The Goods On The Game, Raptor at Hornets

Good evening, er, afternoon

Everyone ducking work?

Well done.

An odd Monday mail delivery

Okay, you read this and I’m headed to Café Du Monde for beignets.

Deal?

Oh, and it’s a 3 p.m. East start today, right? See some of you then (and, no, I won’t tell your bosses if you slack at work)

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Q: Hi Doug. All of us Irregulars love the streak! (Especially Lorie!) We also know that the Raptors defense of the 3 hasn't been the greatest in the last few years.

How many, if any games during the streak have the Raptors opponent not had a three?

Thanks

 

Greg M, Halifax

A: Who doesn’t love the streak, which is at 982 now.

And there have been eight times – the most recent being the Wizards in February, 2004 -- when a team hasn’t made a three against Toronto.

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Q: Hi Doug: No rant just a question that has always puzzled me. The pucksters in this city made a big trade a year ago (that Phaneuf guy came here) and there was not a single word about it BEFORE it happened yet it seems every basketball trade is leaked beforehand or at least lots of them. Why's that? Agents can't keep their mouths shut? Players can't keep their mouths shut? Hangers-on can't keep their mouths shut? ESPN pays big for tips??? This Carmelo Anthony waltz is a joke of major proportions with so many names in the news, players saying they want a buyout if they get traded, teams saying they don't want the player they're supposed to get, players saying they won't sign a contract extension if they get traded there. What gives?

 

Richard B, Mississauga

A: Oh, there’s all kinds of blame, or credit, to go around.

Sometimes it’s agents trying to force the hand of GMs by getting “news” out there, sometimes it’s GMs trying to put some pressure on other GMs to get a deal done, sometimes it’s just good reporters who may here from one GM or team official what his, or some other team, is going to do.

The Carmelo thing has been rather, um, trying, since there’s really been no “news” since the first reports broke and the story is being kept alive by the regurgitation of already established facts.

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Q: Hey Doug. As tired as we all are of the whole Melo saga, it is impossible to ignore for anyone who attempts to follow the sport closely. As we were 'burned' in the summer with our Charlotte deal due to premature disclosure (I use the term 'burned' loosely since it seems we may be actually better off having not completed that deal), it got me thinking about the integrity or ethics of sports journalism.

When do you draw the line between 'breaking a story' and affecting the operation of the team you cover? As a ridiculous example to illustrate this, say sources close to the Raptors told you that they had a deal in place to acquire LeBron James, but if you leaked it to the press the deal would be immediately off the table. Now I have a feeling that you would wait to report the final deal rather than speculate and spread rumours, but why do your colleagues seem to choose the 'break the story' route?

I know this example is over-simplified, but it seems the media knows that it may have some influence on the occurrence of a deal yet it seems content on continuing with constant updates.

 

Felix T, Loughbrough, UK

A: Here’s the thing: We’re here to serve our readers by giving them facts, news and the latest updates on what’s going on with the teams and sports we cover.

If I, or any of my colleagues, get information we know to be true, we have to report it and let the chips fall where they may.

In your example, to take it to the extreme, I’m pretty sure none of the sources I have with the Raptors would tell me stuff if it was going to jeopardize a deal, they’re pretty careful that way.

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Q: Is the Canadian anthem played at all NBA games or only at the games that the Raptors are playing?

 

Alex G, Toronto

A: No, it’s not. Just games involving the Raptors and the all-star game.

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Q: Hi Doug, according to the internet, Portland, Sacramento, Toronto, Memphis and Oklahoma City are the only current NBA teams who have not hosted an all-star game. Do you see the Raptors hosting the NBA all-star game any time soon?

 

Robbie S, Toronto

A: Well if it’s on the internet, it must be true.

(I keed, I keed)

No, I don’t see them holding one any time soon at all. There are issues with back-of-house space at the Air Canada Centre and they have had a hard time finding convention centre space for the JamFest and things like that.

With other franchises interested, I can’t imagine them even thinking about anything until 2015.

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Q: Doug, how are fouls recorded in the NBA? Are they simply recorded as a foul, or do they use a system like the NHL to categorize them? NHL you have tripping, hooking & interference penalties, in the NBA you have blocking fouls, charging fouls, shooting fouls etc.

As always thanks.

 

Steph G, Glencoe

A: Some teams, and stats geeks out there, track them as offensive and defensive fouls but I haven’t found a place that tracks them by holding, hacking, illegal screen, etc.

