Bad decisions, bad shooting but a list of good things

Well, that one was as dull as it gets, wasn’t it?

Still, dull’s not in the dictionary in these parts, that’s for sure.

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THREE POINTERS

Wrong guy, wrong time

The game’s really not out of hand with under eight seconds left in the third quarter. Toronto gets the ball down eight with about 7.7 seconds left, plenty of time to get a good shot.

They’ve got Leandro Barbosa, DeMar DeRozan, Andrea Bargnani, Amir Johnson and Trey Johnson on the floor.

The logical thing? Get the ball to Barbosa, let him fly up the court and either get to the rim or find someone, right?

Wrong.

Somehow, and not of his own doing, the ball is inbounded to Johnson, who goes almost the length of the court and takes a pretty impossible shot.

Bad decisions.

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Good shots, bad results

Yes, Jose was quite bad shooting the ball all night; 2-for-15 and if memory serves, both his makes were layups or shots at the rim.

But, you know what? All of the other 13 shots were pretty good ones and ones he usually makes. This is a guy shooting 45 per cent from the field and 40 per cent from three on the season and I don’t think anyone can argue that he shouldn’t take those shots.

Making a few would be nice, though.

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Weak wings

What do you want from your two wings?

Shooting ability? Check.

Slashing ability? Check.

Some defence? Check.

What you don’t want, and can’t have, are no trips to the foul line – combined – from your starting shooting guard and small forward.

Yes, DeMar made a bunch of jump shots and that’s all well and good but in no basketball world that I know of can a team expect to win if neither of those two guys shoot a free throw in a combined 56 minutes of play.

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And, the usual add-ons because it’s what we do:

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It’s been so long, I can’t remember: Didn’t these guys used to have red road jerseys?

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Kevin Durant’s a lot of things and I love to watch him play basketball but he’s a 35 per cent three-point shooter, which barely puts him in the top 100 in the NBA, and about the last place he should be is in the three-point shooting contest at all-star weekend.

Yet there he is with defending champ Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Daniel (I refuse to call a grown man Boobie) Gibson, Dorrell Wright and James Jones.

Entirely underwhelming.

Henry Abbott has as a good a breakdown of how these guys are picked as any right here at his excellent TrueHoop blog and it provides some insight.

Me? I want my Matt Bonners in things like this (I can’t to hear what reaction hi might have around the arena tonight) and I’m sure there are other more entertaining personalities and accomplished shooters who could have taken part.

Doesn’t really matter, I guess, I think Ray Allen wins anyway but still …

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What’s up in Milwaukee?

This.

What’s going on in San Antonio?

This.

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An Irregular wants a list:

Q: Hi Doug. If you were an NBA player and you could pick your own coach (leaving any teammates or rosters out of the equation here), which coach (or two) would you want to play for, and why?

And if you were an NBA player and could pick your city (again, leave rosters and coaches out of the discussion), which city (or two) would you want to play in, and why?

Thanks, Doug!

 

Davd M, Ottawa

A: How about I give you three, in no particular order:

Coaches

Gregg Popovich

By all reports, he’s not always maniacal, he can be quite personable and funny, he challenges you constantly, and if you want a great recommendation of a wine list, he’s your man.

Mike D’Antoni

Why not have fun and get up shots whenever you like? He does get that Mikey Sourpuss look on his face during games but you can turn away.

Doc Rivers

Seems like a really good guy – and has been every time I’ve had the chance to talk to him – and lays out responsibilities pretty clearly. Besides, he’s a good quote and it’d keep pesky reporters occupied.

Cities

San Francisco

Sure, I’d keep a tiny condo over in Oakland for game days but it’s a great city for restaurants, has an efficient airport and if you can handle the odd raindrop and rather aggressive panhandlers, it’s cool. Oh, and yes, earthquakes may be an issue but so what?

Phoenix

No, I’m not built for the heat but I’d be rich enough I could go wherever I wanted in the summer and I’d take with my a low enough handicap from having worked on my game every day that I’d be even richer taking money from friends.

Chicago

Yes, weather can be a problem and there’s that wind to deal with but think of the chance to spend summer off-days at Wrigley? That’s got to count for something, doesn’t it?

Seattle

Oh, wait. Never mind.

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I don’t know about you but any game that ends with Trey Johnson guarding Garrett Temple would play well in Baskersfield or Fort Wayne.

No disrespect to their talents but, come on.

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Hey, did you miss me last night?

Not to worry, we’re back for the In-Game Bloggy Thingy tonight as usual, and it’ll be a hoot for sure, I promise.

But even before that, why not get a shot at some questions and answers. I’ve been summoned to some big-shot editorial board thingy this morning to talk to some Olympic people – or listen to them talk, may be more accurate – so we have to push it back to 12:30 from the usual noon start.

See you then?

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One more note on the three-pointer thing.

Ray Allen is likely to pass Reggie Miller as the NBA’s all-time leader in three-point makes tonight against the Lakers (and perhaps never before have I wished more that the courtside monitors had cable TV capabilities than tonight) and I wonder if you feel this way:

Allen shoots three-pointers better than any other NBA player does any one thing.

No one rebounds the ball as well as Allen shoots the three; no one dribbles the ball as well as Allen shoots the three; no one passes the ball or plays defence better than Allen shoots the three.

It is simply pretty to watch.

