Forget the game, mourn the streak

Of course someone should have hit a three at the buzzer to win that one, it would have been fitting, right?

But with this team, it would have been reviewed, ruled a two and they would have lost in overtime on a missed three

Anyway …

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THREE POINTERS

The right move?

Fair amount of consternation in some parts over the defence on Rudy Gay on the final Grizzlies possession.

No double team?

Well, I guess they could have.

But ask yourself this: What’s the one thing this team does maybe worse than anything on the defensive end?

Rotate.

So why get all kinds of guys moving when Gay had two accomplished scorers down low in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol that he’d surely pass to the minute a second defender ran at him. And by the time it takes a second guy to get to him at the top of the key, bang, the pass is made.

As it was, they had Amir Johnson stay on the right side, where everyone knew Gay was going, the forced him away from the basket and into a fadeway shot.

He made it. Good on him.

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Good game? So-so game

Ed Davis sure looked good at times in the fourth quarter, didn’t he?

Three of his five blocked shots, solid post defence, strong play and good weak side help.

Laudable, all of it.

Wasn’t it, Jay?

“Ed played well in the fourth quarter. Blocked a couple of shots there in the fourth quarter and caused some problems but we needed him to get some defensive boards earlier and help us out on the glass a little bit.”

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But, oh, if they could

Not a bad post-game quote from Jay that kind of sums up the night.

At least the part where the Grizzlies hammered the Raptors on boards, turned 18 offensive rebounds into 27 second-chance points that was the difference in the game.

“We hold this team to 44 per cent shoot and it’s a pretty good job. Again, too many offensive rebounds for them but it’s not like we can pop a pill and get stronger for one game and then try to get quicker for another. We are who we are, we’ve got to be better.”

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Want some more?

Hope so.

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Okay, this isn’t going to mean anything to some of you but it does to some insiders.

Bryan Colangelo spent about $40,000 Monday night so (a) he wouldn’t embarrass his coaching staff and roster and (b) to give fans something close to their money’s worth.

How?

By signing Sundiata Gaines to what may amount to a one-day contract.

Early in the afternoon, there were plans to sign Trey Johnson to a 10-day contract. He’s the kid who’s leading the D League in scoring (which means very little) but they can sure use a backup 2-3 here.

And then Jose got sick.

Now, Bryan could have gone ahead with his commitment to Johnson and let Jay send out a team in front of the home fans with Jerryd Bayless as the starting point guard and Julian Wright or DeMar DeRozan, pick your poison, as the backup.

He couldn’t in all good conscience do that so they got a hold of Gaines, who hadn’t left town yet, gave him 10 more days (worth about $40,000 with his experience) and he’ll likely be waived today or tomorrow to make room for Johnson. Gaines gets paid in full, regardless, the Raptors get the wing they need to plug a huge hole and the bottom line’s a tiny bit off.

Not a big thing, no, but something.

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How’d that play in Memphis?

Well, I didn’t see a Commercial Appeal writer here so let’s see what they had.

(Not much, as it turns out)

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We mourn the streak.

Some more than others (hi, Lorie!) but I think most do.

It wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things but it was pretty neat. It was something no other team had ever done, it lasted about a month short of 12 years (yeah, more than a decade) and it was kind of fun. So mock if you will but we all need a wee bit of levity in our lives, right? And if you don’t, I’d suggest therapy.

Some facts, unearthed by J. LaBumbard and his crack PR staff and stuff we were reminded of every game in the notes:

On Feb. 24, 1999, Celine Dion won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for My Heart Will Go On; on Feb. 26, 1999, the streak began. The streak aged better than she did.

Since the streak began, the iPod, Blue Tooth, the hybrid car and YouTube were invented; and I don’t know how to use any of them.

If you took Game 1 off to go to the movies, you could have seen October Sky, Office Space (neither of which I recall) as well as My Favourite Martian, which did not star the Phoenix Suns centre, sadly.

The total: The Raptors made 5,876 three-pointers in the streak and you can guess the top five, no?

If you can’t, don’t scroll down quite yet. But write down the names in order and if you get them right, give yourself a pat on the back.

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Okay, so they got rid of Giorgos Printezis in the Ajinca trade and I won’t have to worry about answering questions about him any more.

And I’m quite glad that none have you have caught on to the fact they still own the rights to DeAndre Hulett (second round, 46th overall in 2000) and asked about him.

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This is why I don’t mind spending the decompression hour post-game in the Harbour Sports Grille.

Walk in there Monday, see familiar and friendly faces, and they’ve got on the blues station on the Galaxie satellite service and it’s very, very, very cool.

I got some Makin’ Whoopee, Walking to New Orleans and, because Super Son’s a Pat Carey student, the Downchild Blue’s Band doing For Pete’s Sake made me sit up and take notice.

And may make me do something about satellite radio for the stinky Ford Focus.

I don’t know music, but I know I like that.

Question of the day: Memphis blues or New Orleans jazz?

(What? You want to do all basketball? These dudes are 13-32!)

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We still mourn the streak.

Not unlike the fact we mourn the 12 arenas that no longer exist as NBA venues but in which they made at least one three.

They are:

Market Square, Miami Arena, GM Place, Alamodome, The Spectrum, The Pyramid, Reunion Arena, Compaq Center, Charlotte Coliseum, Key Arena, IZOD Centre and Amway Arena.

