andrea’s about a foot away from it. Instead of bending at the knees or – heaven forbid! – diving to the floor, he made some half-buttocked effort to bend at the waist and pick the ball up before a Bobcat simply beat him to it and headed the other way.

Change of possession, Raptors are headed back on defence and I saw Boris Diaw, who is not the, um, most sculpted pro athlete I ever saw – simply beat Bargnani down the floor in a foot race.

Now, in Andrea’s defence, I will note that he didn’t do much or anything at shootaround Tuesday morning because his knees were a bit sore, and he did spend an awful lot of time after the game icing down, but they need a better effort than they got last night.

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Hard hits. Good and hard

Couple of relatively tough fouls committed by the HOTH and it was not something you see every day.

The first came from Ed Davis – who continues to impress – when he came from the weak side to try block a Shaun Livingston lay up and laid him out and then second was a hard hit by Linas Kleiza on Gerald Wallace early in the second half.

Not big plays but not ones we’re used to seeing.

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And just a wee bit more:

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Oh, I’m sure you’ve got questions.

And I will endeavour to give you some answers if you come around these parts at noon Thursday.

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Best.

Question.

Ever.

(Or dang close)

Q: Hey Doug. Probably a silly question, but how come the June Taylor Dancers never do that kaleidescopey thing any more?

I miss that.

 

 

TL I, London

A: I have no answer, I just want people of a certain age to read this and smile like I did.

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Okay, I can’t remember who but some insightful reader asked in the comment yesterday if I could dig out the Washington cab ride story in light of my shared ride into Charlotte with Oak.

It took a wee bit of digging but here it is, culled verbatim from that day’s offering:

Okay, here’s why sometimes this job doesn’t suck.

Me and Sun No. 2 are in a cab to the airport in Washington the other morning and we strike up a conversation with the nice man driving. Small talk, mainly, ‘til he asks us what we do and we tell him we’re sportswriters.

"Have you ever heard of Oscar Robertson,” he asks?

Duh, sure, the greatest ever in the opinion of some.

Well, it turns out the driver had some stories. Great stories.

He went to high school with Oscar and this might be the best cab ride ever.

The conversation, as I recall it unfolding.

"Oscar was the greatest, went to school with him,” says driver.

"When did you know he’d be great?”

"About the eighth grade, he could shoot your ass off then.”

"Did you play with him?”

"Nah, I was on the reserve team, he was varsity all the way. Did you know he had a brother?”

"Nope, didn’t know that.”

"Yeah, Bailey. Was a good player, too. Uncoachable, though, never made it.”

Wow, I’m thinking, this dude is cool. And then there’s more.

"You ever heard of George McGinnis,” Mr. Driver says.

"Um, yeah, of course. Who hasn’t?”

"Played with him, too; ran him off the playground when he was a kid, clumsy guy, couldn’t play. Guess we were wrong.”

Man, this is cool, I’m thinking.

"You guys see the movie Hoosiers?”

"Who didn’t?”

"I was at that game. Just like in the movie, Milan won, 32-30 and Bobby Plump hits the shot. We called Bobby “Country” back then. Wore a white T-shirt under his jersey. Country could shoot.”

Now we’re at the airport and all I want the dude to do is drive us around for a few hours telling stories.

"I’m retired now, my wife retired from the state department five years ago and I’m driving this cab ‘cause I’ve got to keep our marriage together. Gotta get out of each other’s hair.”

I know that the gentleman, a Mr. Proctor, will never see this but, man, did he make my day.

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KC checks in from Chicago with a laundry list of Banged Up Bulls. Read it here and check back tonight to see who survives shootaroud and plays.

I’ll be on a teeny tiny Air Canada Sopwith Camel headed home so I won’t get to shootaround will let you know what I know when I know it.

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Speaking of clicking to read elsewhere, Rick says this about that one.

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So, big day for the rumour-mongerers out there, that’s for sure.

Dec. 15 – and it can’t really be Dec. 15, can it? – is the day all the free agents who were signed in the summer can be traded and you know you’re going to hear all kinds of rumour, innuendo and speculation.

Some it might even be right.