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Q: Hi Doug. Perhaps you can clarify a discrepancy for me. You characterize Sam Dalembert as a tremendous human being given your personal experience. Certainly what he's done in Haiti is remarkable. Yet I can't help remembering the questions of his character and dismissal from team Canada. Perhaps you know what really happened. Care to shed some light?

 

David W, Toronto

A: Not sure there is a discrepancy.

What Sam’s done to raise funds and awareness about his Haiti homeland is among the most commendable things I can recall and NBA player doing.

And I don’t know that the breakdown in his relationship with Leo and his dismissal from the Canadian team had as much to do with personalities as it did with clashes over his use on the court and what he wanted to do.

I said right from the start that there three sides to that story: Leo’s, Sam’s and the truth that was somewhere between them.

I don’t know first-hand what went on because I wasn’t there when he was thrown off the team; I do know he has done tremendous work for Haiti and should be lauded for it.

Of good games and silly, silly comments

As entertainment goes, there’ve certainly been better ones than Saturday night but it was in doubt until the final minute, there were some excellent performances and, all in all, not a bad night.

Right?

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THREE POINTERS

The kid is coming around

There’s still a need for consistency and more offensive range, but the more I see Ed Davis, the more I like him.

One from early last night:

A couple of minutes left in the first quarter and he’s guarding Andray Blatche on the post. Davis is smaller and younger and not as strong but he held him off, forced him under the basket and into a difficult reverse layup that missed.

And then Davis collects himself, sprints down the floor well ahead of Blatche or any other Wizard big and finishes the possession with a dunk.

Little thing? Yes. Good thing? Yes.

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When have we seen this before? Yikes. Looked up in the fourth quarter to see all three Raptor bigs on the floor – the first time that’s happened this season – and since I don’t think any of them have the ability to defend small forwards, and two of them don’t have the offensive game to play away from the basket, I’m presuming we’ll never see it again.

Right, Jay?

“We just decided we’d go a little bit bigger, make sure we didn’t give up any second-chance points late. We thought we could match up, Andrea’s guarded Rashard before … it’s not foreign to him and that gave us a chance to keep Amir and ED on the floor. We were sitting there debating who to take out and they were both having great games.”

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One for the ages

Yes, that was as good as I can remember Jose Calderon playing in a Raptors uniform.

I presume there might have been games back in ’06-07 or ’07-08 when he was close but for efficient offence, very good defence – anyone remember John Wall doing anything of substance? – and running the team? As good as a game as you’d want.

No, they didn’t win and that’s what it’s all about but to watch was to see a guy at the very top of his game and it was fun.

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More?

A little bit.

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Promised this one in the In-Game Bloggy Thingy and here you go:

I’m sitting there listening to the various distractions that go along with your typical NBA game and all I can think of a couple of times is:

Jimmy Holmstrom.

Anyone?

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What’d Michael say in the Post?

This.

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I can’t be reading Brian’s story on the Heat-Bulls game correctly here, can I?

Chris Bosh can’t possibly be saying that guys shouldn’t hustle for balls because, well, because you shouldn’t.

There’s no way he said this, right?

"C'mon, that is how guys get hurt, that is how serious injuries happen. You've got to watch people's legs. I know guys want to hustle and everything but we all want to play and provide for our families and have a job."

He had to be kidding, didn’t he?

Seriously.

In case you missed it, or didn’t want to read the link, Bosh sprained an ankle when Chicago’s Omer Asik rolled up on him when Asik was diving for a loose ball in the third quarter of their game.

Then he was upset at Asik’s play because, well, because it hurts maybe?

I don’t get it. I really don’t.

But, in an effort to make sure nasty things like freak injuries don’t happen any more, I offer the following rule changes:

No bumping.

Nasty bruises are unsightly.

No yelling, fans.

After all, who wants a headache.

And, finally,

Bubblewrap for all!

It might take away from the athleticism but what the heck.

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I can almost smell the beignets at Café Du Monde.

And if I close my eyes really hard, I can visualize an Abita Amber or two.

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But when I’m in New Orleans, I’m going to have to do the mail for tomorrow and I should get this one of there now to ease my load.

(I keed, I keed. I love the mail and you can click here to send whatever your little heart desires. Mash notes are, well, never mind … )

Q: Doug. Not a Raptor related question but rather NBA logistics and procedures. With the recent and pending sales of NBA franchises and the talk of re-location and the suggestion by the league administration that they frown on it. How is it that The Nets of New Jersey (Newark I believe?) are making a move to Brooklyn (seemingly) unobstructed by the league office. I know they have had many obstacles put up by various groups representing interests in Brooklyn, and presumably New Jersey, but I have not heard any objection registered by David Stern or the league office.