Of those, I miss Market Square and Key Arena the most.

(In case you were wondering).

Oh, the answer from above:

Easy, peasy, right?

Mo Pete (801), Vince Carter (551), Andrea Bargnani (478), Anthony Parker (342) and Jose Calderon (300).

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All right, off to practice soon to maybe meet the new guy and see who got hurt last night.

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The Goods On The Game, Grizzlies at Raptors

Good evening.

Welcome back.

Early mail, even if it is a day late

The chili was a good idea, thanks.

And it’ll be better today or tomorrow as leftovers, I imagine.

Until then, digest this sometime before we’re here tonight for the return of the In-Game Bloggy Thingy for all you Irregulars.

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Q: Douglas. With your comments today about the Delta pilot, it got me thinking about all the travel you do. Have you had scares on your many flights? Maybe you could make a list of your top five most harrowing flights where you thought your time was up.

G M, Vancouver

A: I’ve had far more inconveniences than true scares (knocking on wood) but there have been a few moments of consternation.

I remember coming back from somewhere a very long time ago and just before the wheels were going to touch down we took off again and I don’t remember if they ever fully explained that one.

There was a flight to Milwaukee that was diverted to Grand Rapids because of fog and the ground sure came up quickly when we landed.

A wind sheer episode going into Dallas when the plane tilted pretty severely about 100 feet from the ground was rather frightening and landing in a sudden thunderstorm in Miami one day was a white-knuckling affair.

But all in all, with all the flights I’ve been on, I’ve pretty lucky.

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Q: Hi Doug. Please explain how the NBA schedule works? I understand we play home and away games against the West, but what happens in the East and within the division?

I think the fans get cheated when they attend games where one of the teams is in a back-to-back. Do you know if there is any thought of trying to address this in the next CBA?

 

 

Jim F, London

A: Yes, home and home with 15 Western Conference teams for 30 games, four against each of the Atlantic Division teams for another 20 16 other 36 are spread among Eastern Conference teams. Some they will play three times and some they will play four and their rotate season to season so eventually it evens out. This season, for instance, Toronto gets Chicago four times after only seeing the Bulls three times last season and plays Orlando three times after playing them four times last season.

And, no, I don’t think you’ll see any dramatic change to the back-to-back situation; there are far bigger fish to fry in the CBA talks and issues about arena availability and the condensed nature of the season makes even cutting them down virtually impossible.

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Q: First, Doug, sorry if you've already addressed this and I missed it, but: you were pretty skeptical of whether a PG can come in on 10 days and learn enough, fast enough, to be an asset. Now Gaines is here, has played a bit, and I'm wondering how you think he has exceeded or confirmed your expectations?

TL I, London

A: Let’s put it this way (knowing that I’m answering this before a decision is made on whether to bring him back for a second 10-day deal or not):

I don’t think he’s hurt them at all (although they didn’t win a game) and he’s looked okay in the limited role he’s had running the team.

Overall? He probably exceeded my limited expectations.

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Q: Hi Doug. This is two separate questions.

1) Now that it is half-way through the regular season, how would you assess Blake Griffin's rookie year? He almost certainly has to be an all-star, doesn't he? I'll make a case for him: His numbers are only slightly below KGs '04 MVP season (24, 14, 5) versus Blake's 22,13,3.5. And there we're talking about an MVP season. Perusing the best big men since Shaq was dominant his performances stand up to almost any of them except Shaq's truly crazy Laker year of 28-15. Looking again at numbers and surveying the big men playing currently he has virtually the best in the league--right up there with Howard.

So Mr. Smith: Is Blake Griffin the rookie of the year, even if he stops playing today? Is Blake Griffin an all-star? Is Blake Griffin a possible MVP candidate should the Clippers make the playoffs? Is he a better rookie than LeBron was?

 

M C, Ottawa

A: Griffin an all-star? I’d sure like to think so but I don’t know what the coaches might do. You’ll have Anthony and Durant as starters with whoever David Stern picks to replace Yao at centre (maybe Pau).

There’ll be four big man spots after that and I can see Nowitzki, Duncan and Scola (maybe Odom) which leaves guys like Griffin and Kevin Love under consideration. In that case, it has to be Griffin, no?

MVP? Nope. Oh, he might get a fifth place vote or two, maybe even a fourth but he’s not a legit candidate by any stretch of the imagination.

Better that LeBron? No. Let’s say different.

The list thing? I’m going to take that and stash in a list of lists thing I’ve got going for another slow day. Sorry.

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Q: Hey Doug. Simple question: if you had to play devil's advocate and argue against those that say basketball players are grossly overpaid, what points would you bring up.

 

David S, Toronto

A: It’s hard to truly justify the salaries, but I can.

One, their careers are so short, they should have the ability to maximize their earnings;

Two, they generate so much revenue, they deserve their fair share of it; and,

Three, the provide so much entertainment to so many people, they should be compensated for it.

Now, those are tough arguments to make because of the obscene salaries, but that’s what I’ve got.

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Q: Doug, one of the biggest but most unremarked-on Raptors-related transformations this year is Reggie Evans' bench attire, going from embroidered jeans and crumpled jacket last year to crisp tailored suits this year. Can you speculate on what might have caused such a dramatic change?