New Jersey, Houston and the Lakers got things started Tuesday night when word of their deal leaked out – it can’t be finalized until today – and I’m sure there will be more.

Around Toronto? I’m told by people I trust that it’s relatively quiet right now, just the usual chatter between Bryan and a handful of other GMs, talk that goes on almost daily during the season.

There is no one “being shopped” (although I have no clue what that really means since all kinds of names are bandied about here and there) and nothing seems imminent.

Of course, nothing seemed imminent on the Friday before the Jarrett trade on the Saturday.

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Oh yeah, the Michael Jordan ceremony? Muted, didn’t extend halftime even a minute and was quite tasteful.

The “didn’t extend halftime even a minute” thing was important to me, of course, but it did drag a wee bit and the players only had about 90 seconds to get warmed up before the second half and it was kind of odd to see guys lying on the floor getting stretched while they were rolling up the Carolina blue carpet.

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The Goods On The Game, Raptors at Bobcats, Part II

Let's see if this works better

The Goods On The Game, Raptors at Bobcats.

Hi everybody.

Heard we've got some snow back in my hometown?

Yuck.

Ready for ...

A classic cab ride and a stroll down memory lane

It’s below zero here and there was a bit of wind yesterday and, I’ll tell ya, the locals are up in arms.

Kind of reminds me of the time we got here to find two or three inches of snow falling and you would have thought the apocalypse was upon them.

Or the time I got here to find the only rental they had a was a pickup truck – complete with a gun rack on the back of the window – and man, did I feel out of place.

Anyway …

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Jay brought up an interesting point Monday when we were talking about the Charlotte Bobcats and how it’s going to be on DeMar and Sonny tonight to take care of Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace.

“They’re kind of like who Sonny and DeMar can maybe evolve to be as players, the way they play and the experience they have. It’s a good matchup for those guys and it’s good to go up against guys like that and learn.”

Now, I’m not quite sure that DeRozan and Weems can grow into those two guys but I do see Jay’s point, to a point, so to speak.

I’m still not entirely sure that DeRozan and Weems can play together – I think their skills right now are quite redundant – and I also didn’t think the Jackson-Wallace thing would be all that great. Yes, Charlotte got to the playoffs for the first time ever a year ago; this year it’s been a struggle.

I think one of your wings has to be a legitimate three-point shooting threat and that’s certainly not the case in Toronto right now; I think one of them has to be able to consistently break his man down off the dribble and that’s certainly not the case in Toronto right now.

Maybe one or both of them develop those skills but if you’re looking at one place for Bryan to spend some of his money, that’s where I look even more than for a large shot-blocking centre which would be a close second on my list.

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Seriously, it doesn’t get better than this.

Walking out of the terminal at the Charlotte airport, heading for the cabstand on Monday night.

See it and as I’m heading there, there are two cabs ready to pull out, a little car and a van and I’m figuring I’ll have to wait a minute or two for a ride.

The van pulls away from the curb and comes to a stop.

The side panel opens, a guy says, “Hey, my man, get in. Where you going?”

It’s OAK!

Yep, the one and only.

He’s in town to see Michael Jordan inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame at halftime tonight (quick question: What took them so long to do that?) and he was in rare form in the 20-minute drive downtown.

He’s a big fan of Jerryd Bayless, is working on a couple of media things (a potential radio gig and a TV cooking show that’s in production), still can’t understand why the Raptors have a seven-foot three-point shooter and can’t wait to write his book.

“It’s going to be a real book. Not just stories. I’ll tell the truth.”

Best.

Cab.

Ride.

Ever.

Well, second best, maybe. The guy who took us from the hotel in downtown Washington to the airport and turned out to be a guy who played high school basketball against Oscar Robertson was the best.

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How would you like to take a summer road trip to Philly, a very fine city full of things to do, and see Roy Halladay on Friday night, Cliff Lee on Saturday and Roy Oswalt on Sunday afternoon?

How good would that be?

Seriously, that was some serious news to wake up to this morning.

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Here’s a good one from the list of lists:

Q: Heya Doug, you asked for a list and perhaps this is one to get the synapses firing.