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Life on a short leash and some Milwaukee moments

Little things but important ones nonetheless on a quiet morning.

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Nice little chat with Trey Johnson after practice on Monday and it gave a bit of a glimpse into the life of a 10-day guy.

What’s he been doing?

“The only place I’ve been in the Eaton Centre; I went there on our day off.”

Now, that had something to do with the fact they were on the road for a bunch of his first 10-day but it also speaks to what must be a pretty odd life for a kid like him.

You live in a hotel, really don’t know anyone on the team or in the city and probably the only thing you’re thinking of is whether or not you’ll get another deal.

Yes, you’re well compensated and life as an NBA guy is pretty good but, still, you see my point? He did.

“I wouldn’t say (it’s) hard, but at the same time, you understand what’s at stake, especially during that first one. You can relax a little bit more during the second one, so to speak, from a standpoint of you know thing a little bit better. I know the plays better, I know the players, I know what’s expected so I’m more comfortable now.”

Whether or not he sticks past a week Wednesday when this one ends – the Raptors either have to sign him for the rest of the season or let him walk – but Jay said the team’s okay with what he’s providing.

“We like what he’s done for us so far and it’s an opportunity where we don’t have to teach somebody anything. He’s starting to pick up some of our stuff offensively and defensively and it just makes the transition a little bit better, especially with Bayless being out.”

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A Milwaukee story, if you don’t mind.

Remember Stumpy? One of the all-time greats who used to do this gig.

Well, his very first road game as a newbie on the beat was in Milwaukee and he was still very much getting used to writing basketball on deadline and the Central time zone added an hour of grief.

Well, the Raptors tie the game at the buzzer, forcing overtime, it’s about 10 minutes before we have to file and as soon the game-tying shot goes in the basket, I look over and he’s got a look of abject horror on his face:

“Smitty, what the (bleep) do we do now?”

We relax, watch five more minutes of the game and deal with it.

Stumpy came around no problem, became a good game-over guy and I like to think a baptism under fire helped a bit.

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Hey, Peja played.

About 20 minutes as a starter in Dallas, missed a bunch of shots as this little story says, but he was back on the court for the first time since late November.

Not sure why I point that out, but maybe you’d like to know.

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Speaking of Milwaukee, another really good story out of there.

Last game of the Kevin O’Neill year was there, Jalen hit a three pointer from right in front of the Bucks bench to give Toronto a win and knock the Bucks down peg or two in the playoff seedings, forcing them to play mighty Detroit in the first round and ruining their season, really.

I go out with my man Enlund after the game to commiserate, get back to the hotel in the wee hours only to get a call that my direct flight home had been cancelled and I had to get up about 4 a.m. to get a connecter through Chicago and back.

Now, I had to get back in a hurry (I’d normally be fine with a day-after-last-game chance to sleep in) because you had no idea what KO might do and all I can remember is being very tired when he made his famous “there are people here who’d rather schmooze the players than win” speech that led to his firing a day later.

Ah, the good old days.

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A little scheduling update, if you don’t mind.

I have some obligations tonight that I can’t get out of – don’t want to get out of, as a matter of fact – so we won’t be able to do an In-Game Bloggy Thingy for the epic struggle at the Bradley Center.

However, because we love you, we will do one of our not-so-regular Question And Answer sessions tomorrow. Not sure if it’s going to be noon or 12:30 p.m. (I have some Editorial Board meeting with some Olympic big shots that starts at 10:45 a.m.) but we’ll let you know first thing in the morning.

We will be here sometime, though.

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Oh, that wacky Jay.

In an effort to foster goodwill and chemistry and teamwork – and probably because it’s Milwaukee and what the hell else is there to do in Milwaukee? – he orders up a private bowling party for the lads when they landed Monday.

I hear Julian Wright killed.

Toss in a team dinner the first off night in Indy and this group’s going to get tired of each other.

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I’m telling you, after Reggie’s performance Monday, he’s creeping way up the list of top quotes, all time.

(Check it out here to see what I mean).

Oak’s still home and cooled out in top spot; I had Jalen No. 2 but if Reggie gives us more like that, well, there’s a contest on.

The part about the unborn son “being bored in there” was priceless, we all turned away when it was over, looked at the heavens and gave thanks.

Seriously, this is a group of quite likeable young men; as quotes go, they’re vanilla.

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Speaking of Trey:

Q: Doug do D-leaguers such as Trey Johnson see their D League salary suspended when they sign 10 day contracts or do they get both salaries?

Thanks

 

Eric D, Faro, Portugal

A: Oh, yeah. There’s no double-dipping allowed but at pro-rated salary that for a guy with Johnson’s experience tops $30,000 for 10 days, it’s not that much of a hardship.

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Okay, you think it’s bad here?

Ha!

The Cavs, as you probably know, have lost 25 straight – an all-time record for futility and can you imagine what that’d be like?

Yikes!

Anyway, for those who like train wreck stories, how’s this one shaping up? Cavs have home games this week against Detroit on Wednesday and the Clippers on Friday and if they lost those two, the hosts the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.

Now, the Wizards are 0-25 on the road this season and if the Cavs don’t win before that game, how gruesome might that be?

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One more shot in Milwaukee to see what Mr. Enlund had to say?

Check this out.

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News, notes and nonsense; we've got it all here

That was odd, a Sunday without a game or a flight or anything. The rhythm of the week is thrown totally out of whack and everyday now, I’ll be asking Super Son “what day is it” and he’ll give me that, “come on, Dearest Dad, are you that stupid” kind of look.