Have I missed an episode along the way or has this move just been rubber-stamped by the NBA?

And how was it justified in light of their policies on franchise re-location?

 

Richard E, Toronto

A: Actually, it’s much easier than you think.

Just because you haven’t heard a lot of objections from the league or feel that it might have been rubber-stamped doesn’t mean a lot of hard questions weren’t asked at the board level.

But if an owner – any owner – can make a compelling case for moving his franchise, the league isn’t about to stand in his way.

And I’d suggest the NBA is far, far more lenient about moving teams than any other pro sports league. Charlotte to New Orleans, Seattle to Oklahoma City and, sadly, Vancouver to Memphis are moves that have happened in the last decade and I’m not even going to expand the list past New Orleans to Utah, Minneapolis to Los Angeles, and, sadly, Buffalo to San Diego.

The justification is always financial, these guys are as much business partners as they are competitors and if you’re costing the group money and have a chance to make more somewhere else, there’s a better than average chance your request will be granted.

But, trust me, there are a lot of questions asked behind closed doors before moves are made.

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I don’t imagine Sundiata Gaines is going to approach Pops level or even Julian Wright level but if he plays the rest of this week like he did last night, you people might like him a lot.

He gave them 14 solid minutes, scored a bucket, ran the offence okay even if he had limited plays in his mind and, most importantly, he didn’t hurt them in any way.

And talking to Jerryd after the game made me wonder whether he’ll go on Monday afternoon so there may be more Gaines time in the future.

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Okay, a wee bit of work to do for the newspaper, a noon flight down to NOLA and then, perchance, a walk along the streets down there listening to music and wondering if Super Son could get a gig as some jazz saxophonist so his dad could come visit.

See ya.

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The Goods On The Game, Raptors at Wizards

Hi again

Anyone back for more?

Taking stands and catching up

Yeah, sorry. A little later than I’d even thought thanks to a 45-minute de-icing delay in Toronto.

You gotta love winter.

Sunny and about zero with no snow here in D.C. and I’m sure it’ll be okay in New Orleans and San Antonio.

On to the fun stuff.

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THREE POINTERS

What’s the message?

Yes, that was a rather stern message Jay sent to Andrea on Friday, sitting him down for almost 10 minutes over the third and fourth quarters for some defensive breakdowns, especially on the glass?

Good idea?

I don’t know.

Sure, he probably deserved it – the Pistons were running something akin to a tip drill when they had five offensive rebounds in the first four minutes or so – but it’s not like he was alone in missing assignments and being beaten.

But, on the other hand, there are times when a coach has to take a stand and if you saw what Bargnani did when he got back into the game – he had 11 points and six rebounds in the final nine minutes after his respite – it seemed to work.

I don’t know if it’ll have any carryover effect, I quite doubt that it will, but if Jay’s going to play it like that, he has to keep playing it like that more often and take his chances on the outcome of games.

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Get used to it

I looked up at one time in the third quarter and guys on the floor for Toronto were:

Jose Calderon, Julian Wright, Linas Kleiza, Amir Johnson and Joey Dorsey and if that’s not the most limited offensive group they could put together, it’s awful close.

And get used to it, folks.

No word on the MRI result on Barbosa but I’m thinking it might be a while and Sonny didn’t even travel with the team so there go two guys who can provide some offence.

That means points could be a premium and we’ll see some odd lineups out there.

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Another tough night …

For Jerryd Bayless.

I don’t know if it’s the ankle or what but he really hasn’t had a big game since about the middle of December and his three-point, two-assist, two-turnover 12 minutes on Friday isn’t good enough.

Now, with Barbosa sidelined, he’s going to have to really pick it up and provide some offence off the bench.

Seems to me that he’s playing a bit timid and not to his strengths, which is scoring and slashing.

Maybe the absence of Barbosa will actually spark him to have more of impact on games.

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More? A bit.

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Darrell Walker and Tracy McGrady were oil and gas about a decade and a half ago.

Not sure they liked each other all that much, Darrell was pretty demanding, Tracy was pretty young.

Talking separately – and privately – to each last night, seems they have a good relationship now they’ve been reunited as assistant coach and old head in Detroit.

Guess time and maturity does heal some wounds.

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Oh, this was Jay on Julian Wright before Friday’s game.

“He’s our energy guy and if the game lacks energy, he’s going to go in and try to change that up. If there’s an injury or something to either to Linas, Barbosa or DeMar, then he’s going to be the third and not the fourth wing to get in the game.”