Top 5 Raptor game winning buckets. It's always a good thing to remember those bright moments in our beloved team's history, even if they are so few and far between.

Thanks for all the hard work, it is appreciated.

 

 

 

Lorne D, Tokyo

A: Right off the bat, a disclaimer: I know I’m going to miss one or two and I’m pretty sure there will be Irregulars who point out the folly of my selections. And they not all be “buzzer-beaters” in the strictest terms but they were all game-winners.

And, as always, these are in no particular order.

Vince at Boston one night.

Hit a shot from the far sideline where were we sitting, tough turnaround jumper as I recall, and then won another game in L.A. very shortly after.

Vince dunks on Hakeem.

At Toronto, right in front of the Raptors bench, everyone in the joint new what he was going to do and he did it.

TJ at the Clips

The clear out and let him operate at the top of the key, he hits the game-winner and Sam goes berserk. Very funny. Very good play.

Bosh goes deep

At Washington, end of overtime, second possession where they went to him as I recall and he drills a three from the top of the key.

A sweet moment

This is the most cloudy memory of them all – and after you’ve seen 1,000 or so games it’s understandable, I think – but I recall Lloyd Daniels hitting a three right in front of the bench in Cleveland way back in the day to win a game or seal a victory or whatever. If Sweet Pea did anything else memorable in his short stint here, I can’t recall it.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve got.

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So, I can’t help but notice that the Miami Heat have won nine straight and one question pops to mind:

(And it doesn’t ‘beg the question’ by the way)

Did Erik Spoelstra get smart all of a sudden?

Holy Bat-overreaction, Batman!

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For some reason, my man Mr. Bonnell got a day off Monday.

But the paper keeps writing about the Bobcats and here’s what it had to say.

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What about Julian Wright?

How much time is there for him?

He was lauded all over the place Monday for what he did on the weekend – and rightfully so – and you figure he’ll get some time tonight with Jose still out, Barbosa as a point guard and Wallace and Jackson to contend with.

But what about when Jose comes back?

That puts Leandro back in the wing rotation more than as a point guard and once you toss in DeRozan, Weems and Kleiza, there isn’t much time for him.

Should be, though.

How about using Linas solely as your fourth big most nights? Might take some pressure off Ed Davis, who is still very, very, very much finding his way in the game and would allow Wright to fill in on the wing more than he did in the first 22 games of the season.

Makes sense to me.

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May as well start the process now.

Click here to send mail and tell me all your innermost thoughts.

Or something like that.

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Some mail to get the week started

Well, this should get you through the day, I hope.

Oh, and drive home uneventful once I got through wretched Auburn Hills-Port Huron-Sarnia blizzard part of the drive thanks to Super Son’s CD that starts Comfortably Number-Up On Cripple Creek-The Times They Are A’Changing-The Rising.

Good music.

Enjoy this:

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Q: Doug, love the blog, but especially love your musings on the life of a sports reporter. I know (from my time in J school) that there can often be a blurry line ethically in what you are and aren't allowed accept as 'gifts.' Even something as small as a drink or a bite to eat, can be construed by some as accepting a 'gift'. My questions are a) How often do you find yourself dealing with this and b) Has there ever been anything offered to you that was particularly hard to say no to.

Kevin O, Waterloo

A: I don’t find myself dealing with it very often, actually. I’ve had coaches and executives buy me dinner on occasion but I’ve also bought every now and then and I am quite comfortable that I wouldn’t be compromised by such items. And so are my bosses.

Now to your second point. Eons ago, the Argos signed a fellow by the name of Rocket Ismail, the signing happened between periods of a hockey game in Los Angeles on a Saturday night. I got a call about 2 a.m. from a person connected with the organization telling me there was a plane ticket from Toronto to Los Angeles on the Sunday morning waiting for me to use to attend the introductory news conference out there. To that, I said thanks, but no thanks.

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Q: Doug: Love the blog. Best read I have all day so it's a must check every morning

When you define a player as a 'disruption' in the locker room, what does that mean exactly? Is it that they demand too much attention from the coaches or other players? Pick on the other guys? Or just jerks in general?

I know when I go to work, there's always the person that no one seems to drop buy or creates a kerfuffle, but I don't know if that makes them a distraction that gets in the way of me doing my job. Just curious.