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The question in Sunday’s mega-mail bag about Bryan and not being seen got me thinking (and that’s a dangerous proposition, sometime).

I know he and The Henchmen have been scouring the college campuses the last six weeks or so trying to figure out what guy they might like best when draft time rolls around and that’s all well and good. You want to build a body of reports on anyone you like and seeing them a handful of times makes entire sense.

But here’s the thing:

I think they need to be spending almost as much time seeing and talking to and learning about NBA players as they are collegians.

And that’s not just from video, which they watch frequently when it comes to deciding what free agents they might have interest in, or who they might like to trade for. It’s finding out whether a guy is a “fit” in other ways because they haven’t had a whole lot of luck in that regard over the past couple of summers and since they may have lots of money to spend this year on free agents (depending on the CBA, of course), it’s imperative they don’t blow it.

I think getting out and seeing games live, talking to people casually around a team, guys like trainers, and reporters, and staffers who interact with players on a daily basis, is just as important as knowing whether they can go left and drive or whether they can beat a double team.

And I’m not sure this organization does it enough. They need to do more.

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What do we make of the news that Reggie Evans probably won’t play until “probably close to all-star” as Jay said down the bottom of this off-day story?

With the trade deadline four days after the break, does it mean he’s not going to have enough time to show he’s come back from the broken foot surgery to make him tradeable?

Probably.

And is that a good thing?

Most likely.

Unless they were going to get a draft pick, a young player and not take on any additional salary, I’m not sure there was a need to move him.

I thought they’d try – and I presume they still will if he’s got maybe the Clipper and Miami game under his belt – but they might find the market closed.

And remember last year? When they brought him back from another foot injury for five minutes or so in a game against his old Philly team the night before the break?

If he’s not ready 100 per cent, Jay says that’s not going to happen again.

“That was more motivation for him. (This time is) completely based on health.”

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I think it was around hour seven of the pre-game show that I looked up from the stool, saw the panel discussion of the Steelers going on and thought:

“Hmm, when did Franco Harris start to look like Mr. Cotter Kotter.”

If I see him hosting a poker show, I won’t be surprised.

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Oh yeah, wait for the breathless reports this morning that Trey Johnson has been re-upped on a second 10-day deal.

Timing makes sense, even if it cost him a practice on Sunday.

By waiting until today, it will keep him around through the Miami game right before the all-star break; if they’d done it Saturday or Sunday, he couldn’t have lasted that long without the Raptors having to make a decision keeping him for the rest of the season or letting him go.

Oh, and I think at the end of this stint, unless someone gets hurt in the interim, he’s probably a goner. Bryan will want, and needs, that roster spot going into the trade deadline just in case, and if nothing happens by that date, I think they may as well keep the No. 15 spot open as some revolving tryout spot for the rest of the year.

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You’ve got to love a guy who says, jokingly,

“Packers better win or tuition’s gonna be tough.”

Yes, they run the gamut of personalities at my local (Hi, BP Square One)

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Carmelo traded this week?

Yawn.

But I will say this: This is Masai’s defining moment and I hope he doesn’t go all Babcockian with his move.

(And I now think ‘Babcockian’ will be a word I use often to describe bad trades)

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If I had to bet, I’d say it’s 50-50 whether or not Leandro Barbosa plays Tuesday night and 5-95 that Jerryd Bayless does.

That’s just from the sense I got standing around practice Sunday, nothing official from any, you know, official source.

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In my wacky world of mathematics, 31-25 = 23-14, so I was bang on.

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Here’s one (partly because I’m not sure there’s enough items to get me close to the word count I like)

Q: Last minute of Friday's game, Calderon lobs the ball to Wright who dunks, letting Calderon tie the team record for assists. Are players aware when they are close to a team record and do they, and their teammates, make an extra effort to help them get there? Do they even care? Thanks.

 

Barry W, Barrie

A: Generally, with team records, no, they aren’t aware and no one goes out of the way to tell or help them. Now, if a player is creeping up on some other-worldly scoring total, teammates might back off and see how far he gets, or if there’s something like a triple-double in the offing someone might let a guy get a rebound or take a shot but that doesn’t happen with any regularity.

I know that no one had mentioned to Jose or the coaches that he was close but I do know there was a great sense of pride after the fact.

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Sound wasn’t up where I was but the girl botched the anthem?

Cool.

Somewhere Robert Goulet, Roseanne Barr and Carl Lewis are smiling.

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Hey, wanna talk?

We’re trying to figure out the best day to do another of our not-frequent-enough Question and Answer sessions and it kind of looks like Wednesday or Friday at noon would work best.

Just a heads-up; we’ll let you know when it’s finalized.

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Some info, some lists and the biggest mail bag in months

Okay, there is waaaaaaaay too much here.

But some of it’s fun, you’ve got all day and the ones I didn’t get to I’ll try to parcel out during the week.

Enjoy your day, I see snow has fallen and a plough has been down the street and I know where I’m headed right now.

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Q: Hi Doug! While reading your blog this morning and basking in the glow of another Raptor's win I got to thinking of the Super Bowl (doubt I will watch it) and wondering about all the sports you must have covered in your career as a grunt. Can you list them? Can your compile your top 5 sports list (not including basketball)?