So, he’s up on notch now with Leandro’s injury.

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I’m guessing this is kind of pertinent given the shoddy work of the weak officiating crew that did Friday’s game:

Q: Doug - when players and/or coaches publicly criticize the referees, they are fined by the League office. My question has to do with whether or not the League does any behind-the-scenes checking of the game tapes to see if the criticism is justified and if so, do they then have a word with the head referee? It just seems that for some reason, Toronto doesn't get as many foul shots as their opponents even though they are often going aggressively to the basket. So, if Jay publicly criticized the refs (instead of letting the reporters do it), he would be fined $35,000.00 but would this ultimately help the discrepancy situation?

Penny D, Fredericton

A: The league assigns an observer to every single game to monitor the officials, write reports and submit them to the office overnight.

Officials also get, on their handy-dandy computers, videos of contentious calls that they, or others, may have been involved in.

So they are checked and repeated failures would result in loss of assignments, loss of playoff assignments and, ultimately, dismissal.

Now, whether Toronto’s cause would be helped by Jay spending some of his money? I don’t think so and I can think of far better things to do than invited a $35,000 fine, even if it would spice up one of my stories.

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Detroit said this.

Washington said this.

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Okay, more Darrell.

We’re sitting in the stands long before the game catching up and Julian Wright’s out on the court putting in his usual pre-game work.

And, I tell you, no one on the Raptor roster works harder pre-game than Wright does, doing shooting drill after shooting drill after shooting drill. The schedule makes him the first one out every night (although he was joined by Sundiata Gaines on Friday) and Wright works hard.

And sweats.

A lot.

And I mean a lot.

Anyway, Darrell and I are sitting there watching and Darrell was on Byron Scott’s staff in New Orleans when Julian was there. So, being the intrepid reporter that I an, I ask Mr. Walker what he thought of Mr. Wright.

“Ju-Ju? Great kid. Works hard. Sweats like Patrick Ewing.”

High praise indeed.

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I was watching halftime of the Blazers-Suns and they were showing highlights of other games and I swear the Warriors were beating the Clippers 69-62 at halftime and all I can think of is:

Man, that’s got to be a great game and who cares about defence on some Friday night in January.

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Oh, and then I look up and see Perk and Griff on the McCown round table and I’m cursing the NBA schedule people who make me work every Friday night.

Toss me in there with those two and Bobcat and it’s like Rowan and Martin meet Martin and Lewis.

I know Bob wasn’t there Friday but you get my drift, right?

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Speaking of mail, I’m okay with what’s there but it could be better so …

You know the drill.

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We'll be a little bit late this morning

As much as the sound of the 5 a.m. alarm was delightful, the urge to roll over and get another half hour shut-eye was greater.

So, despite intending to hit the ground running and get the usual drivel here long before the 8 a.m. flight, that's not going to happen.

Go have another cup of coffee, I'll be back after the Sopwith Camel touches down in D.C. sometime about 9:30 a.m.

Now, where's that Starbucks here at Pearson? Oh, there it is.

Gotta run.

 

The Goods On The Game, Pistons at Raptors

Good evening, all

Everyone all settled in?

Good

Live Raptors pre-game Q&A

Cue the scary music as we look at Gaines

A bunch of little items after a rather boring Thursday but games come fast and furious starting tonight so the slow time ends soon.

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Now, this is scary.

You remember Sundiata Gaines, right?

He’s the kid who got called up from the D League by the Utah Jazz – the moment was captured on TV in one of those “behind the scenes” things -- and, after just one practice, he finds himself on the court, at home against the then-mighty Cleveland Cavaliers in the dying seconds of a close game. He drills the first three-pointer of his career to win the game and leaps on the scorer’s table to bask in the adulation of fans and teammates.

The date:

Jan. 14, 2010.

Today’s date:

Jan. 14, 2011.

Wild stuff, eh?

Anyway, that little snippet of news aside, what do we make of his arrival on a 10-day deal yesterday?

Not a whole lot but it’s certainly some insurance, especially after Jerryd Bayless kind of hurt his ankle again at practice.

But the bigger concern they had when they picked up Gaines was Jose’s foot. It’s getting better but it’s not near 100 per cent and while they can manage his minutes and rehab and all that stuff when there’s time between games, it gets dicey when the games pile up and there isn’t a lot of down time.

And with a back-to-back starting tonight and one to finish the road trip next Friday-Saturday in Florida and games in New Orleans and San Antonio in between, they figured it was wise to have a young fella around just in case Jose can’t go or is hugely limited.