 

Julia D, Kingston

A: Spousal influence? Different body shape necessitates new clothing? Too much time on his hands near malls when he was injured? Those would be my guesses.

Another night, another series of oddities and questions

Okay, quick show of hands here.

Who watched the second half Saturday?

I did, but it’s my job; I wonder how many of you stuck around?

Anyway, on with the show:

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THREE POINTERS

Unanswered question

Obviously, I didn’t get a chance to ask Jay or any of the coaches what specifically had occurred late in the first quarter but there was a notable substitution pattern that, if I remember, I’ll check on tomorrow.

Jerryd Bayless went in about his normal time for Jose Calderon, entering the game with 3:32 to go in the quarter.

But 76 seconds later, he was back on the bench, replaced by Sundiata Gaines.

Even in these times of moving guys in and out quickly to find something that works, that was a fast hook.

Now, I know Bayless has been banged up, his ankle is still a bit of an issue, but, as we’ve pointed out before, he remains a wee bit tentative on offence after a rather quick start to his time with the Raptors.

I know the coaches are working with him to improve his game-management skills and to teach him how to run a team but he still needs to play to his strengths and he isn’t right now.

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Three on five

Yes, they did some scoring in the second half last night – and there’s not many things easier to than play against a team that’s up 30 and coasting – but that was out of the ordinary of late.

Before getting to 103 against Heat, the HOTH had gone five straight games without getting to 100, the longest steak of offensive woes since a six-game stretch back in December, 2008.

Why? Well, at one point they had both Julian Wright and Sundiata Gaines on the floor and because they are both a bit offensively-challenged, it allowed two Miami players to kind of freelance defensively and take away much of what Toronto wanted to do.

That’s not taking away from either of those two Toronto guys but that’s just a simple fact.

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Haven’t seen this often enough

If you’re looking for one good thing, I guess you could point to the fact DeRozan went for 30 and Bargnani scored 28 against Miami.

On a team starved for offence (the absences of Kleiza, Weems and Barbosa kicks the crap out of this team’s ability to score a lot) those two have to each have big nights for them to win and it’s good to see that they can.

It’s just not been often enough.

Saturday night was the first time in eight games – stretching back to the win over Sacramento – that both had topped 20.

Not surprisingly, that’s the last time they won.

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A few more unrelated but wildly entertaining points.

Really.

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Hmm.

I see someone named Rob Base is doing the halftime gig at the Fan Night thingamabob next Friday.

What?

Vanilla Ice is playing one of the casinos with the remnants of Chicago and a guy who used to write choruses for The Eagles?

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Hey, big day for Sundiata Gaines.

His 10 days are up and while he’s done nothing to hurt the team and has, in fact, looked quite passable at times, I wonder if he sticks around for one very good reason: They need wings.

I haven’t heard a word about Sonny Weems, who knows how long Linas Kleiza’s knee is going to act up and I heard last night that Barbosa is probably a week away from getting back on the court.

So, with no disrespect to Gaines, can you envision a scenario where he’s let go and replaced for 10 days – which will be games against Memphis, Philly, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Indy and Atlanta – but someone who can play small forward?

Know anyone like that?

How about Ronald Dupree?

I have no idea if Bryan’s thinking like that but if there are going to be lingering issues with Keiza and more uncertainty about Weems, maybe he should be.

-

Carmelo Anthony did not get traded yesterday.

(You’re welcome for another breathless update to The Never-ending Story).

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Quickly, from the mail:

Q: Greetings, possible two-parter. I would be curious to know whether the coaches/players are aware of the degree of interaction you have with your readership. And if they are, does it in any way influence your relationship with them?

Doug T, Brantford

A: Some of them are quite aware, actually. Mostly because every now and then I’ll have to ask them a question to get a good answer here and I’ve had guys come up and say “you should put this in the blog.”

Or, I may, perchance, point out some of the more zany trade suggestions to the GM or one of his henchmen and ask that they get right on it.

But, no, it doesn’t have any impact on any relationships with anyone in the organization.

(Okay, I know some poobahs are reading this today, go out and sign Dupree, okay? Make me look like I know what I’m talking about.

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Did you know that Mike Miller hadn’t scored a single point all season in Miami before last night?

Sure made up for lost time, didn’t he?

Here’s what Ira had to say.

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A question:

Should I do chili or pizza or sit on a stool to let someone else handle the cooking this afternoon whilst watching gridiron action?

Oh, and I’ll need to knock off tomorrow’s extended mailbag so feel free to say hi by writing here.

Thank you.

-

Speaking of trades that didn’t happen, I’m told by people I trust that whatever transaction they’ve got cooked up for Alexis Ajinca won’t happen any sooner than Monday.

Bet you’re all waiting for that, aren’t you?

-

Okay, mail to answer, some shoveling to do. You all have a good day.

Enjoy the football, if that’s your idea of fun.

-

 

 

Not a whole lot to say, but we've got to say something

Wow

I don’t think even Alexis Ajinca could have saved that one.

Good one to miss, wasn’t it?