By the way - there is a Polar Plunge here on February 27th (Saturday) to raise money for our volunteer Fire department's quest for thermal imaging equipment. You are welcome to come and take part! I am!!!

 

Art H, Sharbot Lake

A: Polar Plunge? I’m thinking that’s jumping in some freezing lake? Have yourself a wonderful time.

And, yes, I have done, on at least a one-off situation, all kinds of sports. But as a main beat, I’ve done some football, baseball, golf and now the basketball.

And without a doubt, the things I’ve covered that stick with me more than anything would be international events because there’s just so much more constant passion.

Compiling a list is nearly impossible but what the heck, I’ll give you these five (in no particular order):

1992 Barcelona Olympics, my first. Did the original Dream Team an awful lot and it’s a great city.

Grey Cups, various. Loads of fun, usually a good game, the host city always embraces it. The one in Winnipeg with Rocket Ismail and the Argos was great.

1998 world basketball, Athens. First real look at the game in Europe and the passion it evokes. Russia-Yugoslavia final was outstanding.

2000 Sydney Olympics. Canadian men and women were good basketball stories, Darling Habour was an excellent hangout.

1992, 1993 Blue Jays. There were 50,000 people in the seats every night, best long-term “event” I’ve seen.

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Q: Dear Doug: A question as you sit and wait for connections. What are three best and three worst teams in each conference at the midpoint of the season? I don't mean just won-loss records, but rather how you analyzed team prospects before the season, and how they have performed with respect to those expectations in light of injuries.

Mine are: East - NY, Chi, Bos; Cle, Was, Tor. West - Den, Port, N O; Hou, Phoe, Mem.

Sincerely,

 

Frank B, Toronto

A: Hmm, good one.

I might take Boston out of the better-than-expected East teams and replace it with Philadelphia; and I might take Cleveland out of the bad (I thought they’d be awful) and insert New Jersey

In the West, I’d give you Portland and New Orleans and switch San Antonio for Denver in the good; in the bad, I like your three.

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Q: Doug, on road trips does each player get their own room or do they try and save money and share?

Mark L, Scarborough

A: Oh, no. There are no roommates in the NBA. It’s one man, one room and it should be. I don’t see any benefit from asking grown men to bunk in together; the cost is not an issue and I think they should have privacy if they want it.

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Q: Hi Doug. I was driving around Sunday afternoon and had the Heat / Thunder game on the radio. I heard something that surprised me on a couple of levels.

Here's the situation - almost the end of the 3rd quarter. Thunder have the ball and a foul gets called on Joel Anthony. Will Perdue is the analyst and he says (and I'm paraphrasing) 'that stuff drives me nuts. Anthony didn't commit that foul, LeBron James did. Anthony was nowhere near the play'. I guess Anthony starts yelling at the refs so Perdue says (paraphrasing again) 'The ref is asking Anthony if he really wants him to call that on LeBron and if he really wants LeBron in foul trouble'. Perdue then says that when he was a rookie with the Bulls, Michael Jordan would commit a foul and tell him to raise his hand 'that foul is on you'

Two questions...do you think this happens a lot in the NBA, and is Perdue talking out of school on this, or is this a 'known fact' (personally I liked the honesty of his comments)

 

Jim M, Richmond Hill

A: I think it happens more than it should, although I will say this: Sometimes there are multiple fouls and refs will always give the foul to the lower profile player. Not sure if that’s right but I can, in some twisted way, see the wisdom in it, especially if there is a clearcut choice.

And, make sure to note this, when there are a plethora of bodies around a basket and fouls are committed, lesser-profile players will always put their hand up to try to convince officials they were the guilty party rather than letting a star take a foul.

And I’m not sure the NBA likes the fact that a national broadcaster brings it up but they aren’t about to take any action.

Frankly, it’s one of those wink-and-nod things that exists in the game.

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Q: Doug, forgive me if you've answered this before. Simply put, why are so many players such poor free throw shooters?

To me, it would seem simple: proper form and technique, complemented by practice and repetition. You would think 75 per cent would be a minimum for a professional ball player.

When you consider how valuable free throw shooting is overall -- and that poor FT shooting makes you a liability at crunch time -- you would think such a fundamental skill would be prioritized.

Is it laziness? FTs not as glamourous as dunks? Is there a physical reason? I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. I imagine it must drive coaches crazy.

 

Jay M, London

A: I don’t get it, either. And you have no idea how crazy it drives coaches.

But here’s the thing: It’s part repetition, part form, part concentration and if one’s off, or lacking, it’s hard to be consistent.

The funny thing is they practice them every single day. And not just in some half-assed way. If they run a sprint drill, or a three-man weave, it’s followed by 10 or so free throws each. If they are doing an around-the-horn shooting drill, it’s interrupted at two or three spots by free throws. They work when they’re fresh and when they’re worn out and some guys, it seems, just don’t get it.

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Q: Hi Doug. I was watching PTI the other night and they did a piece on the Durant "fake tough-guy comment". They also digressed a bit and talked about Bosh not being viewed as a "bad guy" and not receiving any flack for making the move to Miami. They seemed to say that no one really ripped Bosh they way that LeBron and Wade were criticized for their parts in the whole ordeal.

Do you agree with that view? I know in Toronto most think Bosh could have handled the move differently. But does the rest of the NBA (media, fans, etc.) not see it that way?

 

Thanks!