I still think they can get by with Bayless and Barbosa and that it’s going to take Gaines 10 days at least to get up to speed enough to play but they don’t pay me the mediocre bucks to make such decisions.

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Speaking of the D League …

Hey, Solo’s back.

As we said all along, Alabi was sent down to Erie mainly so he could play in the D League Showcase – all the league’s teams gather in one place for three days of games – and he’ll be back on the end of the bench tonight.

No, he didn’t get really good down there; no, he’s not ready to play in the NBA yet; yes, I’m sure he’s glad to be back.

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Oh yeah, more on Gaines.

Know who had a lot to do with Toronto’s decision to pick him up rather than any of the other unemployed point guards out there?

Darrick Martin.

Yep, Darrick’s working in basketball development with the Minnesota Timberwolves – Gaines’s last team – and when the Raps called Darrick for info on the kid, he gave a glowing report about Gaines’s willingness to get a team in its offence rather than look for his own shot and for his character of the court.

And, funnily enough, I’m told Gaines will wear jersey No. 2 during his stint in Toronto; probably not in homage to D Martin but still kind of interesting in a “I have to fill out this blog with marginally interesting tidbits” kind of way.

Now, if the kid hits the lone three-pointer of the game in garbage time at the final buzzer, we’ve got ourselves a story.

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As a wise man once said, not much good happens when worlds collide.

Yep, this is me and the pucks.

Sort of. A little bit. Not much but enough.

But it was nice talking to Popeye for 20 minutes or so on the phone and he promised to slap Sam in the head for me so something good came of it.

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There is no way in the world anyone can feel anything but bad for Brandon Roy with the news yesterday that he’s going to have scopes on both knees and there’s no guarantee that’ll even work well enough to get him back on the basketball court any time soon.

It was always fun to watch him play – and hopefully will be again – because he was so good at controlling a game without being overly flashy, just the way I like it.

But it’s also worth pointing out that maybe someone owes some doctors a bit of an apology because all we heard around draft time was that there were concerns about his long-term prospects.

I really, really hope Roy gets back to at least something approximating what he was; I also think we should pay closer attention to reports before drafts now and not be so quick to judge.

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What are you doing at noon?

The cool kids will be here to ask questions that I’ll try to answer.

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Detroit?

Well I don’t know for 100 per cent sure how much a mess that team’s in right now but the decision to sit Rip Hamilton for an entire game the other night – a move Tayshaun Prince called “buffoonery” and that’s a word that should stick – can’t be a good thing to diminish any chemistry issues or clashes between coach John Kuester and the players.

And with that in mind, and with the Pistons having taken yesterday off from practice, here’s what’s in the papers heading into tonight’s classic struggle down at the arena.

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Best thing about a home renovation? When it’s over Super Son has a nice subterranean room all to himself and I live a Wii-free existence.

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Seriously, folks, some of you owe me mail.

And luckily for you, I think we’re going to have to have a day’s delay in its delivery thanks to the Saturday night game in Washington.

So, click, write, send and say hello.

Like this fellow did:

Q: Hi Doug. In my mind one of the best stories of this years Raptors is Leandro Barbosa. Not only has his speed been so fun to watch but his interviews and comments seem genuine and thoughtful (including his comments on driving in the snow). Any chance he gets consideration for 6th man of the year award? Even if he doesn't, I hope BC keeps him around, he is the kind of player I love to cheer for.

Thanks

 

 

Trevor B, Saskatoon

A: He has been quite a nice story indeed and he’s a very good guy. Just the other day, Zic asked him about Marta and when you can get an NBA guy to talk knowledgeably about women’s soccer, it’s cool.

Anyway, to your point.

As a guy who has cast more than a few post-season ballots over the years, I can tell you one hugely determining factor in any of the votes is team success so, no, I don’t imagine he’ll get any consideration whatsoever.

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In case you were wondering …

Pats will roll, the Steelers should win and how cool would a Green Bay-Chicago NFC Final be?

You’re welcome for the tips, it’s what we do around here.

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Good game, good time, and a visit from Lady Karma

Now, that was entertaining basketball, wasn’t it?

A bit of everything, some ‘wow’ moments, not decided until the last second and I’m pretty sure as a night out or a night in front of the TV, everyone has to admit it was worth the time to watch.

And solace in a piece of free pizza today! -

THREE POINTERS

The right play?

The best thing these guys run is high screen-roll and I don’t have any issue with them running with Jose and the game on the line.