(Full disclosure: I didn’t pay undivided attention to a lot of the game, which was a wise move even if it detracts a bit from the usual fare here)

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THREE POINTERS

Mental fatigue

Yes, we wondered aloud here the other day about when a stinker would come up, when there would be a night to forget and, sure enough, it came in the second half Friday.

Yeah, they were only down six at the break, believe it or not, but it sure went south in a hurry after that and you could see (at least at the times I was riveted to the TV) the spirit going out of them.

And that’s a troubling sign. Maybe it was a one night thing, maybe they’ve got some bounce-back left in them, but this is a young group and things like a 40-point loss could linger.

I’m not saying tonight in Miami is a defining moment for this group but it could be telling.

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Another one down

The e-mail I got overnight said Joey Dorsey has a “strained right patella tendon” and will be re-evaluated today.

That, of course, moves Solomon Alabi up to the be the fourth big, one would think (at least until the arrival of Alexis Ajinca and there’s more on that in a few paragraphs) but given Miami’s frontcourt woes, the Raptors might get away with playing Linas Kleiza a bit at the four tonight.

If not, it could be Alabi vs. Joel Anthony and that ought to be fun.

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And the misses keep coming

Another terrible shooting night for Bargnani, who was 3-14 and is now 22-for-72 over his last four games.

Awful.

He told us the other night in San Antonio that he’s not going to use any knee pain as an excuse but he just looks off out there. He never was the most fluid guy in the history of the game but he’s even more tentative this last week, it appears.

I don’t think it’s to the point where he needs to take some time off – trust me, if he thought it would help, he’d do it – but the simple fact is this team can’t beat anybody if he’s shooting like that and he needs to find a way out of this slump, or get his knees healthy, or something.

-

More? Just a little bit, okay?

-

Oh, the trade.

If you wondered how closely the NBA watches trades and transactions for sniffs of salary cap circumvention or stuff like that, the fact a deal for the aforementioned Alexis Ajinca is on hold for a day should make you understand.

No one at the league office or either team was talking much yesterday but one note I got suggested the closer check is a formality and things could be done as early as today.

But, as HOTH fans know better than most, nothing is done until it’s done. And this isn’t done.

-

What’d they say in Orlando about that laugher?

This is what it reads like.

-

Singalong time:

Happy Anniversary,

Happy Anniversary,

Happy Anniversary,

Haaaaaapppy Anniversary.

No, not mine; that’s on Sinatra’s birthday.

This one is for Kobe and the Raptors.

Five years ago today was the 81-point night.

And I got to watch the carnage from my couch.

I’d done the first three games of a five-game trip (Utah, Portland, Seattle as I recall) and My Man Byers picked ‘em up for a Lakers-Denver back to back.

He got to have all the fun and since there wasn’t an In-Game Bloggy Thingy back then (heck, there wasn’t even a blog) it was an easy night for me.

-

Hey, look at it this way:

They lose by 40 and it’s not the biggest margin of defeat in the league on Friday.

So, imagine how they feel down in Atlanta after the Hawks were edged 100-59 by New Orleans?

-

I’m going drag this one out of the mail with the usual plea to click here and send along any notes you like. It’s not really full over there at Mail Central and I think we’re destined for another Monday mail bag because of a Saturday night game so you’ve got some time.

Q: Hi again Doug. Great job with the blog as always. Let’s say Player A (who is passing the ball in from out of bounds) throws a pass to player B who is slashing to the rim and he scores. Does player A get the assist? Or does he not get it because he is out of bounds?

Sky D, North Bay

A: This comes directly from a member of the Raptors stats/scoring crew: Yes, as long as there no other player is involved in the play.

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Man, I had to go back and check on the largest margin of defeat because there was no mention of Friday being the biggest and, yep, it wasn’t.

I don’t recall the game, probably because I wasn’t at it since I was working at The People’s Wire Service and wasn’t travelling, but these guys lost by 48 at New York way back in April, 1996.

There were a couple of 44-point losses in 1997 – 118-74 at Detroit, 122-78 at Seattle so Friday barely makes the top five worst all time.

Feel better?

-

Oh, and Miami awaits.

But as we read here, Chris Bosh likely doesn’t.

-

So let me get this straight.

The mayor of Toronto and his brother are all hot to trot about an NFL team coming.

What’s that old saying?

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

-

And, I’m sorry (sort of) to tell you this, but life is getting in the way again tonight and I can’t be around.

Sorry, I believe there are a few of you who’d like to spend a Saturday night with an IGBT but I can’t pull it off.

It’ll be the last time for a while, I promise.

-

 

 

 

So much for a slow off-day

Guy takes the long way home and lands to find out about buyouts and trades and a reason to have to pay attention to the dunk contest on all-star weekend.

Should have stayed on the road.

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So long, Peja, we hardly knew ye.

I guess there were two surprises in the whole Stojakovic departure Thursday:

That it happened so quickly.

And that no one wanted to offer anything for him.

As was made quite clear to me last night, the Raptors explored every option and when they couldn’t find one – and figured they wouldn’t find one in the next three weeks or so – it was time to pull the plug.

A buyout was always a possibility but I had been told it was quite unlikely to happen before the trade deadline so that Bryan could explore all his options with an “asset.”

The GM did explore all his options and didn’t find one but I wonder if the fact Peja had some kind of promise in Dallas, as opposed to, say, New York or New Jersey or Miami or Atlanta or some other Eastern Conference team, might have factored into it.