 

Rob K, Toronto

A: I know that guy you’re talking about.

But the guys I’m talking about are ones with individual agendas they care more about, guys who say one thing to one guy and something to another on matters such as playing time or play calls or whatever

Guys who snipe, divisive guys, guys who bring those around them down when they mope instead of just sulking privately.

Those are the guys I’m referring to.

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Q: You put Bev Smith and Sylvia Sweeney in your list of top 10 Cdn contributors to the game which got me thinking, has MLSE ever seriously considered a WNBA franchise?

K J, Toronto

A: Not seriously, no. I have my doubts that they’d sell more than a handful of tickets for Real Women’s Professional Basketball in a summer season. Too bad, I’d kind of be in favour of it but I wouldn’t have to underwrite the losses.

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Q: Hi Doug. Recently, you commented on how you wish you could have interviewed Bill Russell, among others. I'm wondering if you've inquired and tried to interview Russell in the past, and as a follow-up question, would you mind going through the process involved in trying to interview someone of his stature?

Thanks

 

Charlie D, Montreal

A: Have never done a one-on-one with Bill Russell, never really had cause to, but have been in scrums with other reporters.

But if you wanted to set up a sit-down interview, you’d start with various media relations officials – like at NBA headquarters or with a specific team – or an agent if it’s someone unaffiliated with a team or league.

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Q: Hi Doug. I have a question about medical ethics as it relates to the NBA.

When I go to a doctor, anything that is discussed, and any diagnosis given, is strictly confidential. However, when say Brandon Roy or Udonis Haslem goes to the doctor, we get to hear all about it.

Do players have any right to medical confidentiality? Or do they lose that right in signing an NBA contract, so that the information is available to the team and the media?

Thanks

 

Thomas A, Ottawa

A: There is nothing specific in the standard players’ contract about the issue but it is a tough one, as we’ve seen here a couple of times first-hand.

Remember when Nathan Jawai missed all that time with a heart issue that was never fully explained? The reason we got when we asked was medical confidentiality. Same with Nicolas Batum when the Raptors cancelled a pre-draft workout for him because of a vague “medical issue” that popped up in his examination.

I guess that easiest way to explain it is everything is treated on a one-on-basis and, in some cases, after discussion with the player.

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Q: I couldn't help but notice Darrell Walker on the Pistons' bench last night, and Tracy McGrady on the floor. As I recall, theirs wasn't the greatest of relationships in Toronto. Which coach-player relationships in Raptor history would you say have been most hostile? Sam-Rafer must be up there and I would think Butch Carter-Marcus Camby would be too.

Daniel A, London

A: There haven’t been an awful lot that were too personal, actually; most of them have been because the players weren’t doing what the coach wanted on the floor.

But I think Butch and Oliver Miller had some issues and I don’t think Sam was too enamored of Jerome Moiso. But most of the “conflicts” had more do to with ability, work ethic and being part of a team.

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Q: Doug. Can you tell me if Jay Triano means to swear during the half time interview? I have stopped to watch him twice now this year and both times he dropped an S-bomb when being interviewed by Matt Devlin. Not that it bothers me... it's just funny and I'd like to know if he realizes it.

 

Fraser M, Oakville

A: I don’t think he does and needs to be chalked up to the emotion of the moment more than anything. I’m sure he doesn’t want to let loose with that kind of talk, sometimes things just slip out.

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Q: Hei Doug. Thanks for the blog. Enjoy it. Right I just managed to secure myself tickets to the Raptors in London against the Nets. I could ask for a better opposition and lets face it New Jersey isn’t as crowd pleasing as Miami but beggars can’t be choosers. Cheaper for me to fly to London than Toronto. Anyhow my question is what can I expect- cheerleaders, mascots and the works or a game without the extra thrills? Any chance of meeting you there? Guess the budget doesn’t stretch so far. Take care.

Scot L, Norway

A: I think plans are still be finalized but this is an NBA production so there were will be hoopla out the ying-yang and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if there were stuffed animals and June Taylor Dancers galore.

Me? It’s about time to have that chat with the boss, methinks.