Yes, Jay even opened himself to second-guessing by wondering if he needed to have the ball in Leandro’s hands with eight seconds left (you can read his quote about it in here) but hindsight’s hindsight and as the play unfolded, it seemed to me to be the right one.

Trouble is, they didn’t get the layup or the call and after watching the replay a handful of times, I don’t think there was a foul there. Horford defended it really well and it was one of those things that just didn’t work out.

What the Hawks did that was practically unnoticed, though, was defend everyone else quite well. They didn’t leave a shooter open, there were no obvious passes for Jose to make and it was just a good defensive play all around.

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Costly sequences

Long before the Bibby shot and the failed drive and Bargnani’s last-ditch shot, there were a couple of moments when the HOTH botched a couple of plays that, in retrospect, were important.

In one, they come down on a break with numbers and instead of making the easy play, a lob goes awry and the Hawks end up converting a bucket at the other end.

About a minute later, DeMar back-rims a dunk when he could have probably laid the ball in and Atlanta turns that into a basket at the other end.

Now, they may not have seemed significant at the time but they were in the end.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Raptors team commit more turnovers on fast-breaks than this one does.

Jay alluded to it early in the season, saying he was frustrated by the desire to make spectacular plays rather than smart, easy ones and it’s still an issue.

One that needs to be resolved.

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Saving timeouts

Jamal Crawford makes three free throws with about 53 seconds left to put Atlanta up one (it seemed a rather impressive theatrical move to get the call now that I think of it) and I’m sure everyone in the joint expected the Raptors to call a timeout.

Except that they didn’t because I know Jay figured he’d need every one at his disposal in the final minute and there was no need to blow one right then.

Turned out to be a pretty good move, too, since the Raptors went down, ran a high screen with Johnson and Calderon and got a big three-point play out of it.

Now, if we could just convince every NBA coach to eschew timeouts like that more often – and even later in the game – finishes to close games might be a whole lot more fun.

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More? I’ve got a bit more.

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Remember way back before the season began? I said I thought I could develop an affinity for the Clippers because they might be fun to watch and a good story out west?

Well, I came off that in a hurry when the started so slowly and Donald Sterling reaffirmed his position as the worst owner in all of sports and Baron Davis continued to steal money after attending the Boris Diaw School of Conditioning.

Maybe it’s time to rethink? Saw a bunch of their win over Heat and they were kind of fun to watch and Blake Griffin might be the best story in the league this year.

Oh, wait. Sterling’s still Sterling and Davis seems to try about every fourth game.

To hell with ‘em.

But Griffin’s something else.

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I trust the folks who took in the game in the MGD Best Seats In The House thing had a good time? Thanks again to the beer folks for passing on the tickets and, yes, we’ll do it again sometime.

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I’d love to tell you how the Atlanta Journal-Constitution played up that game but they didn’t have anyone here to chronicle it.

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This comes from the mail and goes to a point in the game:

Q: Doug, a strategy question for you.

1 second left in the game, Atlanta is up by one, shooting from the stripe. They make the first - wouldn't it have made more sense to intentionally miss the second shot?

It seems that that one second would be spent fighting for the rebound - or at least some of the time wouldn't be there to make a play. Instead they make the shot and give the Raps a full second to make a three.

Am I missing something fundamental?

 

Thane B, Toronto

A: Lots of debate about this one and I guess you could go either way.

Personally, in my opinion, you make the shot and take your chances on a desperation three at the buzzer because in that case, the worst you can have is overtime.

Let’s say the Hawks miss and the Raptors rebound the ball 8-10ths of a second left and with a timeout remaining.

Now, not only does a crazy three-pointer lose you the game, the two-point hole opens up myriad other possibilities for Toronto out of the timeout.

Now, if Toronto’s out of timeouts and it’d take a 90-foot heave to win, I might miss but the way the situation played out, I’d have done the same thing.

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Oh yeah, LeBron James sprains ankle in loss to Clippers.

Karma? Yes, she’s a bitch.

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Couple of little reminders.

We’ll do a Question and Answer thingy here tomorrow at noon if anyone’s interested.

And I know there are people out there who promised me questions and hellos in the mailbag (you know who you are) and it’s still pretty bare over there.

Write. Click. Send.

Thank you.

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Dang.

I forgot to finish my MLS Mock SuperDraft.

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At no time in last night’s game did I look out on the court and think Joe Johnson should have come out of the summer as the highest paid free agent of a class that included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh.

But he did.

And I’m still amazed.

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