It’s always best to let a guy go to the other conference and now that Peja’s apparently out of the clutches of any conference rival, why not let him go early.

Now, about his knee?

Was he faking, embellishing, using a low pain threshold to take a wee vacation? I don’t know and I won’t ever doubt a guy who says he’s in pain but I would think if it were different circumstances, you might have seen him out there.

But that’s between him and whatever team employs him.

I do wonder, however, what guys like Kleiza and Johnson and Calderon and Bayless must have thought when a sore knee dragged on for weeks and weeks while they went out and played hurt.

Maybe that was a factor in the timing? Who knows.

-

So DeMar’s got Darryl Dawkins helping out with his dunks now that DeRozan’s replacing Brandon Jennings in the all-star weekend contest and that’s all well and good.

I guess Vince wasn’t available to help out?

Anyway, I’m hoping one other aspect of Dawkins’s personality rubs off during whatever time they spend together:

Quotability.

DeMar’s a nice kid and all and he’s always around when we need someone to talk to but, really, he’s got to pick it up in the quotes department.

The ones the other night about being tired of losing and feeling like he was back in high school were the best we’ve gotten out of him in a while and, truth be told, they weren’t so great.

It’s probably just a function of youth because not many kids hit the league running in the quote department and here’s hoping some interaction with Dawkins helps out.

After all, a dude who once named a dunk “The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam” knows his way into a reporter’s heart.

-

What’s the trade?

Well when I was talking to people after getting on the ground late last evening, it was still very much evolving but the only thing that really matters is that Toronto’s going to get this Alexis Ajinca kid from Dallas somehow.

(I warn you, again, that nothing’s done until it’s done but this looks done).

Who is he?

Young kid, just 22, a legit 7-footer who has some shooting range and he barely played with the Mavs after a short bench-warming start to his career in Charlotte.

Is he an upgrade in any way?

Well, he’s better today than Solomon Alabi is and he’s taller and probably fits the offence better than Joey Dorsey does but he will come in as the fourth big and there might not be a lot of minutes for him.

Please, don’t go all “Ajinca’s the answer” on me, he’s a bit player on a team with a very bad record.

-

Orlando?

They’re on a bit of a roll, seven wins in their last 10 games, and as Brian tells in this piece, they’ve got some, um, magic going for them of late.

Turk?

The old fella’s been okay, he’s had some big games in his old hometown and seems far more engaged.

Go figure.

-

I can’t wait for that Pittsburgh-Green Bay Super Bowl, can you?

And I’d like to thank the NBA schedule folks for giving us this Sunday and Super Bowl Sunday off. First time that’s happened in a long while and for a guy who usually cares more about the social aspect of the NFL playoffs than the actual games, I’m quite happy.

-

Here’s one out of the mail:

Q: On Friday when the Raptors were in Toronto playing the Pistons, Reggie Evans was there on the sidelines, walking around sharply dressed in his suit.

I can’t imagine why he would be rehabbing in the frozen wastes of Toronto if he didn’t have to be (isn’t he from Florida and aren’t all the doctors and therapists in the U.S.?). Is there a requirement in NBA contracts that injured players have to travel with the team and show up at games? Or does it depend on the player’s contract?

 

 

Andrew M, Toronto

A: Yeah, I might pick Florida over Toronto these days but I don’t have that chance.

And neither does Reggie, actually.

Teams generally demand that injured players stay in town so that team physicians and trainers and the like can get their hands on them each day.

The exceptions, and we’ve seen it here with Reggie and Peja, rest his soul, are when teams send injured players to be looked at by specialists or to rehab with people the player might be more comfortable or familiar with.

But the general rule of thumb is that injured players stick with their teams; it’s not a contractual obligation but a traditional one.

-

Oh yeah, one more good thing about the trade with Dallas if it goes through as expected.

Won’t have to answer any more “how come they don’t bring that Printezis guy over, he’s great?” questions.

-

Man, those Delta Airlines pilots sure know how to instill confidence in passengers.

Guy gets on a tiny jet in Minneapolis (how else would you get home from San Antonio?) and the guy driving points out that it’s a bit cold in Toronto and there’s some weather coming in as we’re headed that way and just in case, the “emergency airport” is Rochester, New York so we’ll be okay.

And then we’re sitting there waiting patiently with the door still open about 30 minutes after departure time and the dude comes back on to tell us they’ve got enough oxygen for the pilots if it was a domestic flight but there are different regulations for international flights and we have to wait for them to bring some more.

For the pilots. Not for us.

Yeah, I love travel.

-

Want a shot at the mail? Take it here, please.

-

Okay, here’s the deal.

There are a few other tugs on my life, believe it or not, so I’m afraid an In-Game Bloggy Thingy can’t happen tonight, which is too bad. Hope you understand, though.

Don’t think there’s anything up for tomorrow, although I’m told (and I don’t get a lot of say in the matter) there might be so I guess we just have to stay tuned in the morning.

Sorry, but things happen.

 

All kinds of things for kids to work on

Seriously, if these guys are going to make me live Groundhog Day, I need to see Andie MacDowell.

Really.

I do.

-

THREE POINTERS

A new look

You saw the double teams come at DeMar DeRozan and you saw how he handled them and, yes, it was a bit of a train wreck, no?