A: First off, I apologize for the missing name; I deleted it by mistake in a cut-and-paste thing and can’t for the life of me find it. I owe you, whoever you are.

Anyway, I think Bosh got a bit of a pass in the mainstream American media because they all had been expecting him to leave and he did and he didn’t do it in such a stupid way as LeBron did.

Now, here we think he could have handled things better once he’d gone – and I agree wholeheartedly – but no one paid much attention to that outside of Toronto, truth be told.

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Q: Doug: You mentioned a few times this week the stream of hate/anger you are getting from fans/observers/bandwagoneers regarding Andrea Bargnani.

My questions: Does this type of fan hate/anger find its way to the eyes/ears of management? If so, how does it usually get there (i.e. Is LaBumbard reading this right now?) Finally, how does management go about responding to it? Obviously they're paid well to not overreact to fan overreactions, but surely fan reactions are relevant to their jobs?

 

Patrick H, Toronto

A: I’m sure Jim’s relaxing at home with his family, getting ready to cheer on his beloved Pack, the last thing he’s doing is reading this.

That said, I know there are people in the organization who read regularly and if there is some overwhelming amount of hatred and anger (as if there ever would be!) it would be duly noted.

And they don’t respond, actually; they take it as they do everything else, as a part of the world they live in. They deal with criticism every day, the vehemence of it here doesn’t make that much of a difference.

And they don’t react to it at all because as soon you start reacting to fans, you’ll be sitting with them.

And you thought they'd never win again

Sorry I’m a half hour or so late; had this dream where the basketball team I cover played well and won.

Oh, wait!

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THREE POINTERS

Good as it gets

I’m not sure I’d go as far as Jay and call Amir Johnson’s game “almost perfect” as you can read in the game story here but, man, was Johnson ever good.

And there was one key play that stood out for me.

Just over three minutes left, Raps up four and Sonny’s got the ball on the baseline. Everyone in the gym – and everyone in the world, I imagine – figure Weems is going to take a jumper but Amir makes a great dive down the lane and Sonny has no alternative to pass the ball.

Johnson makes the catch, finishes at the rim, gets fouled and completes a good, old-fashioned three-point play.

Now, we all know Amir is great at rolling hard to the rim after he sets a high screen but he doesn’t always have the same knack when he’s not actively involved in the play and that’s what made that move even better.

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Knowing your game

Someone asked Jose after the game whether he was in one of those “zones” that point guards get in, where the game slows down a bit and everyone’s always open.

Sure he was, he said, but for one specific reason.

“Yes, because I was tired and couldn’t make a shot so I was kind of like going in slow motion and trying to make plays for my teammates. I didn’t feel comfortable shooting the ball so I was trying to be aggressive so the defence was on me but … trying to pass the ball a little bit more than normal.”

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On the other hand

Early in the game, Raps on a break of about three-on-one and what do they get?

Nothing.

A turnover.

And exasperation all over.

I don’t know, but this team might be the worst I’ve ever covered for failing to convert on the break.

Far too fancy and it’s bit them in the bum a few times. Maybe it gets better with experience and they can only hope so.

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Other things?

I have some.

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Been a long time since I did a home game with Ace Photog Stevie Boy.

Here’s how he captured the epic struggle.

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Yes, there were all kinds of jokes (none from him) about Scotty McCullough’s impending all-star trainer’s gig and how he might “help” Chris Bosh.

Turns out the gig rotates through seniority and ability for one of the two trainers’ gigs each year and this time it came up Scott’s.

As he tells me, the host team provides the staff for one conference (the Lakers guys will work for the West) and the other moves around year-to-year.

His number came up and he’s pretty pumped about.

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The Minnesota paper?

Played it like this.

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This is apropos of nothing and is offered only to rile a few of you up.

“I loved him. I loved having him as coach. He lets his players play, he is definitely a players’ coach. He is a guy that I would love to play for and he is a lot of fun to be around. I enjoyed him.”

Kevin Love on Jay, for whom he played with the USA team last summer and the select team a couple of years before that.

Gentlemen, start your criticism.

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The big guessing game around the arena Friday afternoon was which day Jay would give them off, what with a hectic stretch just finishing (think it was 12 games in 20 days) and nothing until Tuesday.

Would he make them work Super Bowl Sunday was the big question, of course.

And, of course, the answer is yes because he’s a coach and the thing that makes the most sense is to have today off and get two straight days of practice in before a game rather than work, take a day, work again.

So what’s it mean to me, in the “it’s all about me” world that I inhabit.

Well, no practice today which may mean no story in tomorrow’s paper and the only reason I may have to go downtown is to pick up the nifty little beer fridge I seem to have won in a Harbour Sports Grille thingy.

I knew that last Grasshopper that night and the entry form I got with it was worth it.

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I love it when worlds collide and the stuff I do one night gives me stuff to do the next morning.

Q: Hey Doug. You made a comment in the IGBT on Friday night about the guys being ready to play (I think it was free throws), but had to wait about 8 seconds for the TV folks. Are the referees in contact with the TV production crew as to when they are back on air? How do they know?

Thanks.

 

 

 

Mich G, North Bay

A: They are, as a matter of fact. For nationally broadcast games, there’s a person (a guy here, women in other places I’ve been) who acts as the timeout co-ordinator. He sits next to the broadcasters and the timekeepers and is in touch with the production truck to make sure the game doesn’t start before the show’s back on the air.