Anyone see that one coming?

All together now …

That’s why they play the games.

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THREE POINTERS

A little chat

I presume you’ve all read the game stories that mention the little “talk” that the players had among themselves at halftime on Saturday, right.

(Click here if you haven’t)

Well, I’m told there wasn’t actually any screaming or finger-pointing or physical threats. Rather it was a matter of “Hey, we’re better than this, we all have to play better” and more determination than blame.

And I think that’s a good sign because if these guys can talk things through without the kind divisive blame-placing it shows a level of comfort that’s key.

After all, there are going to be more nights like this during the season, I’m sure.

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Lather, rinse, repeat

Notice anything strangely familiar to, oh, every Raptors possession in that second half?

Pick and roll.

Roll and pick.

Pick and roll.

Not sure if it was every single time down the floor but it sure felt like it and it’s directly attributable to the two points guards they had to use.

It’s not that Jerryd Bayless or Leandro Barbosa don’t know all the sets in the book but they are far more effective running screen-roll stuff because both of them are fearless in attacking the basket and, every now and then, can find open shooters in the corners when defences collapse.

It’s not a really great idea long-term – eventually teams are going to figure it out as games go on and make adjustments – but you do what you have to under difficult circumstances.

And, believe me, watching them turn the ball over almost every other possession in the first half while the starting point guard was back in Toronto nursing a sore foot are indeed difficult circumstances.

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It’s his turn

Okay, you all remember me mentioning yesterday that Julian Wright had a solid game Friday without dominating the stats.

Well, last night it was Joey Dorsey.

Amir Johnson and Ed Davis were mostly ineffective in the first half thanks to fouls and Jay, searching for something, anything, to get things going calls on Dorsey, who gives them 12 solid minutes in a couple of stints. Not bad for a guy who usually sits and watches and waits his turn and something appreciated by the coach:

“Guys like Joey Dorsey and Julian Wright, those guys practice every day and I threw them in a game tonight and they brought an intensity and that intensity become infectious and they brought and I thought they did a great job.”

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A wee bit more:

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That was the second lead of 20 or more points the Pistons have blown this season, I still say the lob pass to Stuckey with 20 seconds left and down three was the silliest play I have perhaps ever seen and the team has no style of play at all.

What I’m wondering is if the messed up ownership – the estate of Bill Davidson is trying to divest itself of the team – might be the only thing keeping John Keuster employed.

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Here’s the thing about the world we live in:

No matter what city you’re in, no matter what time it is or what day it is, if you turn on the television and click through enough channels, you can find an episode of Law And Order.

Is that a good thing?

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A mail teaser? Sure, why not?

Q: Doug. Ed Davis is being compared to Bosh for obvious reasons - left handed and his height. However, my first impressions are that this is a guy that is going to carry more weight than Bosh as he gets older, he looks thicker through the upper body. I see him becoming perhaps a better rebounder/defender than Bosh with more of an inside game. He doesn't look as smooth as Bosh and his shooting mechanics don't look the best.

I think he's going to be real good but quite different than Bosh - what's your take?

Thanks

 

 

Carl M, Codroy Valley

A: It’s a mug’s game to try and guess the future, and I’m not all that interested in comparisons and “this guy’s like that guy” so I might not be the best guy to talk to.

But right now, his is so much not Chris Bosh it’s not funny. I don’t know who he reminds me of after three games but it’s not Bosh.

Except for the left-handed part.

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How did that one play in the Detroit papers?

Like this.

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HOTH go nuts and stage greatest rally ever and the Leaves beat the dastardly Habs.

Not a bad night for the local sports squads and it’s going to make dinner today taste a wee bit better.

Yep, I’m told today’s the day the pucks and hoopsters and all the Poobahs And Henchmen get together for a little family gathering and at least the mood’s going to be better than it has been.

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Speaking of mail, I’m thinking late afternoon-evening sitting around coming up with answers might be an okay way to finish the weekend.

So click here and give me something to do.

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Okay, it’s snowy and yucky and this might be a stinky drive home in the smelly Ford Focus so we’ll get to whatever insightful comments you have later on today.

Enjoy.

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