And as he becomes more known as a scorer, he’s going to see them more often and he knows he has to be better at dealing with them.

“They were sending doubles and everything, you know. It was tough and I had a few turnovers that really hurt us and that’s what made it even worse. It was frustrating and they took advantage of it.

“Man, you just have to watch film. I’m definitely going to watch and see what I could have done, see what was open and get better and be prepared for the next time it happens.”

So goes the growth of a kid; another step necessary to become a legitimate NBA threat.

And you know that Stan Van Gundy and Erik Spoelstra and their staffs are going to see the tape of the Spurs game and I’m thinking DeRozan better figure it out sooner rather than later.

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Biting his tongue

Yes, Jay was miffed and I know he probably wanted to unload on Andrea after the game but he wouldn’t. And he wouldn’t unload too much on DeMar either with this quote from the gamer:

“DeMar’s being spoiled right now with the number of minutes that he’s getting because of our lineup. I told him ‘you’ve got to play every possession like you were on a team where you were only getting 18 minutes a game.’ I don’t want him to form bad habits and ‘Dre’s in the same boat. You have to do other things so that when there are games that you don’t score points, that you are contributing to us in other facets.

 

“Those two aren’t alone, though.”

Jay’s right though.

With this roster, and a distinct lack of backup twos and threes, he is playing people just because he has to in order to give his team any shot at winning any game.

It’s part and parcel of the situation as it is and it has to be frustrating him.

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A need to expand

Ed Davis has another pretty good one but it struck me that he needs one thing more than anything in his offensive arsenal.

A move going to his right.

Not sure what the percentage is, but it seems to be that about 95 per cent of the time when he goes to the basket, he goes left and you know that other teams have already figured it out.

Just more work for the second half of the season.

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As the man once said: Now, for the rest of the story:

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Did Carmelo get traded yet?

(Hahahahahahahah!)

Seriously, how about that turnaround? Mikhail Prokorov, the Nets owners, tells the team to leave the Melodrama, get out of the talks entirely and it seems like we’ve wasted a whole lot of time.

Now, I don’t know if the Nets found out there was no way Anthony was going to sign an extension there and they made a pre-emptive strike or whether they just got ticked at the agents who were seemingly forcing the issue but it was a pretty cool decision, I think.

A hardball move, indeed; now the Nuggets (and old friend Masai Ujiri) have to start the whole process over.

Maybe they should just tell Carmelo and his people, “screw it, we’ll take our chances you won’t leave the money on the table and we’ll hang onto the new CBA gets here.”

Or maybe they find someone who just wants to rent him for three months and get something that way.

But if I’m them, I might tell the Knicks to take a hike, too; and let the chips fall where they may.

However, we are also in for another 30 days or so of this chatter and that ought to be fun.

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So I’m walking through the tunnel out of the court at halftime, not paying much attention to what I was doing (perhaps it was the stunned disbelief at the score, maybe it was the fact I was texting) and it’s apparent the guy walking next to me was in the same zoned-out zone.

And when we bump into each other, I’m kind of jolted off stride because David Robinson is still a very tall, very strong man.

And quite apologetic when he almost knocked me off my feet.

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How’d that one play in San Antonio?

Thusly.

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Did you know it’s 50 years ago today that JFK was inaugurated as the president of the USA? Now, I don’t remember it, my first recollection of him was his assassination, but I read an interesting piece in Vanity Fair about the hoopla around it and it must have really been something.

But half a century ago? Man, that’s a long time.

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List time, sort of.

Q: As I was watching the game in New Orleans (on TV), I was reminded of an item on my "bucket list.”

I've always wanted to take in a Raptors road trip. Which cities or combination of cities would you recommend? (taking into account driving from game to game)

 

Roy D, Thunder Bay

A: Well, way back in the day, I’d have said Portland-Seattle without hesitation because it was the best one.

Now?

Hmm.

Well, if you can’t do Orlando-Miami tomorrow and Saturday there’s really nothing left in this season that involves more than one game. If I had to make a trip the rest of this year that’s multi-game and you could afford to fly, I’d do Phoenix-Golden State in late March because there’s a night off in Phoenix and San Francisco and that can’t be a bad thing at all.

Other that that, here’s what I’d suggest:

New York-Boston: Easy train ride, shortish drive, couple of great cities, but they’re seldom on the same trip for some reason.

Washington-Philly: Drive or ride the rails, still pretty good.

Los Angeles-San Francisco: A bit of a drive and I’m not a big L.A. fan but still, it’s San Francisco, which is a great city.

Chicago-Indy: Another easy drive and two very good spots to see games.

Happy trails.

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A lot of players buy tickets for home game to give away to kids and groups and whatever and they tend to have these cutesy names.

No surprise, then, that there’s a section of the arena in San Antonio that’s known as:

Bonner’s Wicked Awesome Section.

Guess you can take the boy out of New England but not the New England out of the boy.

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WNBA news because I know you love it.

You know how we all hate the week in the summer when teams can negotiate with free agents but not announce any deals? How it’s all rumour and speculation and stuff you know will happen but have to wait to make official?

Well, the WNBA negotiating period runs from today until Feb. 1 and if any of you cared about the league, that’s waaaaaaaay too long.