And yes, it was while someone was getting ready to shoot fourth quarter free throws that the referees were ready to start before they sold you something inane on a commercial.

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Oh yeah.

Packers 23, Steelers 14

If you were wondering.

Not sure of any big football game plans here – these dudes are practicing so there’ll be mid-afternoon writing to do – but I want to make sure I’m somewhere in time for halftime.

Best part of last year, as I recall, was mocking The (Geriatric) Who and watching the resulting comments flow in.

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With all kinds of time today (and that’s if Super Wife doesn’t have a list as long as your arm for me), I may have some time to put in on the mail.

I solicit questions here.

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The Goods On The Game, Timberwolves at Raptors

Evening, folks.

Hope everyone's well.

Bad breaks, bad snubs and a Raptor all-star (sort of)

One flight, on time, no weather, no nothing.

What a nice day.

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You know me and “must wins.” Don’t believe in them because it only makes the next one a “must, must win” and the one after that a “must, must, must win” and I don’t have enough energy to type 13 “musts.”

That said …

Tonight’s pretty big.

If for no other reason than to show these guys that their work does bring with it some reward, it’s pretty imperative they get the Timberwolves tonight.

It’s a bad team that’s horrible on the road with suspect talent and there’s the whole payback thing from last weekend.

I will say this: The game last Saturday was far more about what Toronto didn’t do (make shots) than anything Minnesota did and there’s nothing to suggest the Raptors will shoot 34 per cent from the field again.

But if they do, I may take tomorrow off from here.

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Tough break for Kleiza, wasn’t it?

No one saw that coming, all he ever told me or us was that his knee was sore and swollen and I guess the people out there who wondered how serious it was have their answer.

What’s it mean for the Raptors? Well, I’ve long held that small forward was an issue and this makes it more imperative that Bryan use one of his other assets – trade exceptions, expiring contracts – to find some young guy who can step into that spot.

No, I have no idea who but, yes, that’s got to be Job 1 now.

And I know a lot of you won’t care about this at all but I’m throwing it out there. I feel bad for him – and I know he’ll feel terrible about it too, -- because he won’t be able to play for Lithuania at the European Championships in Lithuania this summer and, trust me, that’s going to be one of the most spectacular basketball events of the last while.

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I have no idea what possessed Western Conference coaches to pick Tim Duncan as an all-star reserve and snub Kevin Love but that’s the biggest travesty of the whole process.

(Discounting, of course, the cyber-ballot box stuffing that got Yao there, because that’s such nonsense it should be ignored).

I know winning is a huge key and Minnesota doesn’t win but, really.

Anyway, forget Boozer and Ellis and Nash and Aldridge and whoever else you’ve got on your snubbed list, Love’s the one who should be there.

Wonder if he’s one of those “I’ll show those dirty rats” kind of guys? If so, wonder if he can get 40 and 40 tonight?

Jay, who didn’t share his votes with us – and I don’t really have a problem with that seeing how it’s a somewhat private matter – is one of those coaches who takes team record very much into account.

When it was mentioned to him earlier this weekend that maybe a team’s record isn’t the biggest thing, he had this to say:

“Did you say take the record out the window? The record is something that people are going to look at. If there’s someone with equal stats and they’ve got 15 more wins, they’re getting the vote.

“When you’re talking to coaches and you’re asking coaches to make a determination on who is an all-star, they’re going to look at the records, regardless. And I think they should.”

Now, he’s also an unabashed Love fan from seeing him this past summer with the American team and I’m sure he’s like me in that he hopes David Stern does the right thing that chooses him as a replacement for Yao.

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Okay, so they’re running highlights of other sports on the TV last and, of course, it’s all pucks all the time.

And they showed some game where there were three fights in FOUR SECONDS?

I refuse to see how anyone can take the regular season of that slop seriously.

You want scripted junk? I’ve got three letters:

WWE

Unreal.

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Yikes!

Something else to do on the all-star weekend?

Probably not – actually 1,000,000 per cent not – but I saw a release yesterday that said Trey Johnson has been named to the D League all-star game that’s part of the NBA hoopla out in Los Angeles.

Good for Trey.

Not sure about his future NBA employment, though.

They are still mulling over offering him a second 10-day and the word I got last night was they’ll make a final decision today or tomorrow.

Whatever happens, I don’t think you’ll hear anything official until Monday; no sense in signing a guy to a contract for a specific number of days if one of them is going to be an off-day. And with a game tonight and then nothing until Tuesday, I’m sure these guys will get one of the weekend days off.

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Speaking of the Minnesotas, here’s the story from there today.

Guess what it’s about?

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Can I just say that it doesn’t look like I have any travel this entire month except for a quick trip to L.A. for all-star weekend and that I’m quite glad for that?

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Here’s a question that I was going to answer anyway.

Q: Hey Doug. I've been a long time reader and this is my first time writing. I have a question about the all star game. Since the all-star reserves were released today, I saw that the athletic trainer that was selected for the East team was Scott McCullough. I was just wondering how do they select the athletic trainers for the all start game?

Thanks

 

Ray F, Waterloo

A: I saw that, too, but I was late getting back and didn’t get to practice and wasn’t able to ask Scott himself.

The one thing that was suggested to me when I did reach a guy was that it could be a seniority rotation thing among trainers.