But if ends with a player getting an hour of TV time to do The Decision, that’d be pretty cool.

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All right, The Lewis And Clark Travel Agency has me on the rather circuitous and seldom-travelled San Antonio-Minneapolis-Toronto route today so I have no idea when I’ll get back to check out comments or say hello.

But if you feel like it, the mailbag is open by clicking here, I’d love to hear from you.

Well, most of you.

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The Goods On The Game, Raptors at Spurs

Hello, folks.

Greetings from San Antonio, where it was about 16 C and sunny today!

Ha!

Dangerous times for a banged-up bunch

Sorry, a little bit late.

Thought I’d had this whole central time zone thing figured out, guess the body clock didn’t quite agree with me.

Anyway …

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How much more of this these guys can take?

Playing hard, getting close and losing has to be taking some kind of mental toll on a young team and I’m really wondering if, or when, they’ll come up with a stinker.

All season, they’ve been “rewarded” with victories out of nowhere – the one in Orlando, the one at home over Boston, beating Oklahoma City – and it’s given them reason to believe in what they’re doing.

But with these losses piling up and three games in four days coming against three of the very best teams in the league, I hope there doesn’t come a night when they just throw their arms up in the air in despair.

It may not happen because they have been quite resilient but if it does, I don’t think anyone should be surprised. These are young kids and the grind of losing when you’re doing your best with an under-manned team has to be hard.

A win or two – and they might not come until they get home and get relatively weak teams next week – will ease the feeling, I’m sure; it’s hanging on until then that’s the issue.

That’s going to put an ever heavier onus on Jay and his staff to try to come up with ways to keep them close, engaged in the process and believing that what they’re doing will eventually pay off.

I believe it will because you’re seeing improvement in individual skills but players are all about instant gratification and the penchant for slacking when things don’t go well is real.

On the other hand, it will give Bryan and Jay and you a chance to see the true colours and mental toughness of these guys because continuing to battle hard against superior talent and long odds is how you get better.

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Hey, did I miss the Carmelo Anthony trade?

Must have happened by now, right?

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Body count at Raptors practice here Tuesday?

I’m told – and I spent almost the entire day flying New Orleans-Houston-San Antonio so I missed the workout – that Jerryd went and should play but Kleiza, Calderon and Bargnani got the day off from on-court stuff but might have done some lifting.

If I had to guess, and it comes from quick chats with people over the day, I’d say all but Kleiza strap it on for tonight.

Speaking of Kleiza, he told me the other day after the Hornets game that he first banged up his knee in the first pre-season game way back in Vancouver when Grant Hill fell on him and it’s been bugging him the entire season.

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What’s up in San Antonio?

This from the fine Mike Monroe.

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And proof that persistence pays off:

Q: Doug, I have never gotten an answer to any of the questions that I have asked on your Blog, BUT I KEEP TRYING. Question.

How does a bad team like the Knicks go from horrible to extremely good in 1 year? Amare alone did not change this team. Why are the Knicks so successful but my Raptors are still horrible? Can one superstar make a difference?

 

Drew L, Edmonton

A: I’m going to take issue with your contention that the Knicks are “extremely good” to point out the flaw in your argument.

Yes, they are better than the atrocious team they were a year ago but to think they are on the level of the top five teams in the East is, in my opinion, a stretch.

Amare did change the team substantially because the attention he attracts from defences allows others to have more room to operate, they hit a home run with the Landry Fields draft pick it appears right now and Raymond Felton is playing better than a lot of people might have thought.

So, why? They had three key additions brought on by free agent money they seem to have spent wisely (although I’d still be worried about Stoudemire’s long-term health) and a solid draft.

If the Raptors ever do that, they could rise to the level of the Knicks’ mediocrity right now.

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So, a guy stops at a place for an aperitif and the fellow serving them wonders where the visitor’s from.

“Toronto. A sports writer in for a basketball game.”

“Oh, yeah? You know who’s from Toronto?”

“Um? Me?”

“Cito Gaston! My dad used to play baseball with him. Great man.”

“Yes, he is. Oh, and John Gibbons is from here, too.”

“Who?”

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So, there’s a chance the Spurs will be without Matt Bonner tonight, I think.

A sore knee kept him out of the last game and can’t find definitive word on whether he goes against his old team.

-

Yes.

Spurs by 12.

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Mail?

Sure, I’d love some, thank you very much.

You can drop your innermost thoughts to me right here.

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Four losses in the row for the Heat, who are hurt and reeling?

I would imagine more than a few fans would be feeling quite good about that, wouldn’t they?

But what the Miami losses have done is put some juice into the standings; there’s huge muddle of four teams chasing Boston at the moment and it’s at least made it interesting to think that one of those four -- Miami, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta – is going to have to get the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs and that’s to be avoided at all costs.

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Shootaround later, we’ll see you here at 8:30 p.m. East, right?

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Bad game, good job and some Vince for good measure

Next stop: The Riverwalk in San Antonio.

But first …

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THREE POINTERS

Slow, slow motion

One play, fourth quarter, that pretty much sums up one of the worst games Andrea Bargnani’s had in some time.

He gets the ball out beyond the arc on the left side with, I believe, David West guarding him.