Or maybe, given what’s gone on with these fellows, they took the guy who’s had to work that hardest this season. (That’s a joke).

I’ll be sure to check with Scotty for sure this afternoon when I get to the arena and have something more definitive for you tomorrow.

Want to get into the mail?

You know how.

Just go here and click.

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All right, that’ll be it for now, kids, see you back here at 7 p.m.?

It’s a date.

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More o' the losses and the all-star backups

Thank goodness this one’s over, seems to have been the longest three-game road trip I can recall.

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THREE POINTERS

Hard times indeed

You don’t think they were glad to put January behind hem?

The HOTH went 2-15 in that month, and it was the worst month in the history of the franchise for wins.

A dubious achievement, of course, but it does get them in the record book.

And here’s one thing to think of: There was no one reason for the disaster.

Some nights it was offence, some nights it was defence, some nights it was a combination of both, which is going to be no easy fix.

Bring on February and March and April.

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Time out time

A bit odd but there are a couple of plausible explanations for why Jay had Sonny intentionally foul with about 2 1-2 minutes left in the first half.

One, it gave him an opportunity to make the substitution he wanted (Davis for Bargnani) on a defensive possession and to set up their defence.

Two, they were going to be charged with a mandatory timeout any way at the next stoppage in play (first whistle under three minutes) and it didn’t cost them anything.

Did it work?

Um, no. Hawks came out and scored on a Horford putback of his own miss.

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Anyone coming back?

A lot of you are wondering about the return of the injured players and the simple fact is, we have no clearcut information at the time.

One guy did tell me last night that he thought Reggie was at least close to getting back to practice, which makes entire sense.

He had surgery to fix his broken foot on Dec. 1 and they said it’d be eight weeks from then, which is about now.

But he’s going to need at least a week of practice, I’d think, before he could do anything much in a game.

The other two, Barbosa and Kleiza?

Still just dealing with rehab and we’ll get a better indication in the next few days when they get back home and get some practice time.

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More?

Why not, it’s what we do, right?

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How’d it all end?

Well, bedraggled traveller gets on a plane in Philly, finds empty seat next to him (good for sleeping) and it all looks like it’s going to work out on time and there’ll be a couple of hours in Atlanta to decompress before work.

Until …

Pilot comes on about 10 minutes to departure time and says – get this! – co-pilot “stuck in traffic” and we have to wait for him. It’s about 50 minutes later when the dude finally arrives, strong headwinds slow plane and it’s rush, rush, rush to get to hotel, cleaned up and to arena.

Oh yeah, then the cabbie’s driving on the highway into the city, always an adventure in Atlanta, and all of a sudden he pulls off on to the shoulder and stops.

Says me:

“What the …”

Says him:

“Sorry, sir. I have to close the hood.”

Ah, yes. That would be a wise idea indeed.

Livin’ the dream, people; I am livin’ the dream.

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I didn’t get to mention this in the IGBT because, well, because I forgot.

But there was quite some clamouring among the few fans who were there for the Hawks to get to 100 points.

What for?

As it turns out, for coffee.

Big whoop.

Oh, and one other thing: I didn’t realize capacity at Philips was 30,000; must be because they announced the attendance at 14,025.

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Quick question:

When did Chicken Little become Toronto’s chief meteorologist?

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I’ll say this:

I’m no coach, although I play one on the interweb.

But nonetheless, if the league came calling today for my seven backups on the East and West all-star teams, here’s what I’d come up with.

(Remember, I have to do two guard, two forwards, a centre and two “wild cards” and I have some leeway in who’s a centre and who’s a forward).

East

Starters:

Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard.

My picks:

Guards: Rajon Rondo, Joe Johnson.

Forwards: Kevin Garnett, Carlos Boozer.

Centre: Al Horford.

Wild cards: Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce.

Snubs: Ray Allen, Andrew Bogut, Joakim Noah, Josh Smith.

Yeah, I know. No Allen and it almost killed me. Maybe it does come down to him and Bosh as wild card selections and he gets it. Noah would have easily beaten out Horford in my book had he remained healthy but he’s missed about a quarter of the season so far and that’s too much. Raymond Felton started quickly but faded a bit and he’s not in the all-star clash right now.

West

Starters

Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Yao Ming

My picks:

Guards: Manu Ginobili, Russell Westbrook.

Forwards: Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love.

Centre: Pau Gasol.

Wild cards: Blake Griffin, Deron Williams.

Snubs: Luis Scola, Monta Ellis, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Zack Randolph, Tony Parker, Lamar Odom, Rudy Gay.

Holy Bat Snub!

That’s a pretty good team left out, isn’t it.

It took some convincing myself to do Love over Scola (I’m a huge Scola fan) and even with Love’s horse-bleep team his 30-30s have to get him to the game.

Now, I would think that when David Stern picks the replacement for the injured Yao that Scola will get some consideration but it’d be just like them to put Duncan on the team for some kind of Career Achievement Award, wouldn’t it?

Tell you what, though, it has to be hard for Western Conference coaches to sift through that list of worthy guards, doesn’t it?

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Oh, do you care what writers in other cities say about these games any more?

If you do, here’s the AJC story from this morning.

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No, I didn’t get to a mail bag question because this got too long as it was (I can be verbose at times) but it doesn’t mean I don’t love the rants/questions/requests for validation of strongly held opinions/love letters/hate notes.

Click. Write. Send. Live it up.