Bargnani waits, and waits, and waits. He makes a head fake and a jab step and goes nowhere. He can’t decide whether to shoot or drive or what. The seconds tick off the clock, I think I might have dozed off for a minute or two and, finally, you can almost hear him say, “screw it, I can’t figure out what to do” so he passes the ball back to Jose, who has to fire up about a 27-footer at the shot clock buzzer that misses badly.

Terrible possession late in a very bad game and if he’s playing like that, they’ve got no shot to win.

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Helluva job

Let’s say you’re an NBA head coach and you’re on the road and your team’s playing its third game in four days against a pretty good team.

You look down the bench and see:

Ed Davis, rookie; Sundiata Gaines, still learning the names of his teammates; Joey Dorsey, game but under-sized; Solomon Alabi, rookie.

There are no shooting guards or small forwards. No experience, no shooters, no nothing.

And someone your team is in the game until the final seconds?

I tell ya, they should have fully guaranteed the third year of Jay’s contract last night for the way he managed that motley crew.

“We tried to keep it as ugly as we could.”

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Knowing your opponent

First Toronto possession of the game, Andrea – when it looked like he might be okay – gets the ball on the left baseline, makes a move on David West, who’s the only guy covering him, and draws a foul.

While Bargnani’s at the line, Hornets coach Monty Williams finally gets the attention of Trevor Ariza, who is guarding Julian Wright and makes sure Ariza knows it’s okay to go double Bargnani when that situation arises again.

Bargnani never really got a clean post up again and the Hornets knew that Wright wouldn’t kill them.

-

A wee bit more.

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Have to say: A piano, a clarinet, a bass, a drum kit, a couple of friends and an Abita or two makes for a lovely Bourbon Street evening.

Fritzel’s, if you’re ever here.

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Ah, Jarrett.

Caught up with the familiar face on the bench before the game and he seemed quite content.

No harsh words for the Raptors (although he said he was disappointed with how the final day in Toronto unfolded) but overall he sounded like, as they say, in a happy place.

“It’s a peace of mind just knowing what it is. There was a lot of, I guess, things that were unspecified when I was in Toronto, I didn’t know if I was going to play 40 minutes or 17 minutes or 20 minutes. Here? I pretty much know what it is.

 

“I mean, would I like to play more? Who wouldn’t? But it’s the situation and you have to know it’s bigger than you and you have to go with it. It gives you some peace of mind when you know what it is every single day when you step on the court. You know when you’re going in, you know when you’re coming out. It kind of relaxes you in a sense and that kind of relaxation I didn’t have in Toronto my last year.”

Pretty valid point, I guess.

And then he goes out and has 17 points just to make his point, I guess.

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Oddest sights from a couple of nights on Bourbon?

The seven or eight rather, um, beefy fellows, obviously over-served, walking up the street on a quite cool Sunday night wearing nothing but jeans and aprons.

Ugh.

A wedding procession of about 40, led by bride and groom and a horn player, walking up the middle of the street, making us all feel like wedding crashers.

They didn’t seem to care.

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Here’s what Jimmy Smith had to say in the pages of the Times-Picayune.

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I don’t know if it was just for us but the trumpet player who did O Canada in New Orleans was named Glenn Hall III.

-

Got this out of the mail and more than one of you pointed it out:

Q: Hey Doug. I was shocked to notice today that Vince Carter scored his 20,000th career point, making him 37th on that list. Now, I am not suggesting VC is a Hall of Famer, because I personally believe to be a Hall of Famer you have to win something or be pretty darn close. Of the 36 people ahead of him, only Mitch Richmond (#35) and Tom Chambers (#36) are not in the Hall of Fame. (Of course the likes of Shaq, Kobe, Garnett, Payton will be in there eventually). I can't help but look at that stat and just dwell on what could've been? Not what could've been of Toronto, but what could've been of Vince Carter. He had the skills to be one of the greats and I can't help but seem disappointed by how is career turned out. I feel like he had all the talent in the world to be in the Top 15 of all time, but he did not have that desire that MJ or Kobe or even LeBron has. With that said, when VC's career is over, what would you take from it? What would you remember him for?

 

Dave R, Markham

A: My first reaction:

Wow.

20,000?

That’s a lot of points, wonder how many I saw.

Anyway, there is a phrase I use to describe Vince that I’ve been using for quite some time and it’s this:

He did not take responsibility for his greatness.

I mean, that kid could have been special but he just couldn’t come to push himself to the absolute limits of his abilities because he wasn’t strong enough of mind, or interested enough in maximizing his talents or what.

And when his career is over, I will be left with an empty feeling when I think of what he was as opposed to what he could have been. I feel a bit cheated. I also feel very lucky to have seen him when he was pushing himself – and he did at times, just not often enough – and the few moments of jaw-dropping moves and dunks will have to do.

I do know this: There are people in the game – players who had more desire but not as much talent, coaches who saw so much untapped talent – who are angry that he wasn’t more than he was.

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Here’s a travel Did You Know

Did You Know that you cannot fly from New Orleans to San Antonio without stopping somewhere? Seriously. Two major centres, pretty close together and you either have to change in Houston or Dallas to get from one to the other.

Yep, long day ahead pour moi.

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Hey, you want to do mail, or say hello, or whatever?

Do it here, make my day.