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The Goods On The Game, Raptors at Hawks

Good evening.

All set to go?

All-star weekend duties and an unselfish guard (oh, and travel hell)

Good morning from Indy Charlotte Washington Philadelphia.

Glad I could catch up.

Been a rather, you know, horrific travel day but it’s about 9:30 a.m., am told Raptors have boarded their plane in Indianapolis so …

(Of course, the Raptors also boarded their plane Tuesday and sat there for five hours so you never know).

Anyway …

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Drat.

Now I have to work the Friday of all-star weekend on something other than my socializing skills.

Thanks, DeMar!

In case you missed it, DeRozan goes to the Rookie-Sophomore Waste Of Time as part of the all-star weekend festivities and I guess that means I have to, as well.

Grr.

Anyway, am I entirely surprised that Ed Davis got left off the rookie team? Not entirely but a bit, yeah.

By the numbers, he probably should have made it but don’t forget that no voter would have seen him for the first month of the season and that had to count for something. Oh, and his team’s a billion games under .500 and an afterthought.

Still, you could probably make a case for Davis over Greg Monroe.

But, seeing how Jonas Jerebko was the guy coaches took over DeRozan last year, guess it keeps up a trend.

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Man, I knew some of you disliked me and a lot hate Andrea but now you’re starting to hate each other?

Can you imagine what it would have been like here during the 17-game losing streak? There would have been cyber-riots.

I love this place.

And tolerate some of you.

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So, I’m sitting there on a nice stool at Champions in the Marriott as the ice pellets fall and snow comes down and I’m thinking, ‘man, what’s with this weather here in Indy?’

And then I realize, this is nothing.

Story time.

It’s the Final Four in 2006, the one with George Mason and Florida and LSU and some other team I don’t remember (UCLA, maybe?) and I’m covering it along with The One And Only Quag V 1.0.

We’re in the same spot – perhaps the same stool, making friends as we do – and it’s raining like I’ve never seen rain. Sideways. Hard.

All of a sudden, the PA comes on and we’re told to evacuate the bar, head to the second floor ballrooms because there’s a tornado coming.

(Yes, we were allowed to carry our glasses up there or else one of us might not have gone)

Anyway, we stand there for 20 minutes or so, the imminent threat’s over and we all traipse back to the bar to be informed that not only had a tornado perhaps touched down about a mile away, a John Mellencamp concert at the City Circle (think town square, only bigger) was disrupted when lightning hit a light/sound standard.

And yet I love Indy.

Go figure.

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Mail?

Got this one.

Q: Greetings from Spain! You've asked for questions and I've got one. A few days ago, you did a comment about Kevin Garnett's knocking Channing Frye and if this action deserves or not a suspension or a fine. Well, my question is about suspensions. I think that there are absolutely well deserved suspensions, but, to the team that has suffered the action, which is the benefit when the punished player is not ejected from the game and the suspension comes after revision by the league? Wouldn't it be better to make the suspension effective in the next game this player meets the same team? Maybe this way the action/punishment effect is lesser, but to the "offended" team would be fairer and it doesn't benefit another team, that could be even a competitor for playoffs.

Pablo E, Ovieda, Spain

A: Hola!

Here’s the thing, most actions that do result in suspensions also include ejections from the games they occur in so I guess that’s the way the offended team benefits.

I’m not sure something like having a player only serve his suspension in a game against the team he committed the penalty against would work; might be a bit more equitable but with the nature of the schedule, it’s unworkable.

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Speaking of weather, I can say unequivocally that football people tend to be, um, wusses.

All I hear all day yesterday is how a smattering of snow and some cold weather is ruining preparations for the Super Bowl.

And the teams are PRACTICING INSIDE AND THE GAME’S IN A DOME!!!

We landed there a year ago for the NBA all-star weekend and there was a foot of snow and things went off without a hitch.

Wusses, I tell ya. Wusses.

(And from what I hear, there’s not a whole lot of collective toughness being shown back home, either. Kind of soft snow days, no?)

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I wish there was some hot news breaking or some significant develop we could talk about with the HOTH but there’s not.

So let’s revisit something a few of you mentioned the other night: Whether or not Jose Calderon should shoot more often with DeRozan and Bargnani struggling.

I believe yes; Jay and Jose think yes, but with an explanation specific to Monday and Saturday nights.

Jay

“Jose’s got a very solid basketball IQ, he knows how to run a basketball team and I think he’s feeling for some of these guys and trying to get them the ball where they can make something good happen.”

Jose

“Maybe I could be a little bit more aggressive and I’ll try to do that sometimes but, I don’t know, I was feeling like we were having good shots. It’s not like we were forcing a lot … it was more good looks, missing shots.

 

“But you have to have confidence in your teammates that they’ll make the next one. That’s why I keep passing them the ball.”

The dude’s almost too unselfish but, you know, outside the last two games, offence hasn’t generally been an issue with this team so I don’t know that there’s a huge reason to change.

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Want to send me mail? I have no idea where I’ll be when tomorrow or even today to get to it (what are my chances the scheduled Atlanta-Toronto Delta flight Thursday goes off without a hitch?) but I will eventually. Promise.

You know the drill.

Click. Write. Send.

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All right, may as well wait for my plane in piece and quiet and hope the Raptors get out of Indy because if I get to Atlanta and they don’t, there is going to be one ornery Grunt.

Have a good day.